Yandex School of Data Analysis Graduates Record 390 AI Specialists in 2026

The Yandex School of Data Analysis (YSDA) graduated 390 specialists in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analysis in 2026 — the largest class in its history. Since its founding in 2007, the school has trained 2,390 specialists. Its first graduating class numbered just 30 students, meaning this year's class was 13 times larger.

Daria Kozlova,
Director of Yandex Education

The industry needs specialists with a strong foundation in the mathematics behind machine learning — people who can develop advanced AI technologies. That is driving demand for advanced education. Today, one in three YSDA students is an experienced software developer who has come to the school to deepen their expertise in AI.

One in four YSDA graduates is involved in scientific research, while one in six helps build a startup or business. Alumni also work at major technology, financial, and industrial companies. They contribute to robotic delivery and autonomous vehicles, search engines with generative AI answers, and recommendation systems. They also develop machine learning models for applications in health care, agriculture, finance, e-commerce, education, and other industries.

Some graduates have moved into leadership roles, overseeing products, engineering teams, and AI divisions. In these positions, they guide the development of AI-powered services and practical applications.

YSDA students and alumni also contribute to projects at Yandex's Technology for Society Center, which uses AI and data analysis to address practical challenges in areas such as health care, education, and the environment. Its projects include a free AI service that detects invasive hogweed in satellite imagery, a neural network that analyzes MRI scans of newborns' brains, and technology that helps volunteers clean up coastlines.

YSDA students also publish research at leading international conferences in machine learning, computer vision, and data analysis, including the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML). In 2026, a paper co-authored by YSDA students and instructors was selected as a Spotlight paper at ICML, a distinction awarded to particularly highly rated submissions. The research proposes more efficient ways to run graph neural networks on GPUs, speeding up computations while reducing memory requirements.

About the Yandex School of Data Analysis

The Yandex School of Data Analysis offers a free, two-year advanced program covering machine learning, data analysis, big data infrastructure, distributed systems, and applications of AI in scientific research. Its courses and teaching methods are also used in joint educational programs run by Yandex and leading universities, including the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, HSE University, Saint Petersburg State University, ITMO University, and Innopolis University.