Studying in Georgia

What a year costs

Tuition is set by each university. Tbilisi State Medical University (TSMU), one of the largest destinations for international medical students, lists English-medium fees for international students of:

• Medical Doctor programme: USD 8,000 a year
• Dental Medicine: USD 7,000 a year
• Pharmacy: USD 3,500 a year
• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: USD 3,000 a year
• Public Health and Management (joint Georgian-French): USD 4,000 a year
• Preparatory course: USD 2,000 a year

The medical degree in Georgia is a single-cycle programme of 360 ECTS credits, normally six years at 60 credits a year, which leads to the qualification of certified physician. Six years at USD 8,000 is USD 48,000 in tuition, before living costs.

Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University's fees page states a flat GEL 1,125 per semester for its programmes. That is the state rate for its main programmes; English-taught programmes for international students may be priced separately, so confirm the fee for your programme in writing.

Living costs. No Georgian government body or university we checked publishes a student living-cost budget. The study residence permit asks you to show at least twice the monthly subsistence minimum in your account, which is a legal floor, not a realistic budget: rent alone in central Tbilisi exceeds it.

Fixed costs to add: the residence permit fee each time you apply or renew (GEL 300-600 depending on speed), recognition of your school certificate by the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement (GEL 40-250), and health insurance.

The visa

Georgia works in two steps: enter, then get a study residence permit at the Public Service Hall.

Entry. Citizens of around 90 countries, plus EU member states, can enter Georgia without a visa and stay for a full year, according to Georgia's national tourism administration. If your country is not on the list, you need a visa. Georgia's e-Visa portal is for short stays of under 90 days only, including "study and training less than 90 days", so for a degree you apply at a Georgian embassy or consulate. The e-Visa also requires a separate DuVerify identity check costing USD 15. Check your nationality on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs consular site (geoconsul.gov.ge) before booking travel.

Study residence permit. Once enrolled, you apply to the Public Service Development Agency through a Public Service Hall. Fees depend on how fast you want a decision:

• GEL 300 for a decision by the 30th calendar day
• GEL 450 by the 20th day
• GEL 600 by the 10th day

You submit the application form, passport copy, proof of lawful stay, a colour photo, proof of payment, and a certificate from an authorised Georgian educational institution confirming you are studying on a higher or vocational programme.

The money. You must show either legal income earned in Georgia (yours, or a Georgian citizen's or legal resident relative's), or funds in your personal bank account of not less than twice the subsistence minimum for the average consumer, for each month. The agency does not convert that into a GEL figure. Geostat, the national statistics office, publishes the subsistence minimum monthly; for comparison, its figure for a working-age man was GEL 283.30 in December 2025. Ask the Public Service Hall how many months of funds they expect for your permit length.

Admission without the national exams. Foreign applicants are admitted without Georgia's Unified National Exams through a procedure run by the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement (NCEQE), which forwards your file to the Ministry of Education and Science. You need notarised Georgian translations of your certificates, verification of your last two years of study, and the university's written consent. The fee is GEL 30 (one month) or GEL 60 (15 business days). Your school certificate may also need formal recognition, at GEL 40-250 depending on speed.

Working while you study

From 1 March 2026, foreigners without permanent residence must obtain work authorisation before starting paid work, through Georgia's labour migration system. Earlier guides saying that anyone legally in Georgia can simply work are out of date.

We could not find an official Georgian source that exempts students or sets a student hours limit. Until your university or the labour migration authority confirms otherwise in writing, assume you need authorisation for any paid job, including part-time work.

After you graduate

Georgia has no post-study work permit. Your study residence permit depends on your enrolment. To stay, you need a new ground for residence, such as a work residence permit, and since March 2026 you need work authorisation before starting a job.

For medical graduates, practising in Georgia is a separate matter from holding the degree, and you should expect to need Georgian for clinical work with patients. If you plan to practise at home or in a third country, recognition of the degree there is what counts.

Language

English-medium programmes are widely available for international students, notably in medicine. TSMU teaches its international programmes in English, Russian and Georgian.

The language of your degree and the language of your patients are different. Clinical training in Georgian hospitals involves patients who speak Georgian, and sometimes Russian. Ask whether your programme includes Georgian language classes, and take them seriously.

Everyday life in Tbilisi and Batumi works in English for most purposes. Official documents for the Ministry and NCEQE must be translated into Georgian and notarised.

When to apply

The main intake is in autumn (September); some universities also admit in spring. Check your university's calendar. Allow for three processes in sequence:

1. University admission and the university's consent letter 2. NCEQE and Ministry procedure for admission without national exams: one month standard, 15 business days fast track 3. Entry visa from a consulate, if your nationality needs one

Start six to nine months before your intended start. The residence permit itself follows after arrival and enrolment.

What to watch out for

Check recognition of a medical degree in your home country before you enrol. This is the decision that matters most, and the rules are set by your home regulator, not by Georgia or your agent.

• Accreditation in Georgia. Georgia's accreditation body, NCEQE, has held recognition from the World Federation for Medical Education since 19 October 2018, currently listed to October 2028. That recognition covers NCEQE's accreditation process: it applies to programmes that NCEQE has accredited, not automatically to every medical programme in Georgia. Check that your exact programme is accredited, and ask what happens to your degree if NCEQE's recognition is not renewed after 2028.
• India. The National Medical Commission's Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021 require, among other conditions, at least 54 months of study, a 12-month internship at the same institution, teaching in English, and that the graduate be registered or eligible to practise in the country of study on the same basis as its citizens. The NMC's November 2024 advisory warned that "any variation in duration, medium of instructions, syllabus, clinical training or internship" may lead to refusal of registration in India. Ask the university in writing how its programme meets each condition, including the internship and licensing in Georgia.
• United States. Since November 2024, ECFMG's Recognized Accreditation Policy looks at whether your medical school is accredited by an agency recognised by WFME or another approved body.
• United Kingdom. The General Medical Council tells you to check the World Directory of Medical Schools and to ask the GMC directly, and warns you not to rely on confirmation from any third party, including your medical school. It gives a definitive answer only once your course is complete.
• The World Directory is not approval. The directory itself says a listing "does not denote recognition, accreditation, or endorsement".

Insurance on arrival. Georgian and international media reported a mandatory health and accident insurance requirement for foreign visitors from 1 January 2026. We could not load an official text of the rule, including whether and how it applies to students and residence permit holders. Ask the consulate or your university before you travel, and carry proof of cover.

Work rules changed in 2026. Do not take a part-time job on the assumption that it is allowed; the March 2026 authorisation rule changed that.

Agents. Many applicants come through agents. Pay tuition directly to the university, get fees and programme details from the university's own website, and check accreditation yourself.

Where these numbers come from

Rules change, sometimes at short notice. Every figure above carries the date we checked it. Check the official source before you rely on it. The GEL value of the proof-of-funds rule, any student exemption from the 2026 work authorisation rule, and the official text of the 2026 insurance requirement were not published in a form we could verify.