Study in Georgia: English-Taught Degrees, Costs and Admission

If you plan to study in Georgia, you are most likely looking at an English-taught MD in Tbilisi. Tuition for the six-year medical program is about $5,900–8,000 a year, and international applicants enter without Georgian national exams. Admission runs through three steps: the university's consent, recognition of your school certificate by the national center NCEQE, and an enrollment order from the Ministry of Education.

Georgia suits you if you want an English-taught degree in medicine, dentistry, business or IT at a moderate fee, and you are ready to handle translations, document legalization and a visa. Citizens of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman can enter without a visa for one year. Applicants from India, Pakistan, Nigeria and Egypt need a D3 study visa.

Georgia is a weaker fit if you plan to practise medicine independently in Georgia without learning Georgian, or if you need a local job to pay for living costs. Indian medical applicants should check NMC rules before applying, not after enrollment. Below you will find costs, requirements, the visa route and the catches, based on official sources.

How much does it cost to study in Georgia?

None of the universities on this page has published next year's price lists yet. The figures below are the fees currently shown on university websites, in USD per year. SEU's figures come from its latest published price list. Treat them as a guide and confirm the final fee before you pay.

Over six years, MD tuition alone adds up to roughly $35,400 (SEU) to $48,000 (TSMU), if prices stay the same. That total excludes housing, food and flights.

Plan for a few official fees on top of tuition. NCEQE charges 40 GEL to recognize a school certificate within one month, or 80–250 GEL for faster processing. The enrollment procedure without national exams costs 30 GEL (one month) or 60 GEL (15 working days). The D3 visa fee is 20 USD, plus the VFS service fee if you apply through VFS. A study residence permit costs 300, 450 or 600 GEL, depending on how fast you need a decision. For a full breakdown by university, see our guide to the cost of studying in Georgia.

Types of universities in Georgia

The universities in Georgia that international students choose most often fall into two groups: state universities with a long history, and private universities with a more flexible admission process. The table compares the five universities we cover.

State universities charge the highest MD fees in this group, but they have the longest track record: TSU was founded in 1918, and TSMU grew out of its medical faculty. Private universities often move faster. UG, for example, accepts applications year-round, with fall and spring intakes. For MD programs, all Georgian medical schools follow the same national model: one-cycle MD, 6 years, 360 ECTS, accredited by NCEQE.

Admission requirements

International applicants do not sit Georgian national exams. Instead, the university gives its consent, NCEQE checks that your school certificate is genuine and matches Georgian standards, and the Minister of Education issues an order that enrolls you. Full details are on our admission requirements page.

Start early. Recognition alone can take up to a month, and the ministry order and a D3 visa come after it. As a rough guide, begin the procedure about 2–3 months before the semester starts, and earlier if your documents need consular legalization.

English requirements differ by university. SEU and TSMU ask for at least B1, while UG, Alte and TSU (for its MD) ask for B2. You do not always need IELTS: UG and Alte offer an internal English test, and Alte also accepts proof of at least one year of study in English. Programs taught in English or Russian do not require Georgian; for Georgian-taught programs, the university may require a preparatory year.

Document legalization by country

• India: all education documents need an MEA apostille, as the Georgian embassy's D3 checklist requires. MD applicants also need NEET results.
• Pakistan: Pakistan joined the Apostille Convention on 9 March 2023, so documents are apostilled. You need a D3 visa.
• Nigeria and Egypt: neither country is part of the Apostille Convention. Documents usually go through consular legalization: the foreign ministry of the issuing country, then a Georgian consulate.
• Saudi Arabia: apostille (member since 7 December 2022); citizens enter visa-free for one year.
• UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman: not part of the Apostille Convention, so documents need consular legalization; citizens enter visa-free for one year.
• Indian and Pakistani residents of the UAE: the Georgian embassy in the UAE also asks for an online student entry permission (registration.gov.ge) and a UAE residence permit or multiple-entry visa valid 90 days beyond the requested visa.

Student visa and documents

What to know before you apply

AcademGo tells you what many agencies leave out. None of these points is a reason to rule Georgia out, but each one changes how you should plan.

Independent medical practice in Georgia requires Georgian

Georgian law states that knowledge of Georgian is mandatory for independent medical practice in Georgia. Patients in clinics speak Georgian, which is why universities include Georgian courses in the MD curriculum, even though teaching is in English. Residency programs at TSMU are offered only in Georgian. If you want to work as a doctor in Georgia, treat Georgian as a core subject from year one. If you plan to return home, focus on your home-country licensing exam.

Graduates start as junior doctors

After the MD, a graduate receives junior doctor status without extra exams. A junior doctor may perform a doctor's duties but works under the responsibility of an independent doctor and has no right to independent practice, except in emergencies. The path to a full licence in Georgia is a post-diploma exam, residency and a unified state certification exam. Nationality does not block this path, but the language requirement does.

WFME recognition of Georgia's accreditor runs to November 2028

WFME recognizes NCEQE, the agency that accredits Georgian medical programs, until November 2028. WFME recognizes agencies, not universities, so be careful with claims like "WFME-approved university". A student starting now graduates after the current recognition period ends. Renewal is likely to be a matter for the future, and no one can guarantee it. This matters most if you plan to take the USMLE or register in a country that relies on WFME recognition.

Check home-country licensing rules first

For India, the NMC Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021 (FMGL 2021) apply. They require at least 54 months of study plus 12 months of internship at the same university, teaching in English, the whole course in one country, a licence in the country of study at par with its citizens, a further 12-month internship in India and NExT. In the Georgian model, the internship is part of the 6 years, not an extra year after graduation. Georgia's Ministry of Education states that its MD complies with NMC rules, but that is Georgia's position, not an NMC decision. An NMC advisory from November 2024, as reported, warns that any deviation in duration, language, program, clinical training or internship may lead to disqualification from registration in India. NEET is mandatory for Indian citizens who plan to study medicine abroad.

For Pakistan, PM&DC requires an MDCAT score of at least 50% and a university listed in the ECFMG/WDOMS lists. Nigerian and Egyptian applicants should confirm how their regulator treats a Georgian MD before applying. We check each program against your home rules before you pay any fee.

No fixed amount for visa funds

There is no official fixed sum for the D3 visa. Any website quoting an exact figure is not quoting the embassy checklist. What matters is a clean, consistent sponsor package, and we help you assemble and check it.

Working while studying needs a separate permit

Since 1 March 2026, according to KPMG and local law firms, a foreigner without permanent residence needs a separate work authorization to work for a Georgian employer. A study residence permit does not give that right by itself. Plan your budget without counting on earnings in Georgia.

If you need a degree from an EU university instead, compare this route with studying in Poland.

Living costs, work and student life

Numbeo data gives an expat-level benchmark, not a student budget. A student in a shared room or a dormitory spends noticeably less.

Housing depends on the university. TSU runs the Lisi dormitory with 320 places; enrolled students apply through the university administration, and the fee is around 150 GEL a month. UG has no dormitory yet and offers temporary housing support on request. SEU plans a dormitory but has none, and Alte helps with hostel places and shared or single apartments through its relocation services.

On work, the rule since 2026 is simple: a part-time job with a Georgian employer requires a separate permit. Build your budget on family funds or a scholarship, not on local income.

Student life for international students is centered in Tbilisi. SEU, for example, runs Holi and Diwali events, a cricket club and culture days, and Indian students form a large community on several campuses.

Universities we work with

• Tbilisi State University (TSU) is Georgia's oldest university, founded in 1918, with seven faculties. Its English MD runs 6 years (362 ECTS) at $8,000 a year and asks for B2 English, a video interview and NEET for Indian citizens.
• Tbilisi State Medical University (TSMU) is a state medical university, independent since 1930. It offers the MD in English at $8,000 a year and admits applicants with a B1 certificate and an online interview.
• University of Georgia (UG) is a private university in Tbilisi with an English MD at $6,500 a year, plus business, IT and master's programs. It accepts applications year-round for fall and spring intakes.
• SEU Georgian National University is a private university whose English MD costs $5,900 a year (latest published price list). American Hospital Tbilisi is its clinical partner, and SEU asks Indian MD applicants for NEET results.
• Alte University is a private university with an English MD at $5,950 a year and access to Ivane Bokeria University Hospital through its partnership with the Vian healthcare group. It also runs its own dental clinic.

For a program-by-program comparison, see our guide to MBBS in Georgia.

Not sure whether Georgia fits your plans? Book a free consultation with AcademGo. We check your documents and your home-country licensing rules, shortlist 3–4 programs that match your budget and English level, and map your visa route from legalization to residence permit. Write to us through the form on the contacts page, on WhatsApp or on Telegram.