Transfer from Alte University Tbilisi: Where to Continue Medicine in 2026

Is a transfer from Alte University Tbilisi possible in 2026?

A transfer from Alte University Tbilisi is possible for students in every year of the Medicine programme. Alte University is state-authorised by Georgia's National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement and listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools. Its transcript is issued in ECTS, the same credit currency that universities across Europe use. That makes the comparison of subjects straightforward.

The decisive question is not whether you may leave. It is which university will accept your credits and in which year it will place you. That depends on your transcript, the syllabus of each passed subject and your exam results. Medschool Experts answers this question individually and free of charge.

Failed exams at Alte University: what now?

A failed exam at Alte University Tbilisi in 2026 does not end a medical career. Students who fail an exam usually have a retake, and students who fail a year can repeat it. The third route is a transfer to a university in Europe that recognises the subjects already passed and places the student in a matching year.

Marcel Kloos sat through six years of dentistry in Sofia between 2015 and 2021 and knows how a bad exam week feels. What matters now is a calm look at the options.

Retaking is cheapest if the gap is small. Repeating the year makes sense if several subjects are open. A transfer is worth checking when the failed subject is one you have struggled with repeatedly, when the teaching style does not match your learning style, or when the failed year coincides with other reasons to move. Passed subjects stay passed. They are recorded in ECTS on your transcript and travel with you.

Why do students consider transferring from Alte University Tbilisi?

Students transfer from Alte University Tbilisi for five typical reasons: tuition and living costs in USD, repeated difficulty with specific exams, a problem with a course or a professor, the wish for a degree from an EU member state, and a career goal in the USA. Each reason has a practical solution, and none of them is a judgement on the university.

• Costs in USD. Tuition of 4,500 to 5,500 USD per year is billed in dollars, so a moving exchange rate changes the EUR amount every year. Solution: a university in Europe with fees in EUR gives a fixed planning figure.
• Specific exams. A subject that blocks progress twice is a signal. Solution: a transfer to a curriculum with a different exam structure and smaller groups.
• Course or professor. Sometimes it is not the content but the fit. Solution: a change of environment while keeping every passed credit.
• EU degree. A Georgian MD is a third-country qualification in the EU, assessed case by case. Solution: finishing the degree at a university in an EU member state, where Directive 2005/36/EC applies to the final diploma.
• USA and USMLE. Students aiming for a US residency want strong Step 1 preparation and clinical rotations. Solution: a university with a curriculum built around USMLE preparation.

Most students name two reasons at once. That is normal.

How does ECTS credit transfer work after Alte University?

ECTS credit transfer after Alte University Tbilisi works in four steps: the transcript with grades and hours, a subject-by-subject syllabus comparison, the recognition decision of the receiving university and the placement in a specific study year. The Georgian MD carries 360 ECTS over six years, so each completed year equals 60 ECTS.

The syllabus comparison is the heart of the procedure. Receiving universities compare hours, content and exam form for each subject. Anatomy, histology, physiology and biochemistry usually match well across European curricula. Clinical subjects are compared with the clinical rotations of the new university.

How many credits are recognised depends on the match, not on a fixed rule. Medschool Experts is the leading expert in this field worldwide and frequently achieves placements in year 4 or year 5 at top universities worldwide. We prepare the credit transfer file so that every passed subject is documented in a form the receiving faculty can read within minutes. Book a free consultation and we tell you which year is realistic for your transcript.

Which universities accept transfer students from Alte University?

Which universities accept transfer students from Alte University Tbilisi depends on the individual profile: study year, grades, ECTS balance and the language of instruction the student wants. Medschool Experts checks this individually for every student and does not publish lists of accepting universities, because such lists are outdated within one admission cycle.

What we can say: transfers from Georgian medical faculties to universities in Europe happen every year, and Alte University's ECTS transcript in English makes the file easy to assess. Whether a placement in year 3, 4 or 5 is realistic becomes clear after we have seen your transcript. Our transfer service covers the profile check, the credit transfer file, the applications and the arrival.

A study transfer is a complex undertaking. Our experts have almost 10 years of experience in study transfers worldwide, which is why they plan and carry it out confidently. The consultation is free.

What does Israel's Yatziv reform mean for Israeli students at Alte University Tbilisi?

Israel's Yatziv reform ties admission to the Israeli medical licensing exam to the institution a student graduates from. For Israelis who began their medical studies in 2019 or later, all institutions in OECD member states count as approved, together with individually listed institutions in other countries. Georgia is not an OECD member state, so for Israeli students at Alte University Tbilisi the Ministry of Health's individual list is the reference to check.

Some Israeli students therefore plan their degree with a university in an OECD country in mind, and a transfer is one way to do that. Others continue their studies in Tbilisi. Both are reasonable choices. Medschool Experts advises Israeli students on both paths, free of charge, and looks at the individual transcript before anything is decided.

How is a degree from Alte University recognised abroad?

A Medicine degree from Alte University Tbilisi is a six-year, 360-ECTS MD taught in English. Georgia's National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement holds WFME recognition status since 19 October 2018, which keeps the ECFMG certification and USMLE route open. The UK PLAB route is open as well. Inside the EU, the Georgian degree is a third-country qualification and is assessed case by case, because Directive 2005/36/EC does not apply automatically.

For students who want the automatic EU recognition of Directive 2005/36/EC, finishing the degree at a university in an EU member state is the direct route. The diploma then comes from an EU institution, and the years completed in Tbilisi are recognised through ECTS credit transfer rather than through a post-graduation procedure.

Students from India: recognition rules to check

Indian students at Alte University Tbilisi work with the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021 of the National Medical Commission. The rules require a course of at least 54 months in English, a qualifying NEET score before the start, a twelve-month internship at the institution where the course was completed, and the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination as screening test, which is planned to be replaced by the National Exit Test. Indian students who consider a transfer should clarify with the National Medical Commission how a change of institution during the course is treated before they decide. We raise this point in the first consultation.

What does a year at Alte University cost, and what changes with a transfer?

A year of Medicine at Alte University Tbilisi costs around 4,500 to 5,500 USD in tuition, approximately 4,600 EUR, plus 500 to 750 EUR per month for living in Tbilisi. That adds up to roughly 10,600 to 13,600 EUR per year. Tbilisi is one of the more affordable capitals for students.

A transfer changes two things in this budget. First, the currency: fees at a university in Europe are usually billed in EUR, which removes the exchange-rate movement from the plan. Second, the total number of years: a student placed in year 4 pays for three remaining years, not six. The one-off costs of the transfer itself are translations, legalisation of documents, application fees and travel. We quote them exactly after the free consultation, because they depend on the number of documents and on the country of the new university.

Why is Georgia still an attractive place to study Medicine in 2026?

Georgia remains an attractive place to study Medicine in 2026. Alte University Tbilisi and other Georgian universities offer an English-taught, six-year MD with 360 ECTS, and tuition of around 4,500 to 5,500 USD per year stays clearly below the fees of private medical programmes in Western Europe. Georgia's National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement has held WFME recognition status since 2018, which keeps the USMLE and ECFMG route and the UK PLAB route open for graduates. Tbilisi and Batumi host international students from many countries. Georgia is a welcoming, safe and affordable place to live. Many families value exactly that.

For Iranian students, Georgia has one more advantage. Iranian citizens can enter Georgia without a visa and stay for up to 45 days, and the study visa and residence permit are then arranged inside Georgia. Many Iranian students face long waiting times or refusals when they apply for student visas elsewhere, so Georgia is one of the most accessible places for them to study Medicine in English.

A transfer is one good option among several. Whether you stay at Alte University Tbilisi or move to another university, Marcel or another experienced consultant on our team advises you free of charge.

Does a transfer from Alte University help with the USMLE and a career in the USA?

A transfer from Alte University Tbilisi can support a USA career plan, but the Georgian route itself is open. Alte University is listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools, and Georgia's accreditation agency holds WFME recognition, so graduates meet the structural requirement for ECFMG certification and may sit USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK.

What a transfer adds is the environment. Students who want a US residency need a curriculum that builds towards Step 1 early, clinical rotations that look familiar to US programme directors and a peer group with the same goal. Whether that is the right step depends on your year of study and your Step 1 timeline. Short version: the USMLE door is open from Tbilisi, and a transfer can make the corridor wider.

How does a transfer with Medschool Experts work step by step?

A study transfer from Alte University Tbilisi with Medschool Experts takes about nine months from the first consultation to the first day at the new university. The process has six phases: consultation, credit transfer file, applications, recognition decision, visa and housing, and arrival. Medschool Experts handles the paperwork; the student focuses on the current semester in Tbilisi.

The first consultation is free. Marcel or another experienced consultant on our team reviews your transcript, your goals and your budget. Within days you know whether a transfer is realistic and in which year a placement is likely. Marcel Kloos, who works as a federally recognised dentist in Bern, has placed more than 500 students and reads transcripts from Georgian faculties regularly.

From month two we build the credit transfer file: certified copies, syllabus extracts for every passed subject, translations and legalisation. We submit the applications, track every deadline and answer the questions of the receiving faculties. After the offer letter we organise visa, housing and the deregistration in Tbilisi. On the first day at the new university, you are already enrolled, insured and housed. Other students describe the process on our student stories page.

When is the best time to transfer from Alte University Tbilisi?

The best time to start planning a transfer from Alte University Tbilisi is nine to twelve months before the intended start at the new university. For a September start, that means the first consultation in the previous autumn or in January at the latest. Students who contact us in spring can often still make the same September, but the choice narrows.

The end of a study year is the cleanest moment for the move itself, because the transcript then shows complete years with 60 ECTS each. A transfer after year 2 or year 3 is the most common case. Transfers after year 4 happen too and often lead to a placement in year 5. Whatever the year, keep studying and keep passing exams in Tbilisi while the transfer is being prepared. Every passed exam strengthens your file.

Can I transfer from Alte University without losing a year?

Yes, a transfer from Alte University Tbilisi without losing a year is the goal of every file Medschool Experts prepares. Whether it is achieved depends on the syllabus match between the subjects passed in Tbilisi and the curriculum of the receiving university. Medschool Experts frequently achieves placements in year 4 or year 5 at top universities worldwide, with the student continuing straight into the next year.

Where a subject does not match, the receiving university may ask for a supplementary exam or one additional module rather than a full repeat of the year. We address such gaps before the application, so that the placement year is clear in the offer letter. Your transcript decides. We read it for free and tell you the realistic outcome.