Transfer from Caucasus International University: Where to Continue Medicine or Dentistry in 2026

Transfer from Caucasus International University: is it possible in 2026?

A transfer from Caucasus International University works because the programmes in Tbilisi are organised in ECTS credits. The MD programme runs six years and 360 ECTS, teaching is in English, and every module has a name, a credit value and a grade on the transcript of records. A receiving university compares those modules with its own curriculum and decides where the student continues. That is the entire mechanism.

Caucasus International University is a private university with roots going back to 1995 and students from dozens of countries. Their licensing goals differ as much as their passports. A transfer plan starts from that goal.

The reasons for a transfer are personal ones.

Failed exams at Caucasus International University: what now?

Failed exams at Caucasus International University in 2026 leave a student with three realistic paths: retake the exam, repeat the year, or transfer to another medical or dental faculty where the passed modules count and the open ones are taken in a fresh setting. Each path is common. Each is used every year by students in Tbilisi. None of them says anything final about your ability to become a doctor or dentist.

The difference between the three is time and money. A retake costs a few weeks of revision. A repeated year costs twelve months and another year of tuition. A transfer costs roughly eight months of preparation, but it can turn a difficult year into a placement in a higher year elsewhere. The failed subject travels with you as an open module, not as a stigma.

Why do students consider a transfer from Caucasus International University?

Students consider a transfer from Caucasus International University in 2026 for five recurring reasons: repeated difficulty with one exam subject, a licensing goal that a Georgian degree does not meet automatically, tuition and living costs that no longer fit, friction with a course or a professor, and a career plan in the United States that calls for early USMLE alignment. Each reason has a matching solution, and each solution begins with the same document: the transcript of records.

Exam difficulty: a new faculty means a new exam culture without losing the credits already earned. Licensing goal: a final degree from an OECD or EU institution is treated differently by home-country authorities, and a transfer before graduation is the cleanest way to obtain one. Costs: a faculty closer to home or with a different fee model can lower the total, particularly when few years remain. Course friction: rarely personal, often persistent, gone after a change of setting. USA plan: joining a faculty with USMLE-style assessment in year 3 or 4 aligns curriculum and exam calendar.

Marcel Kloos saw all five reasons in his own cohort in Sofia between 2015 and 2021. Classmates changed faculties, finished on time and now practise. The students on our student stories page started the same way: from a transcript and a question.

How does ECTS credit transfer work after Caucasus International University?

ECTS credit transfer after Caucasus International University is a module-by-module comparison. The receiving university reads the Tbilisi transcript of records, matches each passed course (title, content, hours, credits, grade) against its own curriculum, and issues a recognition decision that determines the year of entry. Because the CIU Medicine programme is structured in 360 ECTS over six years, and Dentistry follows the same credit logic, the comparison is straightforward for a European faculty.

Three documents carry the decision. The transcript of records lists the credits. The course descriptions show what was taught. The enrolment certificate proves current status. Medschool Experts requests all three from CIU before any application leaves, because a missing course description is the most frequent reason for a module not being recognised.

How much is recognised depends on curriculum overlap and on the receiving faculty's own rules. We do not quote caps, because a cap would be wrong for most readers. What experience shows: Medschool Experts is the leading expert in this field worldwide and frequently achieves placements in year 4 or year 5 at top universities worldwide, and every recognition decision is negotiated with the faculty rather than accepted as it comes. The transfer service includes that negotiation. A free check at /contact shows what your transcript supports.

Which universities accept transfer students from Caucasus International University?

Which universities accept transfer students from Caucasus International University depends on the individual profile: current year, grades, passed modules, language skills, budget and licensing goal. Medschool Experts checks each profile individually against its partner universities and does not publish lists of accepting faculties, because a list that fits a year-4 Medicine student is wrong for a year-2 Dentistry student. The consultation that replaces the list is free.

Faculties change their intake rules every year. A table published in spring is out of date by autumn, and it pushes a student toward a name instead of a fit.

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 Caucasus International University?

Israel's Ministry of Health ties admission to the Israeli medical licensing exam to the institution where a doctor studied. For Israelis who began studying in 2019 or later, all institutions in OECD member states count as approved, plus institutions in other countries that the Ministry lists individually. Georgia is not an OECD member, so for Israeli students at Caucasus International University the Ministry'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 from Caucasus International University is one way to do that. Others continue in Tbilisi. Both are sound choices. Medschool Experts advises Israeli students on both paths, free of charge, and goes through the current Ministry list with you in the consultation.

Students from India: recognition rules to check

Indian students at Caucasus International University plan under the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021, notified by the National Medical Commission on 18 November 2021. Those rules expect a course of at least 54 months, teaching in English, a twelve-month internship at the same institution, and a degree that entitles the holder to practise in the country of study, followed by the screening exam in India. The regulations also expect the whole course to be completed at one institution. For an Indian student, that makes the timing and the structure of any transfer a question to settle before, not after, the first application. We raise it in the consultation.

Can I continue Medicine or Dentistry after Caucasus International University without losing a year?

Continuing Medicine or Dentistry after Caucasus International University without losing a year is the standard goal of every transfer Medschool Experts plans, and it is achieved regularly. Recognised modules from Tbilisi are mapped onto the new curriculum, and the student enters the year that matches the recognised credits. A transfer prepared during the winter for a September start leaves no gap in the academic calendar.

Where a gap appears, it has one of two causes: a late application, or a missing course description. Both are avoidable.

What does a transfer from Caucasus International University cost, and how do living costs compare?

A transfer from Caucasus International University has two cost layers in 2026: one-off transfer costs (translations, apostilles, application fees, travel, a housing deposit) and running costs at the new university (tuition and living). The consultation and profile check at Medschool Experts are free. The baseline to compare against is Tbilisi today: around 5,000 to 6,000 USD tuition per year, roughly 5,100 EUR, plus 500 to 750 EUR per month for living.

Roughly 11,100 to 14,100 EUR per year is the figure to compare. Dearer per year can still be cheaper in total: a placement in year 4 leaves two or three years to pay for, not four or five. We calculate the remaining total, not the annual fee alone.

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

Georgia remains an attractive place to study Medicine in 2026 for students from many countries. The six-year MD is taught in English and carries 360 ECTS, the same credit volume as a European medical degree. Tuition at Caucasus International University is around 5,000 to 6,000 USD per year, clearly below what medical schools in Western Europe charge. Georgia's accreditation agency 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 and safe place to live. Daily costs stay modest.

For Iranian students Georgia is especially accessible. Iranian citizens can enter Georgia without a visa and stay up to 45 days; 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 Caucasus International University or move to another university, Marcel or another experienced consultant on our team advises you free of charge.

Is the USMLE or USA route open after a transfer from Caucasus International University?

The USMLE route is open both at Caucasus International University and after a transfer. Georgia's National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement has held WFME recognition status since 19 October 2018, which is the basis on which graduates of accredited Georgian programmes can pursue ECFMG certification. The UK PLAB route is open too. A student who transfers to a faculty in an OECD or EU country keeps both routes and adds a third: a final degree assessed under Directive 2005/36/EC inside the EU, or accepted by Israel's Ministry of Health without an individual listing.

For a USA plan, the timing of Step 1 matters more than the flag on the campus. Entering year 3 or year 4 at a faculty with integrated USMLE-style teaching lines up the curriculum with the exam calendar. We discuss that alignment in the consultation.

Inside the EU, a Georgian degree is a third-country qualification assessed case by case. Directive 2005/36/EC does not apply to it automatically. A transfer before graduation brings the final degree under the Directive; graduating in Tbilisi and completing an equivalence procedure afterwards is the other route. Both lead to practice.

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

The transfer with Medschool Experts runs in four steps over roughly eight months: a free consultation in month 1, a transcript check in month 2, document preparation and application in months 3 to 4, and admission with credit recognition, visa and housing in months 5 to 8. The student stays enrolled at Caucasus International University until the admission letter is in hand. Nothing is given up early.

Marcel Kloos, who has placed more than 500 students since founding Medschool Experts, or another experienced consultant on our team, leads the case from the first call to the first lecture. The faculties we work with are on the universities page; which of them fit you is a question for the consultation.

When is the best time to start planning a transfer from Caucasus International University?

The best time to start planning a transfer from Caucasus International University is the winter semester before the intended September start, ideally January or February 2027 for a September 2027 entry. That window leaves time to request transcripts and course descriptions from CIU, sit a language test if one is required, and meet intake deadlines without rushing. Spring is still workable. August is tight.

Three signals say it is time to talk. You have failed the same exam twice. Your family budget has changed. Your licensing goal in Israel, India, the United States or the EU needs a check that the Georgian degree cannot answer on its own. One signal is enough for a free call.

The call costs nothing and produces a written picture of where your Tbilisi credits can take you. Reach Marcel or another experienced consultant on our team via /contact.