Transfer from Ilia State University: Where to Continue Medicine in 2026

Is a transfer from Ilia State University possible?

Yes. A transfer from Ilia State University to another medical faculty is possible for students in every year of the six-year MD programme in Tbilisi, and in 2026 it is one of the most common requests Medschool Experts receives from Georgia. The receiving faculty compares your passed courses against its own curriculum and decides at which year you enter. Nothing about this is exotic.

Ilia State University teaches Medicine in English over 12 semesters, awards the Medical Doctor degree and uses the same ECTS system as faculties across Europe. That shared credit language makes the comparison possible.

The table reflects the data on our Ilia State University page. Tuition is billed in US dollars, so the euro figure moves with the exchange rate. Living costs in Tbilisi are low, which is one reason many students start here and only later weigh a move.

On 4 December 2025 Georgia's Minister of Education and Science announced that state universities, including Ilia State University, will not admit new foreign students from the 2026/2027 academic year, while enrolled students continue their studies and private universities keep admitting international students.

Failed exams at Ilia State University: what now?

Failed exams at Ilia State University in 2026 do not end your medical studies. You have three routes: retake the exam in the next session, repeat the year in Tbilisi, or transfer to another faculty with the credits you have already passed. Which route fits depends on how many courses are open and on your budget for the coming year.

Take a breath first. One failed anatomy or biochemistry block says little about whether you will become a good doctor. It usually says something about the fit between you and the way a course is taught and examined. Students who move faculties often pass the same subject at the first attempt because the format or the group size is different.

The transfer route has one practical advantage that the other two lack: it lets you keep moving. Repeating a year means twelve more months and a further year of tuition in Tbilisi. A transfer prepared during the current semester can place you in the new faculty at the next intake, with your passed courses credited. Marcel Kloos saw this pattern himself in Sofia between 2015 and 2021, where classmates who had struggled in one faculty finished on schedule after a move.

What if the year is already lost? Even then, a transfer is worth checking. The passed courses still count, and the receiving faculty looks at credits, not at the story behind them.

Why do students transfer from Ilia State University?

Students transfer from Ilia State University for five main reasons: exam difficulties, the total cost of six years abroad, friction with a specific course or professor, the wish for an EU degree, and a career goal in the USA. For Israeli students, the licensing rules at home are a sixth planning point. Every one of these reasons has a workable solution.

Cost is rarely the tuition alone. Tbilisi is affordable, but flights home, a residence permit and Georgian health insurance add up over six years. Some students find a faculty closer to home cheaper overall even at a higher tuition rate. Others want to graduate inside the European Union, so that Directive 2005/36/EC applies to their degree automatically. Both goals can be planned.

How does ECTS credit transfer from Ilia State University work?

ECTS credit transfer from Ilia State University works course by course. The receiving faculty takes your transcript of records and the syllabus of each passed course, compares content and contact hours with its own curriculum, and grants credit where the match is close enough. The result of that comparison decides the year in which you enter, and in 2026 Medschool Experts prepares this comparison before any application is filed.

The Georgian MD is worth 360 ECTS across 6 years, so roughly 60 ECTS per year. That structure matches most European medical faculties, which is helpful. What matters more than the number, though, is the content. Anatomy taught with dissection and 200 contact hours is credited differently from anatomy taught in lectures alone. This is why syllabi matter as much as the transcript.

How much will be recognised? Nobody can promise a figure in advance. What we can say is this: Medschool Experts is the leading expert in this field worldwide and frequently achieves placements in year 4 or year 5 at top universities worldwide. The outcome for your record is checked individually and free of charge in a consultation with Marcel or another experienced consultant on our team.

Two practical tips. Request your stamped English transcript early, since this can take weeks in the exam period. And keep every syllabus from year one. Complete course descriptions mean faster credit decisions.

Which universities accept transfer students from Ilia State University?

Which universities accept transfer students from Ilia State University depends on your individual profile: the year you are in, the courses you have passed, your grades, your budget and your career goal. Medschool Experts checks these factors individually for each student in 2026 and does not publish lists of receiving faculties, because a list would be wrong for most readers and right for none.

The reason is simple. A second-year student with a USMLE goal needs a different faculty from a fourth-year student who wants an EU degree at a lower tuition rate. Our partner faculties across Europe and other regions each have their own view on Georgian credits, their own intake dates and a capacity for transfer students that changes every year.

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. You can see the scope of our work on the services page and read how other students experienced their move in our student stories.

What does Israel's Yatziv reform mean for Israeli students at Ilia State University?

Israel's Ministry of Health ties admission to the Israeli medical licensing exam to the institution where a doctor studied. Under the Yatziv reform, for Israelis who began their studies 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 state, so for Israeli students at Ilia State University the Ministry's individual list is the reference.

Some Israeli students therefore plan their degree with a university in an OECD member state in mind, and a transfer is one way to do that. Others continue in Tbilisi. Both are valid plans. Medschool Experts advises Israeli students on both paths, free of charge, in a personal consultation.

What does a transfer from Ilia State University cost, and how do living costs compare?

A transfer from Ilia State University costs three things in 2026: the tuition at the receiving faculty from the year you enter, the living costs in the new city, and one-off items such as translation of documents, travel and a residence permit. Against this stands what you save by not repeating a year in Tbilisi and, for many students, by living closer to home.

Tbilisi is cheap to live in. A budget of EUR 500 to 750 per month covers rent, food and transport, which puts a year at Ilia State University at roughly EUR 11,000 to 16,500 including tuition. Many receiving faculties cost more per year. Some cost about the same. The fair comparison is the total remaining cost until graduation, including any year you would otherwise repeat.

Consultation and credit check at Medschool Experts are free. Our placement service is paid only once you decide to go ahead, and the fee is explained in writing before you commit to anything. Bring your transcript and your current budget to the free consultation, and you leave with a realistic total for the years that remain.

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

Georgia remains an attractive place to study Medicine in 2026 because it combines an English-taught six-year MD worth 360 ECTS with tuition clearly below Western European levels: at Ilia State University around USD 5,000 to 7,000 per year. Georgia's National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement holds 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, and lecture halls in both cities are used to a mix of languages and backgrounds. Daily life in Georgia is welcoming, safe and affordable.

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 the 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 option among good ones. Both paths can work. Whether you stay at Ilia State University or move to another university, Marcel or another experienced consultant on our team advises you free of charge.

Can I take the USMLE route after Ilia State University?

Yes, the USMLE route stays open. The National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement, which authorises Ilia State University, has held WFME recognition status since 19 October 2018, and that recognition is the basis on which graduates of Georgian faculties apply for ECFMG certification and the USMLE. The UK PLAB route is open on the same basis. A transfer to another faculty does not close either door.

Why transfer at all, then, if the goal is the USA? Because preparation differs. Some faculties build USMLE-style assessment into their teaching, run clinical rotations that match the US model and have alumni in American residency programmes. A student who knows early that the USA is the goal can choose a faculty around it. We discuss this in the consultation.

Can I transfer from Ilia State University without losing a year?

Many students transfer from Ilia State University without losing a year, and in 2026 that is the goal Medschool Experts plans towards in every case. The decisive factors are a complete credit record, a syllabus for each passed course and a timeline that files applications before the receiving faculty's intake. Where the credit comparison leaves gaps, the faculty may ask for individual courses to be completed alongside the regular year rather than a full year repeated.

Timing is everything. A student who contacts us in January with a full transcript can usually start at the new faculty in September or October of the same year. A student who calls in August for a September start faces a tighter window, though February intakes exist at several faculties. Start early. It costs nothing.

Marcel Kloos, who lives in Bern and works as a federally recognised dentist alongside his consulting work, has placed more than 500 students since founding Medschool Experts. The placements at year 4 or year 5 that we achieve regularly are the result of preparation, not luck.

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

A transfer with Medschool Experts runs in five steps over roughly eight to nine months: a free consultation, collection of your transcript and syllabi, the credit check and applications, admission with visa and housing, and your first day at the new faculty. The timeline below shows the typical sequence for a student leaving Ilia State University in 2026.

Is a medical degree from Ilia State University recognised in the EU?

A medical degree from Ilia State University is treated inside the EU as a third-country qualification, which each EU member state assesses case by case, while a degree from a faculty inside the European Union falls under Directive 2005/36/EC automatically. The Georgian MD itself is a full six-year, 360-ECTS qualification in 2026. Some students weigh that difference when they think about where they want to be in year five or six. That is a reasonable planning question. A transfer is an option, not an obligation. The university overview shows the range of faculties Medschool Experts works with.