Transfer from Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University: Where to Continue Medicine in 2026

Is a transfer from Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University possible in 2026?

A transfer from Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University is possible in 2026 for students in any year of the English-taught Medicine programme. The faculty issues an official transcript with ECTS credits per module, and that transcript is the currency of every transfer. Medschool Experts uses it to place students at partner universities worldwide.

Tbilisi State University has taught medicine since 1918 and re-opened its Faculty of Medicine in 1994. The one-cycle MD runs six years, carries 360 ECTS and is taught in English with compulsory Georgian language modules. This structure matters for a transfer: ECTS is the same unit that medical faculties across Europe use, so a receiving university can read a Tbilisi transcript without a conversion table.

The facts in the table come from the university profile of Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. Tuition sits at around 7,000 to 8,000 USD per year in 2026, which places the faculty in the mid-range for English-taught medicine outside the EU.

On 4 December 2025 Georgia's Minister of Education and Science announced that state universities, including Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi 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 Tbilisi State University: what now?

A student who has failed exams at Tbilisi State University in 2026 has three realistic options: retake the exam within the faculty's rules, repeat the year, or transfer the credits already earned to another medical faculty and continue there. A transfer does not erase passed modules. It moves them.

Failing an anatomy or biochemistry exam in year one or two is common at every medical faculty in the world, and it says little about whether someone will become a good doctor. What matters is the next step. Some retake and pass. Others discover that the exam format or the distance from home makes a second attempt unlikely to succeed.

For the second group, a transfer is the alternative to dropping out. The passed modules stay on the transcript. A receiving faculty looks at those modules, not at the failed attempt, and decides which year the student enters. Marcel Kloos, who studied dentistry in Sofia from 2015 to 2021, has guided many students through exactly this decision.

Why do students consider transferring from Tbilisi State University?

Students consider a transfer from Tbilisi State University in 2026 for five recurring reasons: exam difficulties, tuition or living costs, friction with a specific course or professor, the wish for an EU degree, and the career goal USA. Each reason has a solution, and the table below pairs them.

Tbilisi is affordable and lively. Still, a family budget can change, a professor can be a poor fit, and career plans can shift after two years of clinical exposure. None of this reflects on the faculty. It reflects on the student's life, and a transfer is the tool that adapts the study path to it.

How does ECTS credit transfer work after Tbilisi State University?

ECTS credit transfer after Tbilisi State University works module by module: the receiving faculty compares each passed module on the Tbilisi transcript with its own curriculum, using the syllabus to check content and hours, and then issues a recognition decision that states the year of entry. The 360-ECTS structure of the Tbilisi MD makes that comparison straightforward.

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 depends on the transcript, the syllabus and the target faculty. That is why no reliable number can be given before the documents are on the table, and why the credit review is done individually and free of charge.

Three details decide most cases. First, the syllabus: a receiving faculty needs to see that anatomy in Tbilisi covered what its own anatomy course covers. Second, the exam record: passed modules count, failed attempts do not. Third, timing: an application that reaches the faculty early in the year leaves room to fix gaps with a bridging exam instead of a lost semester. Every step of the review is described on the Medschool Experts services page.

Which universities accept transfer students from Tbilisi State University?

Which universities accept transfer students from Tbilisi State University depends on the individual profile: year of study, grades, ECTS earned, budget and the country where the student wants to practise later. Medschool Experts checks each case against its partner universities and does not publish lists of accepting faculties, because a list would be out of date within a semester and would mislead students whose profile fits a different faculty.

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 can be said in general: partner faculties exist inside the EU, in other OECD member states and beyond, in English-taught programmes that run on ECTS. Medschool Experts places students at its partner universities in different years of study, with credits carried over. Which faculty fits a specific student becomes clear in the consultation with Marcel or another experienced consultant on our team.

What does Israel's Yatziv reform mean for Israeli students at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi 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 Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi 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 Tbilisi State University cost, and how do living costs compare?

A transfer from Tbilisi State University costs the student three things in 2026: the tuition of the new faculty, the living costs of the new city, and one-off items such as certified translations, travel and a housing deposit. The consultation and the credit review at Medschool Experts are free; the placement fee is discussed openly in the first conversation.

A year in Tbilisi currently adds up to roughly 13,000 to 16,000 EUR when tuition of about 8,000 USD is combined with living costs of 500 to 750 EUR per month. Some target faculties are more expensive, some are cheaper, and the difference in living costs between cities is often larger than the difference in tuition. Marcel, who lives in Bern and knows how quickly rent decides a budget, compares both figures with the family before any application is sent.

One saving is easy to overlook. A student who transfers instead of repeating a year avoids one full year of tuition and living costs, which in Tbilisi alone means 13,000 EUR or more. Seen that way, a transfer is often the cheaper option.

Can I go the USMLE or USA route after Tbilisi State University?

Yes, the USMLE route remains open to students of Tbilisi State University in 2026. 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 Georgian programmes can pursue ECFMG certification and sit the USMLE steps. The UK PLAB route is likewise open.

A transfer changes the question from whether the route is open to how well the faculty prepares for it. Students with a firm US goal often look for a faculty with structured USMLE Step 1 preparation, clinical electives in the USA and a network of alumni in US residency programmes. Others prefer to stay in Georgia and prepare on their own. Both paths work. The consultation clarifies which one fits.

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 Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University around 7,000 to 8,000 USD 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 Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University or move to another university, Marcel or another experienced consultant on our team advises you free of charge.

Can I continue Medicine in the EU after Tbilisi State University without losing a year?

Continuing Medicine in the EU after Tbilisi State University without losing a year is possible when the ECTS credits are recognised in full for the year already completed, and Medschool Experts frequently achieves that for students with a clean transcript. Inside the EU a Georgian degree is a third-country qualification that is assessed case by case, because Directive 2005/36/EC does not apply to it automatically. A degree earned at an EU faculty, by contrast, moves across the EU under that directive.

That distinction is the main reason students with a European career plan transfer during their studies rather than after graduation. A transfer in year two or three means the final diploma is an EU diploma. Recognition in the home country then follows the automatic route instead of the individual one.

The timing is not fixed. Some transfer after year one, others after year three. Later is possible too.

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

The transfer with Medschool Experts works in five steps over roughly eight months: free consultation, credit analysis, document preparation, admission decision, and the move. Marcel or another experienced consultant on our team runs every step, and the student keeps studying in Tbilisi until the new place is confirmed.

Month one is the consultation. The student sends the transcript, describes the goal and the budget, and receives a first assessment. Month two is the credit analysis: the team compares the Tbilisi modules with the curricula of fitting partner faculties and prepares a shortlist. Months three and four cover documents: certified transcripts, the syllabus, translations and the application itself. Months five and six bring the recognition letter with the year of entry and the enrolment. Months seven and eight are the move.

The timeline stretches when documents arrive late from the faculty office, and it shrinks when a student contacts the team a full year before the planned start. Marcel Kloos has placed more than 500 students since founding Medschool Experts, and the cases that ran smoothest were the ones that began early.

What documents does a transfer from Tbilisi State University need?

A transfer from Tbilisi State University needs four core documents in 2026: the official transcript with ECTS per module, the course syllabus, an enrolment certificate showing the current year, and the original school-leaving certificate. Everything else, from translations to the application form of the target faculty, is organised by Medschool Experts.

The transcript and the syllabus carry the most weight. A transcript tells a receiving faculty that anatomy was passed; the syllabus tells it how many hours and which topics. Students who collect both before the consultation gain several weeks.