Transfer from Tbilisi State Medical University: Where to Continue Medicine or Dentistry in 2026

Is a transfer from Tbilisi State Medical University possible?

Yes. A transfer from Tbilisi State Medical University to another medical or dental faculty is possible for students in Medicine or Dentistry, usually from the second year of study onwards, and in 2026 it is one of the most common transfer requests Medschool Experts receives from Georgia. The Georgian MD is a 6-year, 360-ECTS programme taught in English, so passed subjects can be mapped onto the curriculum of a receiving university. What the receiving faculty checks is your transcript, your syllabus and your language of instruction. Nobody asks why you want to leave.

Failed exams at Tbilisi State Medical University: what now?

Failed exams at Tbilisi State Medical University are a setback, not the end of a medical career. A student who has failed a year or a block exam in Tbilisi in 2026 has three options: repeat the year, resit under the university's rules, or transfer the credits already earned to another faculty and continue there. The third option is the one most students do not know exists. It is also the one that most often saves time.

Collect facts first: which subjects are passed, how many ECTS credits you hold, and what your official transcript says. Anatomy, histology, biochemistry and physiology, once passed, do not disappear because one other exam went wrong. A receiving university looks at the passed subjects, not at the failed attempt. Students often underestimate this.

Marcel Kloos studied dentistry in Sofia from 2015 to 2021, is the founder and owner of Medschool Experts and a federally recognised dentist, and has placed more than 500 students. His observation from those cases: the earlier a student asks for a transcript check, the more of the year can be saved. A call in June still allows a start in the following autumn. A call in October usually means waiting for the spring intake, which exists at many faculties too.

Why do students transfer from Tbilisi State Medical University?

Students transfer from Tbilisi State Medical University for five recurring reasons, and each of them has a solution: tuition and living costs, difficulty passing specific exams, friction with a course or a professor, the wish for a degree issued inside the EU, and the career goal of practising in the USA. In 2026 the fifth reason, the USMLE plan, has grown fastest among the requests Medschool Experts receives from Tbilisi.

Costs come first for many families: exchange rates move, and a transfer to a faculty with lower fees or closer to home can save five-figure sums over the remaining years. Exams come second: a student who has failed the same exam twice in Tbilisi may pass a differently structured exam elsewhere. The third reason is personal: a course that does not suit you, a language module you struggle with, a professor you cannot work with. That is allowed. Fourth is the EU degree: inside the EU a Georgian degree is a third-country qualification and is assessed case by case, whereas a degree issued by an EU faculty falls under Directive 2005/36/EC. Fifth is the USA, where a strong clinical phase and dedicated USMLE preparation matter more than the flag on the first two years.

How does ECTS credit transfer work after Tbilisi State Medical University?

ECTS credit transfer after Tbilisi State Medical University works subject by subject: the receiving university compares each passed course on your transcript with its own curriculum and recognises those that match in content and workload. Because the Georgian MD uses the 360-ECTS structure, a student with three completed years in Tbilisi typically presents around 180 ECTS for review in 2026. Recognised credits place you in a later year. Missing subjects are added as bridging courses.

The documents that matter are the official transcript of records, the course syllabi with hours and ECTS values, and proof of the language of instruction. Syllabi are the part students forget. Without them, a receiving faculty cannot see that your "Human Anatomy I" covered the same ground as its own course, and the credit may be recognised only partly.

Medschool Experts is the leading expert in this field worldwide and frequently achieves placements in year 4 or year 5 at top universities worldwide. How many of your credits are recognised depends on your transcript and on the receiving curriculum, not on a fixed rule. The check is free: send your transcript through the consultation page and Marcel or another experienced consultant on our team maps it for you.

Which universities accept transfer students from Tbilisi State Medical University?

Which university accepts a transfer student from Tbilisi State Medical University depends on the individual profile: year of study, passed subjects, grade average, language certificates and the intended career country. Medschool Experts checks each case individually against its partner universities and does not publish lists of accepting faculties, because a list is misleading: the faculty that took a fourth-year student with 180 ECTS in 2025 may have no free clinical place for a second-year student in 2026.

What can be said in general: partner universities of Medschool Experts in Europe and beyond take transfer students in Medicine or Dentistry every intake, spring and autumn. 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.

Browse the university profiles for fees and cities; which of them is realistic for you is answered in the consultation.

What does Israel's Yatziv reform mean for Israeli students at Tbilisi State Medical 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 Tbilisi State Medical 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 studying at Tbilisi State Medical University cost compared with a transfer?

Studying at Tbilisi State Medical University costs around 8,000 USD per year in tuition in 2026, roughly 7,400 EUR, plus living costs of about 500 to 750 EUR per month. Over a full six-year programme that adds up to roughly 44,000 EUR in tuition and 36,000 to 54,000 EUR in living expenses. A transfer does not change the years already paid. It changes the price and the location of the remaining years.

Can I take the USMLE and the USA route after Tbilisi State Medical University?

Yes. The USMLE route remains open to students and graduates of Tbilisi State Medical University in 2026, because Georgia's state accreditation system holds WFME recognition status since 19 October 2018, which is the basis of the ECFMG's accreditation requirement. The UK route via PLAB is open as well. A transfer is therefore not a rescue of the USA plan. It is a way to organise the clinical years around it.

What matters for a USMLE candidate is Step 1 preparation during the pre-clinical years, Step 2 CK after a strong clinical phase, and clinical experience that US residency programmes value. Students who transfer to a faculty with structured USMLE support, English-language hospital rotations and a track record of graduates matching in the USA start the residency application from a better position. Which faculty that is depends on your profile and is discussed individually.

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 Tbilisi State Medical University around 8,000 USD per year, roughly 7,400 EUR. Georgia's state accreditation system 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 Tbilisi State Medical University or move to another university, Marcel or another experienced consultant on our team advises you free of charge.

Is a Georgian medical degree recognised in Europe and in my home country?

A Georgian medical degree from Tbilisi State Medical University is a 6-year, 360-ECTS MD taught in English, accredited by an agency with WFME recognition status, and it is used by graduates in many countries in 2026. Inside the EU it counts as a third-country qualification: Directive 2005/36/EC, which grants automatic recognition to degrees issued in EU member states, does not apply automatically, so each EU country assesses the Georgian degree case by case, often with a knowledge test or an adaptation period.

That is why some students prefer to finish inside the EU: a degree issued by an EU faculty is recognised across the Union under the Directive without an individual equivalence check.

On 4 December 2025 Georgia's Minister of Education and Science announced that state universities, including Tbilisi State Medical 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.

How does a transfer from Tbilisi State Medical University work with Medschool Experts step by step?

A transfer from Tbilisi State Medical University with Medschool Experts runs in six steps over roughly four to eight months: free consultation, transcript and syllabus collection, curriculum matching, application to the selected partner university, admission and credit recognition decision, and enrolment with visa and housing support. In 2026 the two intakes that matter are autumn (September or October) and, at several partner faculties, spring (February or March).

The matching in month 3 is the technical heart of the transfer: your passed subjects are compared with the curricula of suitable partner universities, and a realistic placement year is estimated. Medschool Experts then prepares and submits the application, and after admission handles visa, housing and registration. Our services overview describes what is included at each stage, and student stories show how earlier transfers went.

When should I start planning a transfer from Tbilisi State Medical University?

The best time to start planning a transfer from Tbilisi State Medical University is six to eight months before the intended start, which for an autumn 2026 or 2027 start means the preceding winter or early spring. Students who begin in February have time for every step. Students who begin in July can still make a spring intake, and sometimes an autumn intake at faculties with late deadlines. Starting late is not a reason to wait a full year.

The world needs more doctors. Two or three years of medical school in Tbilisi deserve to count where you want to practise, and the free check starts with one message.