Studying medicine in Georgia: admission, costs and recognition in the UK

Why Georgia attracts future doctors

Over the past fifteen years or so, Georgia has become one of the important destinations for people who want to study medicine in English. The vast majority of international students there choose medical programmes: according to figures reported in June 2026, about 91% of all foreign students at Georgian universities, most of them at private universities.

For applicants from abroad, three things matter most. You are admitted through an interview or an exam at the university, not through a national ranking of school-leaving grades. Classes are in English from the first semester. And tuition at many universities is clearly lower than on English-taught programmes in the European Union.

• Admission usually takes a few weeks.
• The medicine programme has 360 ECTS credits, the same as in EU countries.
• You study in an international group, and medical English stays with you for your whole career.
• Tbilisi, Batumi and Kutaisi are cities used to students from all over the world.

What the programme looks like

Medicine in Georgia is a single-cycle programme worth 360 ECTS credits. It lasts 6 years and leads to the Medical Doctor degree (in Georgian law: Certified Medical Doctor). Dentistry has 300 credits and lasts 5 years. The first years cover the basic sciences, such as anatomy, physiology and biochemistry, and from the middle of the programme you spend more and more time in hospitals and clinics.

Georgian universities use the European ECTS credit system, so syllabuses and hours are described in a way that authorities in other countries can read. This matters later for the recognition of your degree and for a transfer to a university in the EU.

Admission step by step

Each university has its own rules, but the route is similar. This is how it works at one university in Tbilisi:

1. Documents You send the university a scan of your passport and your school-leaving certificate.
2. English and interview You present an English certificate (for example at level B2) or take the university’s test, then have an online interview with the admissions committee. Some faculties also hold an exam.
3. Recognition of your certificate Once accepted, you have your documents translated into Georgian, and the national education quality centre (NCEQE) recognises your school-leaving certificate.
4. Ministry decision The Ministry of Education issues the enrolment order, usually within one or two weeks.
5. Enrolment and travel You pay the tuition, receive the documents you need for a visa or residence permit from the university and start your studies.

How much does it cost to study medicine in Georgia?

Tuition depends on the university and the programme. One example: at Tbilisi Medical Academy a year of medicine in English costs USD 7,000, plus a one-off registration fee of USD 300 and insurance of USD 7 to 25 a month. On top of that come accommodation, food, document translations and flights. We give you the current fees of the universities you are interested in during your consultation.

Accreditation and quality

Medical programmes in Georgia are accredited by the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement (NCEQE). Since 2018 it has held recognition status from the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME), granted for 10 years, until November 2028. As a result, graduates of accredited programmes meet, for example, the recognised accreditation requirement for the US medical licensing exams. When choosing a university, we always check that its medical programme is currently accredited.

Working in the UK or Ireland with a degree from Georgia

Georgia is outside the EU and the EEA, so in the UK you take the General Medical Council’s international route. It has several steps, but each of them is clearly described by the GMC:

1. Check your qualification Before booking PLAB, check that the GMC accepts your primary medical qualification: the school must be listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools, the programme must have at least 5,500 hours over at least three years and have been studied mostly in person.
2. English Show evidence of your English before booking PLAB 1. The GMC recommends IELTS or OET.
3. PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 A written exam of 180 questions (£283 from 1 April 2026), then a practical exam with 16 scenarios (£1,036), which you must pass within two years of PLAB 1. Practice questions for the PLAB 1 exam are available on Medmigrant, our learning platform.
4. Verification and internship Your diploma is verified through an EPIC account. Full registration needs an acceptable internship, for example 12 months in approved posts with at least 3 months in medicine and 3 in surgery.
5. Full registration Your registration must be approved within two years of passing PLAB 2. The application fee is £481.

In Ireland, every doctor must be registered with the Medical Council. With a degree from outside the EEA, the route to the General Division includes the PRES examinations (a written exam and a practical assessment of clinical skills), unless you are exempt through a recognised higher qualification. We describe both routes in detail in our article on medical degree recognition.

For the full step-by-step route, read our guides to working as a doctor in the UK, in the USA, in Canada and in Australia with a degree from Georgia.

Start in Georgia, graduate in the European Union

Most of our students graduate where they started, simply because it is cheaper, and the formalities after graduation are clearly manageable. There is also a second, optional route: you start in Georgia and, during your studies, transfer to an English-taught programme in the EU, for example in Poland.

1. Good results You pass each year and collect your syllabuses and transcript.
2. Choosing universities Together we choose several preferred EU universities that accept transfers in that year.
3. Application We prepare the documents, translations and the comparison of curricula.
4. EU degree You graduate in the EU. In Poland, the full EU qualification is the diploma together with the LEK exam, which can be taken in English, and the postgraduate internship.

We transfer students from universities outside the EU even into the fifth year. In our experience the transfer always works out, although not always to the university chosen first, which is why we always choose several. Ask about a transfer.

Frequently asked questions

How long does medicine take in Georgia?

Six years (360 ECTS credits). Dentistry takes five years (300 credits).

Do I need to speak Georgian?

Not for your studies, as classes are in English. Basic Georgian does help when talking to patients during clinical classes and in everyday life.

Is a degree from Georgia recognised in the UK?

It can lead to GMC registration through the international route: the GMC checks your qualification, and you pass PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 and complete an acceptable internship.

Where should I start?

With a conversation about where you want to work after graduation and what your budget is. Based on that, we choose the university and the plan, with the later recognition of your degree in mind.

Universities in Georgia

Read also: Medical degree recognition in the UK and Ireland: what it depends on and how to prepare. You will find all universities on the Georgia page and in the university directory. Not sure which to choose? Book a free consultation.