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Applying to Georgian Universities as an International Student: the 2026/27 and 2027/28 Procedure

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International applicants enter a Georgian university without the Unified National Exams, but through three compulsory steps: the university gives written consent to a place, the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement (NCEQE) recognises your school certificate or degree and grants the right to study, and the rector enrols you in one of two windows — 1 February to 15 March or 15 August to 31 October. Recognition costs from $15 (GEL 40) and takes about a month. From the 2027/28 academic year you will also need certified proof of the programme language: B1 for bachelor's and medicine, B2 for master's. Citizens of Russia and Kazakhstan can stay in Georgia visa-free for up to one year.

Step Who decides How long Cost
University selection: documents, interview, sometimes a test the university a few days to a couple of weeks per university rules
Recognition of your certificate or degree NCEQE one month; fast track 15, 5 or 1 working day(s) $15 (GEL 40); fast track $31, $46 or $96 (GEL 80, 120 or 250)
Right to study without national exams NCEQE 5 working days after recognition —
Enrolment and contract the rector in the 1 Feb–15 Mar or 15 Aug–31 Oct window first payment under the contract
Study residence permit, if you stay beyond the visa-free period Public Service Development Agency 10, 20 or 30 calendar days $230, $170 or $120 (GEL 600, 450 or 300)
Yellow building with arched upper windows and an entrance colonnade behind a pedestrian crossing
A building of Ilia State University in Tbilisi. Photo: Flowerx / source, Public domain.

Who can enter without national exams

Georgian school leavers sit the Unified National Exams. Foreign citizens educated abroad follow a separate route. Government Resolution No. 437 of 8 September 2026 lists three groups:

  • foreign citizens who completed secondary school abroad — the route to bachelor's and medical programmes;
  • foreign citizens who studied at a recognised university abroad and earned credits — the transfer route;
  • holders of a foreign bachelor's or equivalent degree — the route to a master's without the Common Master's Exam.

Georgian citizenship changes the route: a Georgian passport holder sits the national exams unless they fall under the separate exceptions for citizens educated abroad.

Step 1. Choose a programme and get the university's consent

Start with the NCEQE register: the institution needs valid authorisation and the programme valid accreditation. Our overview of universities in Georgia explains how to tell programmes apart.

Then contact the admissions office or complete the online form. Universities usually ask for a scan of your passport, school certificate with transcript and a photo, plus a certificate or interview for English-taught programmes. Examples from official websites:

  • Tbilisi State University (TSU) asks applicants to English-taught medicine for an IELTS or TOEFL certificate at B2, proof that biology, chemistry and English were studied at school, and a video interview.
  • Black Sea International University (formerly IBSU) accepts IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL 78; without a certificate, applicants take the university's own test.
  • Caucasus University reviews applications in 3–5 working days, records a video interview and asks for IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL 78.

If the university accepts you, the rector issues written consent to a vacant place, naming you and the programme with its code. At a state university, consent is only possible within the quota of places for foreigners that the government sets for each academic year, so places can run out before the formal deadline.

Step 2. Have your certificate or degree recognised by NCEQE

NCEQE checks the authenticity of the document and compares your qualification with Georgian ones. To recognise a school certificate, submit:

  1. the application form;
  2. a copy of your passport with a notarised Georgian translation;
  3. a notarised power of attorney if a representative applies, or a notarised copy of the birth certificate if a parent applies for a minor;
  4. a copy of your certificate and transcript translated into Georgian and notarised;
  5. proof of payment: $15 (GEL 40) for the standard procedure.

Official timelines and fees:

Procedure When the decision is ready Fee
Standard the working day after 30 calendar days $15 (GEL 40)
Fast track, 15 working days from 09:00 on the 17th working day $31 (GEL 80)
Fast track, 5 working days from 09:00 on the 7th working day $46 (GEL 120)
Fast track, 1 working day from 09:00 on the 3rd working day $96 (GEL 250)

Postal delivery of the decision costs $2 (GEL 5) more. If the file has a defect, the clock stops and the fast-track surcharge is not refunded. From 1 October 2026, a visit to submit a first application must be booked in advance at booking.eqe.ge. Online filing via my.gov.ge requires a Georgian ID card, so international applicants apply in person, by post or through a representative. Some universities do it for you: Caucasus University translates, notarises and files the documents under a power of attorney for a non-refundable fee.

Georgian schooling lasts 12 years, while many countries — Russia among them — have 11. NCEQE decides whether your certificate is comparable to Georgian complete general education, so get recognition before paying tuition. An NCEQE decision can be appealed to Tbilisi City Court within one month. Apostille is not on NCEQE's document list, and the centre may verify authenticity itself, including through electronic registers of the issuing country. If a university or agent insists on an apostille, ask on what basis.

Step 3. Obtain the right to study and enrol

After recognition, you or the university apply to NCEQE for the right to study without national exams. The application includes a passport copy, the recognition decision, the rector's consent and proof of the programme language. NCEQE gives a reasonable period — no more than three months — to fix any defects. The director issues the decision within 5 working days of recognition, or of the application if recognition already exists, and sends it to the university and the higher education management system.

With that decision, the rector can enrol you within one year, but only in two windows:

Enrolment window For which start What it means in practice
1 February–15 March spring semester obtain consent and recognition in December–January
15 August–31 October autumn semester apply to universities in spring or early summer

University deadlines can be earlier than the legal windows. Caucasus University accepts international applications for the autumn semester until 20 August. After enrolment you sign a contract and pay the first instalment: Caucasus University issues the enrolment letter only after the tuition fee is paid, and Petre Shotadze Tbilisi Medical Academy charges a $2,100 place reservation and a one-off $300 registration fee before confirming enrolment.

Language requirements from 2027/28

The law requires at least B1 in the language of instruction for bachelor's, medical, dental and veterinary programmes and at least B2 for master's.

  • For intakes before 2027/28, the university confirms your level and records it in the rector's consent. How it checks — certificate, test or interview — is up to the university.
  • From 2027/28, applicants must bring a certificate from the government's list or pass an exam by the National Assessment and Examinations Center (NAEC). The list includes IELTS, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge English Scale and PTE for English, TORFL for Russian, and German and French exams. Georgian-taught programmes require the NAEC state-language exam.
  • The certificate must be valid when you submit it. If it has no stated validity, no more than three years may have passed since it was issued.

The resolution does not say how the TORFL requirement applies to native Russian speakers. If you are applying to a Russian-taught programme for 2027/28, ask the university in writing which document it will accept.

Entry and legal stay during your studies

Citizens of Russia and Kazakhstan enter Georgia without a visa and can stay for up to a year. That covers admission and the first year, but not a whole degree. Citizens of countries that need a visa should check the category and documents on geoconsul.gov.ge before applying; Resolution No. 437 refers to the D6 immigration visa for study.

  • Insurance. Under Government Decree No. 602, everyone entering as a visitor since 1 January 2026 must hold health and accident insurance for the whole stay (up to one year) with a sum insured of at least $11,520 (GEL 30,000). The policy may be Georgian or foreign, in Georgian or English, on paper or electronic.
  • Study residence permit. The Public Service Development Agency (SDA) issues it to adult students of authorised institutions. You need an application, a passport copy, a university certificate stating the expected length of study, a photo and proof of funds — legal income in Georgia, a resident relative's income or money in a personal bank account of at least twice the subsistence minimum per month for the permit's validity. Apply no later than 40 calendar days before your legal stay ends; the fee is $120, $170 or $230 (GEL 300, 450 or 600) for a decision in 30, 20 or 10 days.
  • Academic progress. If a student earns no more than one-third of the year's credits, the university must suspend their status. Ninety days later, the agency may terminate a residence permit issued for study.
  • Work. Since 1 March 2026, foreigners need a work permit to work in Georgia, including remotely. The employer applies through the State Employment Support Agency, and the permit covers one position for one year.

Paying tuition

Georgian universities invoice in US dollars or lari and expect a bank transfer to their account. Russian-issued bank cards do not work abroad, so students from Russia should plan the payment route early; see how to pay for studies abroad from Russia. Applicants from Kazakhstan may find our overview of studying abroad from Kazakhstan useful.

First-year budgets, including fees, insurance and housing, are broken down in the cost of studying in Georgia.

Timeline for an autumn start

When What to do
9–12 months before shortlist 3–5 programmes, check them in the NCEQE register, sit a language exam if needed
6–8 months before request copies of your certificate and transcript, send applications to universities
4–6 months before attend interviews, obtain the rector's consent
3–4 months before translate and notarise documents, apply to NCEQE for recognition
From 15 August receive the right to study, sign the contract, pay the first instalment
Before your first year in Georgia ends apply for the study residence permit at least 40 days before the visa-free period expires

For medicine, add time to prepare for a biology and chemistry interview and to compare clinical bases; see studying medicine in Georgia. Graduates should read master's degrees in Georgia.

Common mistakes

  • Paying the university before your certificate is recognised. Without recognition there is no right to study.
  • Expecting enrolment "any time". The law allows enrolment only in two windows.
  • Translating into Georgian without notarisation. NCEQE accepts only notarised translations.
  • Ignoring state-university quotas. A state rector can consent only while places for foreigners remain.
  • Treating the visa-free year as student status. From the second year you need a study residence permit, and the application has a deadline.
  • Underestimating the workload. A student with no more than one-third of the year's credits risks both status and permit.

FAQ

Yes. A school leaver from abroad submits the certificate to NCEQE for recognition. Georgian schooling lasts twelve years, so the centre assesses whether a shorter school certificate is comparable to Georgian complete general education. Get recognition before paying tuition to avoid discovering a refusal after the payment.

Standard recognition at NCEQE takes about a month, and the decision on the right to study another 5 working days. With university selection, translations and waiting for the enrolment window, allow three to four months. Fast-track recognition shortens the NCEQE stage to a few working days for $31–96 (GEL 80–250).

For the 2026/27 intake, universities confirm the language level themselves: some ask for IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL 78, others run a test or interview. From 2027/28, a certificate from the government's list or an NAEC exam becomes mandatory: B1 for bachelor's and medicine, B2 for master's.

University selection usually happens remotely: an online form, scans and a video interview. Foreign applicants can file with NCEQE in person, by post or through a representative with a notarised power of attorney, and some universities file for them. You will still need to arrive for the start of studies, and a residence permit is issued only to people lawfully in Georgia.

Citizens of Russia and Kazakhstan do not: they can stay visa-free for up to one year and then apply for a study residence permit. Citizens of other countries should check geoconsul.gov.ge, as some need an immigration visa. At the border you may be asked for an insurance policy valid for the whole stay with a sum insured of at least $11,520 (GEL 30,000).

Most programmes start in autumn, and some universities also admit for the spring semester. By law, a foreign student can be enrolled between 1 February and 15 March or between 15 August and 31 October. University application deadlines are earlier: Caucasus University accepts autumn applications until 20 August.

Sources

Programme selection, correspondence with universities, translation and filing of recognition documents, and support until enrolment are provided under an agreement with StudyU. The university decides on admission, NCEQE on recognition and the right to study, and Georgia's Public Service Development Agency on the study residence permit.

During the free initial consultation, we clarify your goal, profile, timing, and budget and identify the next realistic step.

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