Georgia becomes attractive destination for international students
By Mariam Chanishvili
Friday, August 18
Georgia has become a popular study destination for students from around the world desiring to gain quality education. Each year more and more students take up courses in Georgia and add to the already significant international student body in the country.
Number of Foreign Students in Georgia has been steadily increasing. Currently, 8012 foreign students study in Georgia, which means the number has increased by 17% compared to last year’s 6643 foreign students.
According to the Statistics Service, there are 3611 foreign students studying on a bachelor level in Georgia and 4401 students are enrolled in master’s programs. There is comparatively less interest among international students to enroll at the doctorate level.
Most of the international students study social sciences, law, business and medicine.
Less than 1000 students are enrolled on the undergraduate level in Health and Social Security.Tbilisi State University, University of Georgia, Ilia State University, Tbilisi State Medical University and etc. host these students. The universities organize a welcome week and cultural events for new students to help them make new friends and get used to the environment.
There are several reasons– Why International Students prefer to Study in Georgia. One of the most interesting and appealing for foreigners is the economic cost of living, low tuition fees, no English language certificates, students should be able to understand/read English, etc.
Most of them are from Azerbaijan and other neighboring countries. The number of students from neighboring countries currently amount to 2650 in Georgia. India ranks second with 2505 students, followed by Iraq with 974 students. Georgia is becoming increasingly attractive for students from Africa as well.
Helen Phagava, MD, PhD, MPH, lecturer at Tbilisi State Medical University, who teaches international students says: “Georgia is an interesting and beautiful country with good climate and that makes it an appealing destination for many students.”
She also stresses the friendly environment, which most students find here: “Georgians are very tolerant to other cultures. In addition, living/study costs are not high; it is worth mentioning that the academic level is quite high and majority of the teaching staff speaks English,” said Phagava.
One of the foreign students from Azerbaijan, Emin Suleymanov said that he has always wanted to study in Georgia. He is currently enrolled in Tbilisi State University.
“In my opinion, Tbilisi State University is one of the best universities in Georgia, and in the region, this is why I have decided to study here,” said Suleymanov.
Most of the Georgian institutions offer three-cycle of education: Bachelor's Program (3–4 years); Master's Program (2 years), and Doctoral Program (3 years).
