Higher Education
The type of higher education institutions (HEIs) in Georgia has been determined by the Law on Higher Education (see below), whereas number of stately recognized HEIs is not stable and fluctuations reflect dynamic process of authorisation and accreditation.
There are three types of higher education institutions (HEIs):
- authorised to award all three academic degrees (Bachelor, Master and PhD) and with serious research component: universities
- without a notable research function, implementing first and second cycles of higher education: teaching universities
- colleges: implementing higher professional and Bachelor programmes
HEIs can be publicly or privately founded and funded, but quality criteria are same for all institutions despite of their legal status.
Description of Higher Education System of Georgia (video-tutorial).
Currently there are 62 stately recognized (authorised) HEIs in Georgia, among them 7 - Orthodox Divinity HEIs. The updated list could be found here.
Please find linked list of Georgian HEIs with PIC codes, fields of study and contact persons.
The table below refers only to 55 secular HEIs:
| HEIs | Public | Private | Total |
| University | 12 | 20 | 32 |
| Teaching University | 6 | 14 | 20 |
| College | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Total | 18 | 37 | 55 |
71% of HEIs are located in the capital city, Tbilisi. The total number of active students (students paying tuitions and attending classes in contrast to those who suspended their status) in all HEIs is 139953 (as for May 2020). The breakdown of active students in the different higher education cycles is given below:
| Bachelor | Medical education | Master | Teacher education | Veterinary education | PhD | Total | |
| sum | 102026 | 19980 | 13561 | 773 | 96 | 3517 | 139953 |
| % of total | 72.90% | 14.27% | 9.69% | 0.55% | 0.07% | 2.52% | 100% |
In the short period since Georgia joined the Bologna process in 2005, an impressive reform package for the higher education system was introduced.
The reform package consists of a series of legal regulations (Law of Georgia on Higher Education, adopted in December 2004), the establishment of new institutions - National Examination Centre, National Centre for Educational Quality Enhancement –accreditation agency, Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation and various other initiatives.
The three-cycle higher education system has been implemented in Georgia in 2005. Bachelor, master and doctoral programmes have already been introduced in all stately recognized HEIs, as well as ECTS and Diploma Supplement. All students below doctoral level are enrolled in the two-cycle degree system (except for certain specific disciplines – see below). Bachelor programmes cannot comprise less than 180 ECTS credits and Master programmes less than 60 ECTS. Doctoral programmes duration is minimum three years and teaching component consist of 60 ECTS.
Exception to the traditional two-cycle degree programmes are programmes in the fields of Medicine, Teacher and Veterinary education. Programmes in Medicine (360 ECTS, ca. six years), Dental Medicine (300 ECTS, ca. five years) Teacher Education (300 ECTS, ca. five years) and Veterinary Education (300 ECTS, ca. five years) are defined as long term/integrated, one-cycle programmes equivalent to the Master’s level.