MBBS in Georgia vs MBBS in Russia: Fees, FMGE Results and Honest Verdict

Prepared by the Edumapple admissions team, Kakkanad, Kerala· Updated 15 October 2026· How we check facts

Georgia is the country Kerala families ask about most after Russia. Its universities teach the MD in English, but they charge more than most Russian state universities, and in 2026 the NMC and the Indian Embassy raised a question about the licence to practise there. This page puts both countries side by side, with fees read from university websites and FMGE results taken from NBEMS reports.

MBBS in Georgia: what the course is

Georgia does not award an "MBBS". Its medical universities award the Medical Doctor (MD) degree after a single six-year programme of 12 semesters. Tbilisi State University (TSU) lists its English programme as 6 academic years and 362 ECTS credits. Caucasus University, New Vision University and the Georgian National University SEU list 6 years and 360 ECTS or 12 semesters. In India the course is sold as "MBBS in Georgia". What counts for the NMC is not the name of the degree but whether the course meets the FMGL Regulations 2021.

Indian applicants need a NEET qualification; TSU states this in its list of admission documents. The usual entry route skips the Georgian Unified National Exams. Caucasus University, for example, says approved international students enrol without them, after the Ministry of Education and the National Centre for Educational Quality Enhancement review the translated documents. TSU asks for proof of English at B2 (IELTS or TOEFL) or an English interview, and for proof that the applicant studied Biology, Chemistry and English at school.

Because the course is six years in total, the question that matters for the NMC is how the years are divided. The FMGL rules need at least 54 months of study in English and a 12-month internship at the same university. A university advertising "6 years" must be able to show in writing which part is academic study and which part is the internship. Ask for the curriculum document before you pay anything.

Georgia MBBS fees 2026: six universities

Georgian universities quote tuition for foreign students in US dollars. These are the figures on the universities' own pages; we converted at ₹95.03 per dollar (Central Bank of Russia cross rate of 15 October 2026).

Careers360, in an article updated on 13 May 2026, lists Caucasus International University at $6,000 and East European University at $5,500 a year; we did not find those universities' own fee pages, so treat those two as indicative. Agent sites quote much lower or higher numbers for the same universities, and the figures change from one site to the next. A fee that is not on the university's own page, or not in a written offer letter, is not a fee.

Two practical points. First, Georgian universities are cheaper per year than Moscow but dearer than most Russian state universities outside Moscow. Second, tuition is not the whole cost: the Tbilisi Medical Academy publishes monthly estimates for Tbilisi of $250–600 for accommodation, $100–200 for food, $15–30 for transport, $50–150 for personal costs and $7–25 for insurance. That is a university's own estimate, not a survey, and rents in Batumi differ.

FMGE results of Georgian graduates

FMGE is the screening test every foreign graduate must pass before the Indian internship. NBEMS publishes pass numbers by country of the primary medical qualification. In 2025 Georgia had 5,103 candidates over two sessions, of whom 1,548 passed, a pass rate of 30.3%. Russia, with 11,428 candidates, had 25.8%.

The country figure hides large differences between universities. In the table below the June and December 2025 sessions are added together.

Notice the pattern: the most expensive Georgian universities (TSMU and TSU, $8,000) are not the ones with the best pass rates. TSMU, the best-known name, had 23.2% over 638 candidates, below the Russian average. Pick a Georgian university by its pass rate and its written terms, not by the name an agent gives you. The same rule applies in Russia; see the ranking of Russian medical universities by FMGE results.

NMC conditions and the licence question

The NMC's Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate (FMGL) Regulations 2021 set the conditions for a foreign degree to count in India. The main ones are at least 54 months of study in English, a 12-month internship at the same institution, a licence to practise in the country of study on the same terms as its own citizens, the whole course at one institution and completion within 10 years. Then FMGE and a 12-month internship in India follow. The full list is on our NMC rules page.

For Georgia the open point is the licence. On 1 October 2026 Medical Dialogues reported on a reply the NMC gave to a grievance filed on 24 September 2026. The NMC said that "junior doctor" status meets the licence condition of the FMGL rules only if Georgian law allows practice at the required level. If independent practice needs postgraduate certification, junior-doctor status alone does not satisfy the rule, and the answer depends on Georgian law and licensing requirements. The same report cites an advisory of the Indian Embassy in Yerevan (which covers Georgia) dated 29 September 2022: six-year MD graduates can work as junior doctors under supervision, and an independent licence needs a certification exam and residency or postgraduate training. It also cites an RTI reply of April 2024 saying that postgraduate specialisation lasting one to four years is mandatory for a licence in Armenia and Georgia, and a June 2024 communication saying a licence on par with citizens needs postgraduate training and knowledge of the Georgian language. The Georgian Embassy in India reportedly said in August 2024 that MD graduates are equivalent to MBBS graduates for the junior-doctor role.

We do not know how this ends, and neither does any agent. What it means for a family today: a Georgian MD may be accepted for FMGE, or the NMC may later apply the licence condition more strictly. Ask the university in writing, and ask the NMC or the Indian Embassy, what licence a foreign MD graduate receives in Georgia and when. For Russia the points to check are different: 54 months of study in English and the same-university internship, covered on our internship rules page.

Flights, climate and daily life from Kerala

There is no direct flight from Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram or Kozhikode to Tbilisi. One-stop routes run through Sharjah, Dubai or Doha, and flight-schedule sites put the trip from Kochi at roughly 9 to 11 hours in the air plus the layover. Tbilisi and Batumi have milder winters than most Russian university cities. In the clinical years, though, patients speak Georgian or Russian, so a Kerala student still has to learn the local language.

Indian food, a Malayali student community and hostels vary by city. The Georgian universities we named do not publish Indian-mess prices, so ask for them in writing. For Russian cities, see the cost of living in Russia guide and the city pages.

Russia vs Georgia: the comparison

Our verdict: which one for whom

Choose Russia if budget decides

For tuition alone, a Russian state university outside Moscow costs ₹10–20 lakh less over six years than any Georgian university in the fee table. That difference pays for flights, a winter coat and a year of FMGE coaching. The cost: Russian winters, the Russian language in the wards and, in a few regions, a safety question. See the safety guide before choosing a city.

Choose Georgia if you value a milder place and can afford the fees

If your budget is above ₹40 lakh and a milder climate and a European-style city matter to your family, Georgia can make sense, but only at a university that passes the FMGE test above and gives you the licence answer in writing. Do not choose a Georgian university because it has a famous name or because the pass rate for the whole country is respectable: Grigol Robakidze and TSMU, two of the larger names, were at 16% and 23%.

In both cases, treat the NMC as the final judge

A university whose programme cannot show 54 months of English-medium study and a same-university internship, will not give you a degree that works in India. This is true in Tbilisi and in Kazan. The steps that follow the degree are on the FMGE page, and the whole route from NEET to the first term is on the admission process page. If a Kerala seat is possible, compare it first: Kerala fees against Russia.

MBBS in Georgia vs Russia: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the MBBS fee in Georgia for Indian students?

On the universities' own pages the English MD costs $5,900 a year at Georgian National University SEU, $6,000 at Caucasus University, $7,000 at New Vision University and Tbilisi Medical Academy, and $8,000 at TSMU and TSU. That is ₹5.6–7.6 lakh a year, or ₹34–46 lakh for six years if the fee stays flat. Hostel, food, insurance and flights are extra.

Is MBBS in Georgia cheaper than MBBS in Russia?

No. For tuition, most Russian state universities outside Moscow cost less than any of the six Georgian universities we read. Georgia can be cheaper than the most expensive Moscow universities. Compare the full course, including living costs and flights, not the first year.

Is the Georgian MD valid in India?

It can be, if the course meets the NMC FMGL rules: 54 months in English, a 12-month internship at the same university and a licence to practise in Georgia. The NMC's September 2026 reply says junior-doctor status counts only if Georgian law allows practice at the required level. Ask the university and the NMC for a written answer before you pay.

What is the FMGE pass rate of Georgian universities?

For Georgia as a country, NBEMS data give 30.3% in 2025 (1,548 of 5,103 candidates). By university the 2025 rates ranged from 15.8% at Grigol Robakidze University to 53.8% at Georgian American University among the larger groups; TSMU had 23.2%.

Is NEET required for MBBS in Georgia?

Yes, for an Indian student who wants to practise in India. TSU lists a NEET certificate among the documents for Indian citizens. Claims that Georgia gives "MBBS without NEET" lead to a degree that FMGE will not accept.

How long is the MBBS course in Georgia?

The English MD is six years, or 12 semesters, with 360 to 362 ECTS credits at the universities we checked. Ask how the sixth year is organised, because the NMC needs 54 months of study plus a 12-month internship at the same institution.

Sources: tsmu.edu list of English-medium programmes and fees; tsu.ge programme page "Medicine (English program)"; cu.edu.ge MD programme page; newvision.ge MD programme page; Georgian National University SEU admission guidelines, update of 24 June 2025; Tbilisi Medical Academy international student tuition page (cost estimates); NBEMS FMGE Performance Report 2025 (natboard.edu.in/stats), country-wise and university-wise tables; Careers360 country-wise FMGE tables for 2023 and 2024 and its Georgia fees article of 13 May 2026; Medical Dialogues, 1 October 2026 (NMC reply, Indian Embassy Yerevan advisory of 29 September 2022); NMC FMGL Regulations 2021; flight-schedule data from flightroutes.com; Central Bank of Russia rate of 15 October 2026. Checked October 2026.