Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University (BSU) MD: Fees, FMGE Results and Review for Indian Students

Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University at a glance

Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University (BSU) is the main public university of Batumi, Georgia's Black Sea port city, and teaches an English-medium, one-cycle Medical Doctor (MD) programme. The MD sits in the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Health Care, one of BSU's seven faculties.

BSU's history page traces the institution to a two-year teachers' institute opened in 1935 (named after the poet Shota Rustaveli in 1938). It became a pedagogical institute in 1945 and Batumi State University in 1990; in 2006 several institutions merged into the Legal Entity of Public Law — Shota Rustaveli State University, and BSU received its first authorisation in 2011.

Fees and total cost

BSU's tuition page lists $5,000 a year for the English-taught Medical Doctor programme — the only English-taught programme in its fee table. The MD programme page shows that students enrolled in 2020–21 paid $4,000, so fees have risen by a quarter in a few years. Careers360's April 2026 guide still quotes GEL 11,040 (≈ ₹3.4 lakh), which matches the older $4,000 level — rely on the university's current figure.

At $5,000 a year BSU is the cheapest of the English MD programmes on our MBBS in Georgia fee table. See also our cheapest countries for MBBS abroad guide.

The programme

BSU describes its MD as "partially integrated": trans-disciplinary modules sit alongside individual courses, and teaching is problem-based and case-oriented to reduce fragmented knowledge. Students are involved in research from the first year, and the programme aims at clinical competences, basic skills and the management of medical resources.

As in all Georgian MD programmes, the course runs six years, with mandatory clinical rotations from year 4 — roughly 120 ECTS in the last four semesters, according to Georgian authorities' answers to the Indian Embassy. Ask BSU which Batumi hospitals it uses for rotations, how large clinical groups are, and how the final-year clerkship is certified for FMGL 2021.

FMGE results: a sharp fall

Source: NBEMS. BSU went from above Georgia's average in 2024 to well below it (30.3%) in both 2025 sessions — one of the sharpest falls among Georgian universities in NBEMS data. A single bad year does not define a university, but it is a signal worth asking about. Ask the faculty what changed and what FMGE support it offers. Our FMGE guide has preparation advice.

Admission and eligibility

Indian applicants need Class 12 with at least 50% in Physics, Chemistry and Biology (40% for reserved categories), a qualifying NEET-UG score from the last three years, and proof of English. As at other Georgian universities, your school certificate is recognised by the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement (NCEQE) and the Ministry of Education issues a decree before you sign the contract and apply for a visa. BSU's international pages ("For Foreigners", "Degree seeker") list current steps — confirm deadlines directly with the university.

Life in Batumi

Batumi is milder than Tbilisi in winter — January lows average about 4 °C — but it is the wettest city in Georgia and the wider Caucasus, with roughly 2,400–2,500 mm of rain a year (Wikipedia climate data). Pack for rain, not snow. The UK FCDO rates crime in Georgia as low overall, with pickpocketing in crowded places the main everyday risk.

Licence and FMGL considerations

Georgian MD graduates — Georgian or foreign — are not registered on graduation; they must pass a national post-diploma exam in Georgian and complete residency to practise independently. Keep your syllabus, rotation logbooks and any clerkship certificate for your NMC eligibility application, and read our FMGL rules guide.

Is BSU right for you?

BSU suits budget-conscious students who want a public university and are prepared to work hard for FMGE given the 2025 results. If FMGE track record is your priority, compare European University or Tbilisi State Medical University in Tbilisi.

Pros and cons of BSU

Advantages

• Lowest official English MD fee among the Georgian public universities we checked — $5,000 a year
• Public university with a long institutional history in Batumi
• Problem-based, case-oriented curriculum with research from year 1
• Mild coastal winters compared with Tbilisi or Yerevan

Drawbacks

• FMGE pass rate collapsed from 41.7% in 2024 to 19.4% in 2025
• Fee has risen from $4,000 (2020–21 entrants) to $5,000
• Batumi is very wet and a much smaller city than Tbilisi
• Licence to practise in Georgia requires a Georgian-language exam and residency