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

URL: https://4mbbs.com/mbbs-in-georgia/batumi-shota-rustaveli-state-university/
Last checked: 2026-11-14
Publisher: 4MBBS (https://4mbbs.com) — independent, source-cited guide to MBBS abroad

**Quick answer:** Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University (BSU) is a public university in Batumi on Georgia's Black Sea coast, with roots in a 1935 teachers' institute. Its English-taught, one-cycle Medical Doctor programme costs $5,000 a year (≈ ₹4.7 lakh) — about $30,000 (≈ ₹28 lakh) in tuition over six years. The catch is FMGE: BSU graduates passed at 41.7% in 2024 but only 19.4% in 2025 (57 of 294), below Georgia's 30.3% average.

Key facts:
- Location: Batumi, Georgia
- Type: public
- Tuition per year: $5,000
- Duration: 6 years (one-cycle Medical Doctor)
- Medium: English
- Intake: September (autumn semester)
- Recognition: Legal Entity of Public Law — Shota Rustaveli State University (Georgia); University authorised in Georgia since 2011; Check the current WDOMS listing at search.wdoms.org
- Official website: https://www.bsu.edu.ge/

Key takeaways:
- BSU's official fee for the English-taught Medical Doctor programme is $5,000 a year; students who joined in 2020–21 paid $4,000.
- The MD is taught in the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Health Care using problem-based, case-oriented teaching.
- NBEMS: BSU graduates passed FMGE at 41.7% in 2024 (165 of 396) but 19.4% in 2025 (57 of 294).
- BSU grew from a 1935 teachers' institute, became Batumi State University in 1990 and received its first authorisation as a public law entity in 2011.
- Batumi has mild winters but is the wettest city in Georgia and the Caucasus, with roughly 2,400–2,500 mm of rain a year.

## 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.

| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| City | Batumi, Georgia |
| Type | Public (legal entity of public law) |
| Course | Medical Doctor, one-cycle, 6 years, English |
| Tuition | $5,000 a year (≈ ₹4.7 lakh), official fee page |
| FMGE 2025 | 19.4% (57 of 294), NBEMS |
| Contact | info@bsu.edu.ge, +995 422 27 17 80 |

## 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.

| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition per year | $5,000 (≈ ₹4.7 lakh) |
| Six years of tuition | $30,000 (≈ ₹28.2 lakh) |
| Accommodation and living | Extra — ask BSU about hostel options |

At $5,000 a year BSU is the cheapest of the English MD programmes on our [MBBS in Georgia](https://4mbbs.com/mbbs-in-georgia/) fee table. See also our [cheapest countries for MBBS abroad guide](https://4mbbs.com/guides/cheapest-countries-for-mbbs-abroad/).

## 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

| Session | Appeared | Passed | Pass % |
|---|---|---|---|
| FMGE 2024 (both sessions) | 396 | 165 | 41.7% |
| FMGE June 2025 | 160 | 30 | 18.8% |
| FMGE December 2025 | 134 | 27 | 20.1% |
| **FMGE 2025 combined** | **294** | **57** | **19.4%** |

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](https://4mbbs.com/guides/fmge-exam/) 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](https://4mbbs.com/guides/nmc-fmgl-rules-mbbs-abroad/).

## 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](https://4mbbs.com/mbbs-in-georgia/european-university-georgia/) or [Tbilisi State Medical University](https://4mbbs.com/mbbs-in-georgia/tbilisi-state-medical-university/) in Tbilisi.

## FAQ

**What is the MBBS fee at Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University?**
BSU's official tuition page lists $5,000 a year for the English-taught Medical Doctor programme in the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Health Care — about ₹4.7 lakh a year, or $30,000 (≈ ₹28 lakh) in tuition over six years. Students who enrolled in 2020–21 paid $4,000 a year. Accommodation and living costs are extra.

**What is the FMGE pass rate of BSU graduates?**
NBEMS lists 'Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University Faculty of Natural Sciences and Health Care'. In 2025, 57 of 294 graduates passed FMGE (19.4%): 30 of 160 in June and 27 of 134 in December. In 2024, 165 of 396 passed (41.7%). Georgia's 2025 average was 30.3%.

**Is Batumi a good city for Indian medical students?**
Batumi is a Black Sea port city with mild winters — January lows average about 4 °C — but it is the wettest city in Georgia and the Caucasus, with roughly 2,400–2,500 mm of rain a year. It is smaller than Tbilisi. The UK FCDO rates crime in Georgia as low overall; pickpocketing in crowded places is the main everyday risk.

**Is BSU a government university?**
Yes. BSU's history page says several institutions were merged in 2006 into the Legal Entity of Public Law — Shota Rustaveli State University, and the university received its first authorisation in 2011. Its roots go back to a teachers' institute opened in 1935, which became Batumi State University in 1990.

## Sources

- Tuition Fees (Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University): https://www.bsu.edu.ge/sub-34/page/1902/index.html?lang=en
- Medical Doctor (one-cycle, English) (Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University): https://www.bsu.edu.ge/sub-34/page/1905/index.html?lang=en
- History (Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University): https://www.bsu.edu.ge/main/page/2-10/index.html?lang=en
- FMGE Performance Report 2025 (National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences): https://natboard.edu.in/viewUpload?xyz=WGFid2M2R252YlMzblhsemdCYWF5QT09
- Country/Institute Wise Performance in FMGE 2024 (National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences): https://natboard.edu.in/viewUpload?xyz=VEJVVnlqNVhIWVNCWXJoL1k5TXBnUT09
- Batumi — climate (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batumi
- Advisory to Indian Students Seeking Admission in Georgia (Embassy of India, Yerevan): https://www.eoiyerevan.gov.in/pdf/Medical%20students%20Advisory-30-01.pdf

Quote with attribution to 4MBBS: https://4mbbs.com/mbbs-in-georgia/batumi-shota-rustaveli-state-university/