Tbilisi State Medical University (TSMU) MD: Fees, Admission and Review for Indian Students

Tbilisi State Medical University at a glance

Tbilisi State Medical University (TSMU) is the largest public medical university in Georgia, located on Vazha-Pshavela Avenue in Tbilisi. It traces its history to the medical faculty founded at Tbilisi State University in 1918, which later became the Tbilisi State Medical Institute and was renamed a medical university in 1992 (Wikipedia). It has around 7,500 undergraduate and 3,000 postgraduate students, roughly a quarter of them from abroad.

Foreign students in English-medium medicine study at TSMU's International Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, which runs the six-year, one-cycle Doctor of Medicine (MD) programme. The university also has a Georgian-language Faculty of Medicine and an "American" MD programme.

Fees at TSMU

TSMU publishes its foreign-student fees in US dollars. The table shows the programmes relevant to Indian applicants (official fee page, November 2026):

Only the English-medium MD fits FMGL 2021, which requires English as the medium of instruction for the entire course. Six years of English MD tuition total about $48,000 (≈ ₹45 lakh). Accommodation is extra: Numbeo's November 2026 rents suggest about $230 a month for a shared flat outside central Tbilisi, and day-to-day costs of roughly $200–690 a month (see our MBBS in Georgia hub).

Admission process for Indian students

Foreign citizens are admitted under Order No. 224/N of Georgia's Minister of Education and Science (29 December 2011), without the Georgian national exams. The usual sequence for Georgian universities is:

1. Qualify NEET-UG (mandatory for Indians; valid for three years) and have at least 50% in Class 12 PCB (40% SC/ST/OBC).
2. Apply to TSMU's International Student Recruitment and Admissions Department (Vazha-Pshavela Avenue 33; +995 32 254 24 24).
3. The university submits your documents for recognition by Georgia's National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement (NCEQE), and the Ministry of Education issues a decree granting the right to study.
4. Sign the contract and pay the first-year fee to the university.
5. Apply for a Georgian visa and travel for the autumn semester.

Apostille your school certificates at India's Ministry of External Affairs before applying. Our admission process guide covers timing.

FMGE results

TSMU is the single biggest Georgian source of FMGE candidates, but its pass rate is below the Georgian average.

Source: NBEMS. For comparison, Georgia averaged 30.3% in 2025, and smaller Tbilisi universities such as Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (36.0%) and New Vision University (34.0%) did better. Read our FMGE guide for preparation advice.

FMGL 2021 fit and the licence question

TSMU's six-year English MD meets FMGL's duration and language rules on paper; the open question for all Georgian graduates is the licence. Georgian authorities told the Indian Embassy that MD graduates of any nationality are not registered on graduation. To practise in Georgia they must pass a national post-diploma qualification exam — conducted in Georgian — and complete residency. Georgia's Law on Medical Practice applies the same rules to foreigners as to citizens but requires knowledge of Georgian for independent practice.

Clinical rotations start in year 4 and take up most of the final four semesters. Ask TSMU for written confirmation of how these rotations are certified as the 12-month internship/clerkship, and keep your logbooks. Our FMGL rules guide explains how NMC assesses this.

Student life in Tbilisi

Tbilisi has hot summers (average highs around 32 °C in July and August) and winters near freezing. The UK FCDO rates crime in Georgia as low overall but warns about pickpocketing in crowded places and drink spiking. Long-running political protests centre on the Parliament building on Rustaveli Avenue and can escalate without warning, so stay away from demonstrations — participants may face questioning when leaving Georgia. Public transport is cheap: Numbeo lists a monthly pass at about GEL 40. Patients in TSMU's clinics speak Georgian, so take the Georgian language classes seriously from year 1; they make your clinical rotations far more useful.

Is TSMU right for you?

TSMU suits students who want a large, established public university in Tbilisi and can afford $8,000 a year. If FMGE results matter most to you, compare it with New Vision University and European University, or with lower-cost Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University.

Pros and cons of TSMU

Advantages

• Georgia's largest public medical university, with roots in the 1918 medical faculty of Tbilisi
• Fees published officially in US dollars on the university website
• University clinics and a large international student body (about a quarter of students)
• Large Indian alumni base — the biggest Georgian source of FMGE candidates

Drawbacks

• At $8,000 a year, among the most expensive English MD programmes in Georgia
• FMGE 2025 pass rate of 23.2%, below the Georgian average of 30.3%
• Russian- and Georgian-medium streams can be mis-sold as cheaper MBBS options
• Licence to practise in Georgia requires a Georgian-language exam and residency