According to the statistics for the 2024–2025 academic year, there are currently 37,100 foreign students studying in Georgia. Based on recent trends showing over 20% annual growth, the number for the 2025–2026 academic year is expected to reach around 44,000 students.
Most of these students, 91% is enrolled in medical programs. The largest share of foreign students attends private universities (80%), while the rest study at state universities. GD Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has stated that the government plans to restrict the admission of foreign students to state universities only in strictly exceptional cases specified by law, as the main role of state institutions should be to educate Georgian students rather than operate for profit.
This restriction primarily targets state universities that currently attract an excessive number of foreign students, with Tbilisi State Medical University being the largest beneficiary, whose budget increased from 145 million GEL in 2019 to 186 million GEL in 2025, largely due to foreign student tuition.
In short, the government intends to impose strict limits on foreign admissions in state universities, affecting potentially tens of thousands of students, while leaving private universities largely unaffected.
