With the start of the 2026/2027 academic year, important changes are planned in Georgia’s higher education system. In particular, the state is to fully fund the education of the country’s citizens on bachelor’s and master’s programmes at state higher education institutions established by the Georgian government. We explain in our article exactly how the new measures will operate.
Main concept of the reform
The government commission on higher education reform, headed by the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, has developed a national concept for reforming the higher education system. In particular, the document states that, despite rich university traditions, the current higher education system has a number of serious challenges and does not always provide students with knowledge and professional skills at a modern level. This is one of the factors that encourages young people to emigrate abroad.
Among the main problems, the following can be identified:
- concentration of higher education in the capital
- insufficient level of knowledge and professional skills acquired by students
- excessive orientation of certain state universities towards attracting foreign students
- unsystematic personnel policy
- weak link between teaching and scientific research
- shortage of modern educational programmes and textbooks for teaching
- imperfect system of funding higher education
- unsatisfactory condition of the infrastructure of state universities
The reform aims to change the situation. Next, we will consider the key changes that will begin to operate from the new academic year.
Changed funding model
According to the new reform, the system of funding universities will be revised. In particular, the current grant-based procedure is planned to be replaced by a model based on a state order. Within this model, the number of students, the cost of programmes, the main needs of the university and so on will be taken into account.
The gradual introduction of funding linked to the achievement of specific results by a higher education institution is also envisaged. This concerns improving the quality of education, developing research and innovation, strengthening internationalisation and supporting regional development.
Students will also feel the changes directly. Starting from the 2026/2027 academic year, citizens of Georgia will be able to study free of charge at state higher education institutions on bachelor’s and master’s programmes. At the same time, the government must define the procedure and conditions for such funding in a separate legal act.
Optimisation of state universities
The national concept of the reform notes that more than 85% of students receive higher education in Tbilisi. Thus, this creates an excessive burden on the capital and negatively affects the development of the education system in the regions. To solve this problem, the formation of a second main university centre in Kutaisi is envisaged. It is also planned to strengthen the capacity of regional higher education institutions, in particular their infrastructure in Batumi, Telavi, Akhaltsikhe, Gori and Zugdidi.
In addition, the optimisation of resources in state universities is envisaged according to the principle of “one city – one faculty”. For example, if in Tbilisi a faculty of philology operates in several state higher education institutions at once, within the reform this field may be concentrated in one university. Thanks to this, it will be possible to avoid duplication of programmes, use teaching staff, infrastructure and funding more effectively, and also improve the quality of student training.
Strengthening personnel policy
The new reform is to introduce a clear system for distributing functions among academic staff. The basis of the scientific and pedagogical staff should be full-time professors, who will lead specific areas of teaching and scientific research at the relevant faculties. Several full-time associate professors and more than ten assistant professors should also work with each of them. In turn, the remuneration of these teachers will be reviewed and increased.
Therefore, the higher education reform in Georgia envisages a large-scale restructuring of the system: from the optimisation of universities to the introduction of free education for Georgian citizens. Some of these changes have already been enshrined in law, while certain points still require further refinement.
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