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Changes Introduced to Law on Higher Education

Wednesday, December 7
The Minister of Education and Science, Dimitri Shashkini met with up to 200 twelfth graders of Tbilisi public schools and spoke to them about changes that will be introduced to the law on higher education from January, 2012.

The changes will affect the following areas:
1. The process of secondary enrollment will be abolished;
2. The minimal competency level for medical and law faculties will be increased;
3. Limitations will be imposed on higher educational institutions regarding selecting a fourth exam;
4. Changes will be introduced to the student mobility scheme;
5. The procedure of enrolling foreign citizens at higher educational institutions accredited in Georgia will be simplified;
6. Some modifications will be also made in regard to enrollment of the students at higher professional educational programs;

From 2012, the students will have the opportunity to choose from 20 different specializations instead of seven. This new approach provides a wider choice for prospective students, though they will be enrolled at the respective universities based on the primary choice. Final results of the exams will be announced earlier, on the 25th of August which will make the whole process less stressful both for parents and entrants.

From next year, minimal competency level for medical and law faculties will be increased by 10%, for foreign languages by 30%.

All higher educational institutions will be required to select a fourth exam according to their profile only. For example, previously, at some HEIs, entrants had to take history or geography rather than chemistry or biology while passing exams to get enrolled at the Faculty of Medicine.

According to the new mobility rule, the students who study at the faculty of history, for example, will not be able to transfer to the medical faculty until they pass fourth exams at the unified national exams in the respective subject. Nevertheless, credits accumulated during the studies will be retained by the students as part of the mobility scheme.

Foreign citizens, who are willing to study at higher educational institutions accredited in Georgia, will be able to begin their studies within 48 hours after submission of their applications. Validation of all the necessary educational documentations will be carried out simultaneously.

Previously, the foreign students had to wait for months to go though the necessary administrative procedures.

New rules will regulate enrollment of the students at higher professional educational programs (IV and Vth levels). The entrants will pass the general ability test and later will be allowed to select their specialization.