The FINANCIAL — Marketing, finance and management are still the dominant programmes among Georgian students enrolling in universities abroad. Meanwhile, companies offering their assistance to those wanting to study abroad are witnessing growing demand for the previously less popular programmes of hotel management and agro-business. The tuition fee and ranking of the universities are the main criteria by which Georgians choose their overseas alma mater.
“More than 70% of students applying to western universities for undergraduate education already knew they would eventually be studying abroad back at the stage they were choosing their high school. Many of them studied in private schools in Tbilisi or abroad. Applicants for both Master and Bachelor programmes choose to study abroad because of the better quality of education and possibility to have an international experience. They appreciate being able to improve their foreign language skills. Last not least is the confidence that an academic degree from a foreign university (especially a well-known one) will improve career chances and benefit one’s future career,” Nadya Tarasova, Director of study abroad company LIBRA, told The FINANCIAL.
According to Maia Kvirkvelia, Director at Universal I.C., “the different approach of tuition – small sized groups and interactive lectures; opportunity to acquire practical knowledge for the modern world, which is cemented with practical examples and is applicable, are the main reasons why Georgians try to apply to universities abroad. Foreign universities provide the knowledge and skills that are required in the modern job market.”
Business Administration and Management are of traditional popularity among Georgian students, said David Mikeladze, Founder of Prime Study. In his words, the programmes are followed by social science (political studies, IR, public management). “However, recently we have been witnessing a growth in demand for IT programmes and agro-business fields.”
30 applicants were enrolled at foreign universities via company Prime Study as of September 2016. The number was 25 last year.
“Our candidates enrol at the top rated universities of the US, UK, Italy, Germany, Holland and other prominent, developed countries. Over 80% of students are applying for Masters programmes,” said Mikeladze.
36 candidates have been enrolled for study abroad programmes with the assistance of Universal as of September 2016. “We are still accepting applications for winter programmes. Last year the number of applicants reached 44, for both autumn and winter programmes. As we see, annual comparison does not show a big difference,” said Kvirkvelia.
Candidates applying for Masters programmes are dominating at Universal I.C. as well.
“The list of top universities for the 2016-2017 academic year among Georgians are: International Business School; SKEMA Business School; American University; Vistula University; and, Coventry University,” said Kvirkvelia.
In her words, affordable accommodation and tuition fee, and ranking of the universities are the main contributors to the popularity of these universities among Georgians.
The average tuition fee at these universities is over EUR 10,000.
“The top five most popular programmes for the 2016-2017 academic year constitute: marketing, finance, management, international relations and hotel management,” Kvirkvelia said.
Study abroad company LIBRA has sent 20 students for higher education programmes as of September 2016. The number was about the same last year. 70% of candidates applied for Masters programmes, 30% – Bachelor.
“For our agency about 40% of students are going to study at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC). It is a very popular and well-known Italian university with very famous alumni and its rankings are constantly growing. We are the exclusive representatives of this University in Georgia. The University offers generous scholarships – for this academic year it was almost 50% of the tuition fees for Bachelor programmes (EUR 4,250 after the scholarship) and 40% on MSc programmes (EUR 5,000 after the scholarship),” said Tarasova, LIBRA.
“Other universities favoured by our students this year are the Universities of Stirling and Aberystwyth in the UK, and they have also granted partial scholarships to our students. Tuition fees at UK universities are in the range of GBP 12,000-17,000 (and sometimes higher) depending on the programme and the university. Our students have also been accepted to study at such prestigious universities in the UK as the University of Southampton and East Anglia,” Tarasova said.
“As for lower budget options, as usual LIBRA has students going to Polish and Lithuanian universities. Tuition fees here are between EUR 1,900 – 2,800,” she added.
“We also saw some increase in applications to study in Hungary and I believe one of the reasons is the relatively low cost of tuition and living expenses, the possibility of applying for a visa in Tbilisi (it used to be Kiev) and very cheap flights by WizzAir from Kutaisi (the same applies to Poland and Lithuania), add to that the chance to obtain a British degree at a much lower cost (EUR 6,500-8,000),” Tarasova said.
According to Tarasova, the most popular majors chosen by students this year are Business and Management, Marketing, Finance, Communications and Media, and Computer Sciences.
The top foreign education destinations among the applicants of Prime Study are: European School of Management & Technology (ESMT) – Berlin, Germany (the university has been ranked the first business school in Germany by The Financial Times); Maastricht School of Management – the Netherlands; IESEG School of Management – Paris, France (the MBA programme of IESEG has been ranked 17th globally by The Financial Times); Bocconi – Milan, Italy; and, the University of Debrecen – Hungary.
According to Mikeladze, the high ranking and prestige of these universities are the key factors determining their popularity among Georgian students. “Employers always express big interest towards the graduates of such prominent universities and consider them talented staff. As we know, job prosperity in developed Western European countries is always attractive for youngsters. Scholarship and financial privileges for outstanding students are also very important.”
Average tuition fees at the above-mentioned popular universities vary from EUR 10,000 to EUR 30,000. Nonetheless, successful applicants can benefit from full scholarship and other financial privileges.
“Study abroad offers lots of advantages to Georgians. These opportunities are not yet linked with the graduates of local universities; for example the international environment, which allows students to link and share ideas with the representatives of almost all countries. The material-technical basis is also of key importance. Modern technologies and the prospect of being employed abroad are also attractive for Georgian students. Last but not least, study abroad is a unique opportunity to travel, meet and discover new cultures, make friends with people of different ethnicities, and find a key for professional development and in some cases, private happiness,” Mikeladze, Prime Study, told The FINANCIAL.
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