The FINANCIAL — Georgian education agencies that offer study abroad programmes have seen over 50% of an increase in demand for the 2015-2016 academic year. The U.S. and UK are traditionally the top destinations for Georgian applicants. However, recently demand has also been rising for European universities with lower budgets. A university’s ranking is the top criteria by which Georgians choose their desired alma mater. Business and economics together with the faculty of law are the most popular fields of study.
“Making study abroad a part of my education was the most effective and accessible means for me to develop some needed skills. It pushed me to get out of my comfort zone and experience another culture, language, environment and education system,” said Tamta Kvekveskiri, 22.
Kvekveskiri is a graduate of the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain. As she said, asides from the personal transformation aspect, studying abroad is a kind of investment. “After getting back home you will be able to get a better-paid job. Like it or not the fact is that graduates of foreign universities most frequently get better jobs with higher wages,” she shared.
For the 2015-2016 academic year the number of applicants at the American-Georgian Education Center LEAF increased by 75% in comparison with the prior-year period. LEAF was established six years ago. Since then, demand has been growing annually. “The highest demand we have seen was during the 2014-2015 academic year. These are applicants that will start studying in the 2015-2016 academic year,” Giorgi Chavleishvili, Founder and Director of the American-Georgian Education Center LEAF, told The FINANCIAL.
The service that LEAF provides is not limited to specific universities or countries. However, the centre only works with English-speaking programmes. “Basically, the applicants with whom we work will tend to continue their studies at either U.S. or European universities,” said Chavleishvili.
In Chavleishvili’s words, demand has significantly increased for Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian and Polish universities during the past two years. As he said, LEAF does not provide any exchange programmes. The centre assists those applicants who want to get their Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD degrees abroad.
Another education centre, Prime Study, was established in Georgia in 2013. During 2013-2014 the centre sent 20 students abroad on various programmes. “In 2014-2015 we have been observing an increase in numbers of applicants. We are currently cooperating with 25 students. We have already seen a growth of 25% this year. There are several months till the end of the recruitment period and we expect to have 50% growth by then, so to serve an expected 30 students this year,” said Givi Barnabishvili, Director of Prime Study.
Prime Study offers Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes worldwide. Its partner universities are in the USA, UK, Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, China and other countries. The list of programmes offered also includes language courses, training and seminars in various fields.
According to Barnabishvili, MBAs are the most demanded programme amongst Georgians. “U.S. universities are the most popular, followed by Western European universities,” he said.
The U.S. universities are the undisputed leaders among the applicants of LEAF as well. “The majority of candidates are targeting the most prestigious universities. European universities are generally considered second choice by applicants,” said Chavleishvili.
In Chavleishvili’s words, business and economics remain the most trendy fields of study. However, he added that the list becomes more diversified every year. “The faculty of law is the top programme among 90% of applicants applying to do Master’s programmes.”
Contrary to LEAF and Prime Study, the Director of study abroad agency LIBRA said that currently the demand for cheaper destinations is increasing. “During the 2014-2015 academic year we have been witnessing an increase in cheaper destinations and a decline in the more expensive options,” said Nadya Tarasova, Director at Study Abroad Agency LIBRA.
LIBRA was founded on the market 12 years ago. During that time the largest demand from applicants was shown in 2010-2013.
LIBRA offers the option of studying at universities in Great Britain, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Italy, Spain, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. The agency offers Bachelor’s, Master’s and MBA programmes, as well as academic preparation (pathway) programmes: Foundation, Pre-Master’s (Graduate Diploma) and International Year One.
The most popular destinations at LIBRA are the UK, Italy, Lithuania and Poland. The top most popular programmes comprise: Business, Management, Economics, Law, International Relations, and Media and Communications.
The recent active marketing campaigns of foreign institutions on the Georgian market have been an important factor in the increasing number of students going abroad, said Lali Kushitashvili, Founder and Director at One World, centre of education and professional training. In her words, representatives of foreign institutions come to Georgia, hold meetings, offer discounts, etc. “One of the main reasons is definitely that people want a qualified education at a reasonable price,” she added.
Founded in 2005, One World offers programmes in Great Britain, the USA, Spain, the Czech Republic, Italy and other countries. The list of programmes includes: certificate, pre-university, Bachelor’s, Diploma, Pre-Master’s, Master’s and language courses practically all over the world.
The number of candidates studying abroad via One World has been consistently at around 10-12 annually.
Like LIBRA’s Tarasova, Kushitashvili said that they have been observing an increasing demand for countries with lower budgets. “Whereas previously the U.S. and England were the top destinations, currently the Czech Republic, Spain, Germany and Italy have started dominating.”
University ranking is the main criteria in accordance with which Georgians choose their preferred institution. “University rates, accreditation, location and further prospects of employment are generally the main determinants of the popularity of different universities,” said Barnabishvili, Prime Study.
Universities’ prestige and the possibility of obtaining financing are crucial factors among applicants of LEAF while choosing a desired university. “These two factors are linked, as the most prestigious universities issue more funding per annum,” Chavleishvili said.
In his words, the average tuition fee at European universities is EUR 20,000. Students in the U.S. are charged USD 65,000 per Bachelor’s and Master’s programme.
“More than 80% of our applicants get funding from the universities themselves. The remaining 20% are self-financing and various programmes offer scholarships in addition, among which the main ones are Chevening Scholarships, DAAD and Erasmus,” Chavleishvili said.
The average age of the applicants of Prime Study is 27. The centre also serves school leavers and consults them in filling-out application forms for their Bachelor’s programmes. A dominance of neither gender is observed at the centre. One World was the exception as they see higher numbers of females deciding to study abroad. As for LEAF, the share of males there is 55%, and as for LIBRA, their female applicants make up just 40%.
According to yell.ge, the online Georgian business contacts directory, there are 40 centres offering study abroad services. In addition, various scholarships are offered by the Ministry of Science and Education of Georgia, embassies and other international funds. Local universities mostly offer exchange programmes.
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