Education Minister: By PM’s Initiative, 1,795 applicants will be given one-time opportunity for secondary enrollment

A total of 1,795 applicants who passed the minimum competency threshold in Georgia’s Unified National Exams will be given a one-time opportunity to enroll in higher education programs through a secondary enrollment process, Education, Science and Youth Minister Givi Mikanadze said at a briefing.

According to the minister, the decision was made at the initiative of Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze as part of the ongoing national higher education reform, with 2026 serving as a transitional year.

Mikanadze said registration for remaining vacant places at state and private higher education and vocational institutions will open in the first half of September.

“On August 19, the National Assessment and Examinations Center published the results of the Unified National Exams. According to the results, of the 39,689 applicants who sat the exams this year, 34,150 were admitted to higher education and vocational education programs.

“Another 1,795 applicants passed the minimum competency threshold set for the Unified National Exams or vocational education programs but were not admitted to any educational program. This was because they had selected only one, two or several programs, and their scores were not sufficient for admission to those programs,” Mikanadze said.

He noted that such cases occur every year, although the practice of secondary enrollment has not been in place at Georgian higher education institutions for several years.

“Given that we have launched a national higher education reform and this year represents a transitional period to a certain extent, only this year will we make an exception and, at the initiative of Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, give 1,795 applicants who passed the minimum competency threshold the opportunity for so-called secondary enrollment,” the minister said.

Mikanadze stressed that the decision was made as a one-time exception, taking into account that the first year of the large-scale reform brings a number of new initiatives for applicants and society.

Registration for the remaining vacant places at state and private higher education and vocational institutions will be announced in the first half of September. Applicants who passed the minimum threshold in the national exams will then be able to register for the available programs.

“Ensuring access to quality education for every young person is our top priority. This is precisely what the unprecedented decisions implemented as part of the higher education reform are aimed at,” Mikanadze said.

He also reiterated that, this year, the state will fully fund tuition for every student admitted to a state university, creating greater opportunities for young people to pursue higher education.

“We will continue taking important steps to improve the quality and accessibility of education, because we believe that every new opportunity created for young people is an investment in the progress and development of our country,” Mikanadze said.