Georgia's Minister of Education, Science and Youth, Givi Mikanadze, and Prof. Erol Özvar, President of Turkey's Council of Higher Education (YÖK), signed a memorandum of understanding on 23 October 2026, the ministry announced.
What the memorandum covers
The two sides agreed to work together on:
- partnerships between Georgian and Turkish universities,
- student and academic staff mobility,
- joint study programmes and scientific research,
- sharing experience and information, and
- cooperation on the recognition of academic degrees and diplomas.
A joint working group will turn the agreement into practice. It will be led by Georgia's Deputy Minister Zviad Gabisonia and YÖK Deputy President Prof. Naci Gündoğan and will focus on student and staff exchanges, academic cooperation and joint research projects. The two sides also discussed expanding Georgian studies programmes at Turkish universities.
Part of a busy international week
The memorandum came in the same week as other international meetings listed by the ministry: Deputy Minister Gabisonia met the president of Saarland University in Germany on 21 October and the rector of the German University of Administrative Sciences Speyer on 22 October.
What is not decided yet
The announcement does not include numbers, exchange places, funding or scholarships. Concrete opportunities will depend on the working group and on agreements between individual universities.
Key points
- Signed on 23 October 2026 by Georgia's education ministry and Turkey's Council of Higher Education (YÖK).
- Covers university partnerships, student and staff mobility, joint programmes and research.
- Includes cooperation on recognising academic degrees and diplomas.
- A joint working group will set out the details; no numbers or scholarships yet.
If an exchange semester or a recognised degree in Turkey matters to you, tell us when you apply: we will point you to Georgian universities that work with Turkish partners.
Sources
- Memorandum of understanding signed with Turkey's Council of Higher EducationMinistry of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia · Oct 23, 2026Official announcement (in Georgian; title translated).
- Zviad Gabisonia meets the president of Saarland UniversityMinistry of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia · Oct 21, 2026Official announcement (in Georgian; title translated).
Written by the Study and Work Abroad team in our own words from the sources above. Rules change often: before you apply, ask us to check the current rules for your case.
Explore on our site
Let us take care of your application
Admission, documents, visa, insurance and housing in one account, with a personal consultant and a real company behind it. You focus on your studies, we handle the rest.
