Construction ends: Gov’t offers free Tbilisi housing to top students

Construction of a modern dormitory capable of housing 320 students has finished in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi.

The country's Education Minister Aleksandre Jejelava and other officials visited the new facility at Lisi Lake near Tbilisi’s Saburtalo district today and celebrated the opening of the new university accommodation.

Photo by Georgia's Education Ministry.

The Minister said high achieving Georgian students who studied at universities or other tertiary institutions in Tbilisi but struggled to afford accommodation would benefit from this free student housing initiative.

More than five million GEL was spent by the state to build the new accommodation blocks.

The complex included three residential buildings and an administration office and met top European student housing standards.

An administration building. Photo by Georgia's Education Ministry

The dormitory was built in 13 months following after the initiative was launched by formed Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili in 2015.

Twenty of the dorm rooms have been adapted to fit the needs of people with disabilities.

The complex also had a dining room, a library, a computer room, stadium and gym.

Photo by Georgia's Education Ministry.

The Education Ministry was now tasked with developing a set of rules to regulate student housing at the new facility.

Photo by Georgia's Education Ministry.

Most of Georgia’s prestigious universities are located in capital Tbilisi and students who come from other parts of the country must rent a room if they want to study in the city. For some, this housing cost was unaffordable, which meant they could not study in the city.

Authorities believed the new dormitory would give students who came from poor families a better chance at pursuing a higher education.