Which norms create the law of academic discipline?

Article 44 — the student's obligations to study chosen compulsory subjects and observe the charter and internal rules; paragraph 7 of Article 43 — the requirements of proportionality and fair procedure.

Where does a sanction take its basis?

From the institution's charter, internal rules and code of ethics — the law requires that the rules of conduct triggering disciplinary liability be defined in detail.

Is information about disciplinary measures confidential?

Yes — it is confidential except with the student's consent or the lawful interest of protecting safety, and it is stored separately from academic-progress data.

Does the American Title IX apply in Georgia?

No — in Georgian higher education disciplinary liability is governed by the Law on Higher Education.

Academic Discipline in Tbilisi, Georgia

Academic discipline in higher education is governed by paragraph 7 of Article 43 and by Article 44 of the Law on Higher Education. This topic is often described through frameworks borrowed from foreign law, but a clear statement is needed here: the American Title IX regime does not exist in Georgian law, and student disciplinary liability in Georgia is governed by this national law. This page explains the substantive side — what a disciplinary offence is, where the disciplinary obligation comes from, and which limits stand before any sanction.

The source of the disciplinary obligation — Article 44

Article 44 establishes the student's obligations: the student is obliged, under the programme established by the higher education institution, to study every subject chosen of their own will the teaching of which is compulsory, and to observe the charter and internal rules of the institution. This compact norm is the foundation of disciplinary liability: responsibility may arise from failure to fulfil the obligation to study chosen compulsory subjects or from a breach of the charter and internal rules.

It follows that in examining a disciplinary accusation the first question is always: which exact obligation was breached? If the accusation rests on conduct that fits neither within the obligations of Article 44 nor within the institution's charter and internal rules, the basis for disciplinary liability is questionable.

Proportionality and the detailed definition of the offence — Article 43

Paragraph 7 of Article 43 sets the substantive standard: disciplinary proceedings against a student must be proportionate to the disciplinary offence and may be conducted only in the cases and in the manner provided for by the institution's charter and internal rules, as envisaged by the law, and through a fair procedure.

The same paragraph imposes two specific obligations on the institution: it must develop a student code of ethics, which may impose restrictions on student conduct where this is connected with the management of the educational process; and it must define in detail the rules of conduct that trigger disciplinary liability. This requirement is decisive in practice as well — a vague, undefined norm cannot serve as the basis of a sanction.

Academic Discipline