General higher education policy objectives

Education remains a top priority for the Greek state and is enshrined in the Greek Constitution. Higher education is provided only by institutions which are legal entities of public law. Higher Education Institutes enjoy full self-administration and academic freedom.  They are subject to state supervision by the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports in accordance with article 16 of the Constitution.

According to l. 4957/2022, HEIs have as their mission: 

1. to offer high quality higher education, without discriminations and exclusions, to produce and share knowledge through teaching and research, to prepare students for its application in the professional and social field and to foster the development and promotion of the sciences, arts, literature and culture;
2. to organize and provide first, second and third-cycle formal education curricula, short-term and lifelong learning curricula,
3. apply modern teaching methods with an emphasis on interdisciplinarity and innovative research to the highest quality standards according to internationally recognized criteria, including distance teaching,
4. to enhance students' abilities and skills with critical thinking, to ensure the professional inclusion of graduates by providing them with the necessary knowledge and resources for their scientific and professional careers, to create the necessary conditions for the promotion of new researchers and for attracting young scientists, while also addressing the needs of society, the labor market, and various professional fields,
5. to conduct innovative research and promote the dissemination of knowledge to society, as well as innovation and the exploitation of research results, while adhering to the principles of scientific ethics, ethical standards and sustainable development, social cohesion and non- discrimination, the Comprehensive Planning and the digital transformation.Additionaly, their mission is to contribute to national development priorities in accordance with the National Strategy for Research, Technological Development and Innovation as well as the National Strategy for Smart Specialization,
6. to promote cooperation with other HEIs of the country, research and technological bodies of Greece and abroad, as well as with public, European and international organizations and productive institutions,
7. to develop collaborations and alliances with higher education institutions abroad, creating joint study programs, strengthening the mobility of students, teaching, and other staff of HEIs, as well as researchers, contributing to the building of the European Higher Education and Research Area,
8. to contribute to the formation of responsible citizens, capable of responding to the demands of all fields of human activities with scientific, professional and cultural competence and responsibility, with respect for human rights and the values of justice, freedom, democracy, social solidarity, peace and equality and
9. to develop shared educational and research infrastructures both at home and internationally, for the promotion of education, research, technology, and culture.

All Universities must conform to quality standards set by the Hellenic Authority for Higher Education (HAHE), which has been established by  l. 4653/2020, as an independent administrative body, under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports and its mission is to ensure high quality in the field of higher education. Besides quality assurance, HAHE contributes to the formation and implementation of the national strategy for higher education.

Aiming at strengthening strategic planning,  l. 4653/2020 introduced the obligation for HEIs to design and implement four-year action plans and establish institutional agreements with the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports.  According to l. 5094/2024, HEI’s funding is partly (30%) based on performance criteria, such as internationalization, quality assurance, research and innovation, absorption of graduates in the labour market etc, while the other part (70%) is based on objective criteria such as the number of students and academic staff etc.

According to l. 4957/2022, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) draw up a multi-year strategic plan focused on academic development, aligned with the national strategy programme for higher education of l. 4653/2020, the national strategy for research and innovation, as well as the developments and the main objectives of the actions for higher education in the European and international area. The strategic plan has a duration of at least four (4) years. The plan includes the short-term and medium-term goals for the sectors that HEI aims to develop, along with the proposed actions and resources for their implementation.

Higher education structure

According to l. 4957/2022, higher education is provided by Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs). HEIs are legal entities under public law, fully self-governed and include Universities, Polytechnic Schools, the Higher School of Fine Arts and the Higher School of Pedagogical and Technological Education (ASPETE).

According to l. 4957/2022, the Departments of Applied Sciences and Technology of the Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) may organize first-cycle orientation programmes in applied sciences and technology, which aim to apply science and technology to solve practical problems and develop systematic methodologies with a professional orientation. First-cycle study programmes in applied sciences and technology, exceptionally, may have a duration of seven (7) academic semesters and their educational activities correspond to a minimum of two hundred and ten (210) credit units under the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). In the present study programmes, it is foreseen that students are required to practice for a total duration of six (6) calendar months, which corresponds to thirty (30) credits (ECTS). The successful completion of the study programmes herein leads to the awarding of a level six (6) degree, in alignment with both the National and European Qualifications Framework.

According to l. 5094/2024 the licensing of the establishment and operation of branches of foreign institutions in Greece in the form of University Legal Entities (ULE) has been regulated in a manner consistent with the constitutional objectives of higher education. ULE are special purpose legal entities with non-profit status, with the exclusive purpose of providing higher education services which award higher education degrees equivalent to the corresponding degrees conferred by Greek public universities. The ULE are associated with higher education institutions, which are located and recognised in other European Union member states or in third countries, and are licensed after the application of a specific evaluation process by the competent bodies of the country’s relevant authorities in their respective countries. Moreover, the ULE provide first, second and third cycle programmes of study, as well as short term and lifelong learning programmes, and may develop educational and research activities both in Greece and abroad to promote education, research, technology and culture.

The ULE are under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, in cooperation with the National Authority for Higher Education (HAHE) and the National Organisation for the Accreditation of Qualifications and Vocational Guidance (EOPPEP) with regard to their organisation, operation and mission within the context of the constitutional objectives of higher education, with respect to academic freedom and freedom of teaching and research.

Organisation of studies

Studies are divided into three cycles:

First cycle of studies

It involves the attendance of a study programme.  Successful completion leads to the award of a degree.

• Studies last at least 4 years for most majors at HEIs of the university sector
• They last for 5 years at:

1. Polytechnics
2. Other applied sciences (Agronomy, Forestry, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine, Pharmaceutics)
3. Certain art departments (Music Studies and Fine Arts).

• They last 6 years for Medical School.

Academic work is distributed in semester modules.  Each academic year includes educational activities that correspond to 60 ECTS credits.

Second cycle of studies

It involves attendance in a postgraduate programme.  The duration of studies is at least two semesters.  It includes modules corresponding to a minimum of 60 ECTS credits. It leads to the award of a master's degree (diploma metaptychiakon spoudon).

Some graduate programmes lead directly to a second-cycle degree. 

According to l. 4957/2022, the successful completion of a first-cycle study in these programmes leads to the award of a single and integrated master's degree in the specialty of the Department and the degree corresponds to a level seven (7) degree in accordance with both the National and European Qualifications Framework.

Third cycle of studies

It involves the attendance of a doctorate study programme.  It requires a thesis preparation.  Students have 3 full calendar years to complete the programme.  It leads to the award of a doctoral diploma.

Academic year

The academic year begins on 1 September each year and ends on 31 August of the following year.
It includes two semesters:

1. The winter semester. It usually begins in the second half of September and lasts until mid-January of the following year

2. The spring semester.  It usually begins at the end of the exam period of the winter semester, around mid-February and ends at the beginning of June.

Every semester includes at least 13 weeks of teaching.  The end of each semester marks the beginning of the exam period.  Students may be reassessed in the modules of both semesters before the end of the winter semester.  Throughout the year, there is a total of 4 weeks of Christmas and Easter holidays.