Quality assurance in higher education was established for the first time by virtue of l. 3374/2005. A single, nationwide ongoing evaluation process is established, was aiming at recording, analysing and systematically assessing teaching and research work, study programmes and other services of Higher Education Institutes (HEIs). The same law established the  Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education (ADIP) which is the competent body for implementing Quality Assurance in Higher Education.

By l.4009/2011 “Structure, function, quality assurance for studies and internationalization of Higher Education Institutes”, Greece acquires a national accreditation system supporting HEI, in order to develop stable programmes of steadily increasing academic and professional quality.  Accreditation is an external evaluation process based on specific, predetermined, internationally accepted and pre-published quantitative and qualitative criteria and indicators, all harmonized with the Principles and Guidelines for Quality Assurance of the European Area of Higher Education (ESG 2015).
ADIP has been renamed Hellenic Authority for Higher Education (ETHAAE) under l. 4653/2020.

Responsible bodies

Hellenic Authority for Higher Education (HAHE)

 The Hellenic Authority for Higher Education-HAHE, (Εθνική Αρχή Ανώτατης Εκπαίδευσης-ΕΘΑΑΕ) is  an autonomous administrative body supervised by the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports. Its mission is to assure high quality in higher education. In this framework, HAHE:

1. contributes to the development and implementation of the national strategy for higher education and to the allocation of grants for Higher Education Institutions and
2. evaluates and assures the quality of operation of HEIs.

HAHE has to ensure the transparency of its operation. It publishes on its website the activities conducted and the decisions made in the context of its mission.
In order to fulfill its mission, HAHE:

•  maintains an integrated information system which interconnects with HEIs and their respective branches, as well as with the  Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports. This system aims to extract and manage the data necessary to achieve its objectives.

• participates and/or collaborates in/with international networks, bodies or organisations that carry out activities related to its mission. HAHE takes into account and implements  standards and guidelines set by the European Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA). 

  HEIs and their respective branches and legal entities are obliged to cooperate with the services of the HAHE, to respond promptly to its questions and submit  data necessary for the exercise of the authority's responsibilities.

The Supreme Council of HAHE.

The Supreme Council consists of the President, the Vice-President and professors of Higher Education Institutions of Greece or abroad.

HAHE's mission is to develop and implement the national strategy for Higher education, the Council makes  proposals to the Minister of Education regarding:

1. the National Strategy program for Higher Education,
2. the programme agreements between the Ministry and HEIs,
3. the establishment, merging, division, abolition, renaming of HEIs and their respective departments/units,
4. suggestions to assure high quality in higher education,
5. the proposals and measures to enhance  the internationalisation of HEI’s,
6. the articulation and constitution of the academic map of higher education,

 Regarding HAHE’s mission to allocate the public grants to HEIs, the Council:

• makes proposals to the Minister of Education regarding the allocation of the annual grant to HEIs. A twenty percent (20%) of this fund is allocated based on the quality and performance indicators of each HEI (l. 5094/2024),
• proposes the allocation of staff positions in HEIs to the Minister of Education and Religious Affairs,
• ensures the transparency of the HEIs grant criteria and indicators,
• collects and analyses HEI data and statistics,
• systematically monitors HEI's graduates' transition to the labour market,
• assigns research and studies related to the Authority's work,
• recommends to the Minister the current requirements and allocation of public grants,
• excersises supervisory control over the operation of all HAHE departments, committees, working groups and other bodies.

The Council for Evaluation and Accreditation of HAHE.

The Evaluation and Accreditation Council-EAC (Συμβούλιο Αξιολόγησης και Πιστοποίησης-ΣΑΠ) is composed of the Chairman of the Council of the Authority (HAHE), members of the Academic/Research Staff  of HEIs, of various academic fields, a student representative and a representative of the various Chambers.

The Council for Evaluation and Assurance:

• evaluates HEIs and their individual academic and research departments and assures if they meet the selection criteria for first, second and third cycle programs, in accordance with the specific quality criteria, drawn up, communicated and published in the framework of the quality standards set (l. 5128/2024).
• accreditates every five years (at the latest) the quality of:
  • the internal quality assurance systems (IQAS) of HEIs;
  • the curricula of the three cycles of higher education, lifelong learning, distance learning, e-learning and the cooperation programs with other educational or research institutions in Greece or abroad.
• accreditates the new curricula prior to their implementation following a relevant request by the HEI or academic unit.
• performs thematic evaluations of HEIs and their individual academic units related to the: internationalisation strategy, gender equality, access for persons with disabilities, the integration of graduates into the labour market, the HEI's environmental footprint, ensuring academic environment, the development of e-learning and lifelong learning programs, the development of digital skills for the students and HEI staff.
• publishes  a detailed  evaluation and accreditation guide on the implementation of the assessment and evaluation procedures for higher education institutes, academic units and study programmes.

Additionally, the Evaluation and Accreditation Council:

• sets up, plans and coordinates the External Evaluation and Accreditation Committees (EEAP). The Council can also establish evaluation committees with experts from the Register of Independent Experts, when necessary,  for thematic evaluations (e.g.the evaluations of the Training and Lifelong Learning Centres (KEDIVIM) of HEIs and lifelong learning programs; distance education programs, e-learning, as well as cooperation programs with other educational or research institutions in Greece or abroad.(l. 4957/2022)
• maintains and updates the Registry of Independent Experts and the Registry of Students consisting of students members of the Quality Assurance Units (MODIP) of HEIs;
• collects the necessary HEI's data in collaboration with MODIP and keeps up the evaluation and certification register;
• carries out studies and research related to the Authority's mission;
• supports HEIs and their individual academic and administrative units in designing quality assurance and certification procedures,
• formulates, organises, specifies, standardises and publishes in advance the relevant procedures, criteria and indicators, within the framework of the European Standards and Guidelines of the European Higher Education Area;
• decides to postpone or suspend the evaluation and accreditation of a specific curriculum or an internal quality assurance system, if the relevant request for evaluation or certification is not supported by the required information material and the necessary documentation.

Quality assurance unit (MODIP)/internal evaluation

The Quality Assurance Unit (MODIP) is an advisory body in every Higher Education Institute (HEI) responsible for the coordination and support of quality assurance processes.  In particular, MODIP is responsible for:

• the development, organisation, operation and continuous improvement of the institution’s internal quality assurance system.
• the coordination and support of evaluation processes of academic units and other services in the institution and
• the support of external evaluation and accreditation of study programmes and of the internal quality assurance system of the institute, following the principles, guidelines and directions of the Hellenic Authority for Higher Education. For all afore-mentioned objectives, the Quality Assurance Unit (MODIP) cooperates with HAHE ); it develops an evaluation information system; it is, also, responsible for systematically monitoring and uploading anything relative to the evaluative processes and outcomes on the institution’s webpage.

MODIP is set up by decision of the institution’s Board; it consists of the Rector, or one of its deputies as President, five HEI professors; it also consists of one representative from each personnel category with a voting right, when issues of the respective personnel category are discussed; other members include one representative of undergraduate students and one representative of postgraduate and doctoral students, if any, as specified in the Organisational Charter.

Approaches and methods for quality assurance

Evaluation and quality assurance

 The accreditation of HEIs and their individual units, curricula and internal quality assurance systems is a quality assurance procedure. It is based on specific, predefined, internationally accepted and publicised quantitative and qualitative criteria and indicators. Specifically, the purpose of accreditation is to assure that an institution, an individual academic unit, a curriculum, or an internal quality assurance system complies with the minimum quality requirements set by HAHE. These criteria are also in line with the principles and guidelines of the European Higher Education Area. Quality assurance of higher education helps increase the efficiency and transparency of the overall work of higher education institutions.

Thematic evaluation is a quality assurance procedure for higher education, consisting of systematic, documented and detailed evaluation. It aims to highlight and record the work of HEIs or of their academic units by using specific criteria, laid down by EAC. Thematic evaluation also includes critical analysis and identification of existing weaknesses and shortcomings related to academic profile, goals and mission. Thematic evaluation reports are posted on the Authority's portal.

The External Evaluation and Accreditation Committee (EEAP), is appointed by HAHE to assess on the basis of pre-defined criteria whether a HEI or an academic unit meets the quality requirements for the organisation of first, second and third cycle curricula; it assesses the quality of curricula and the institution's internal quality assurance system; it also looks into the points and elements taken into account by the Council for Evaluation and Accreditation, and, when needed, visits the respective HEI or the academic unit. 

EEAP evaluates:

• more than one curricula, particularly if completion of one is a prerequisite for admission to the other;
• the relevant curricula or internal quality assurance systems of the various institutions;
• the new curricula before their implementation.

During the accreditation procedure, EEAP prepares an external evaluation report report that is submitted to the Council for Evaluation and Accreditation, in order to issue the accreditation Decision. During the thematic evaluation process, EEAP draws up an evaluation report with recommendations to HEI or the academic unit. The above reports are posted on HAHE’s website.

Evaluation and Accreditation Criteria

  The general criteria for certification of study programmes include: 

• the academic profile and orientation of the curricula,
• learning outcomes and pursued qualifications and their demand by the labour market,
• the structure and organisation of the curricula,
• the quality and performance of the teaching assignments,
• the numerical strength of the teaching staff,
• the quality of research of the academic unit,
• the link between teaching and research,
• the link between curricula and skills and the labour market needs,
• the quality of supporting services, such as administration, libraries and student care services,
• the expected digital skills acquired through the curricula.

The general criteria for the accreditation of internal quality assurance systems of HEIs include, primarily, the following:

• Establishing clear and specific objectives to ensure the continuous improvement of the quality of the curricula and supporting services of the institution;
• The process of policy planning, effective organisation and the process of decision making on continuous quality improvement;
• The process of policy implementation for continuous quality improvement;
• Evidence-based quality improvement.

External Evaluation and Accreditation Committee / External evaluation

The External Evaluation and Accreditation Committee (EEAP) is a three, four or five-member panel consisted of 3 to 5 independent experts from the Registry of Experts; one student representative and one professional association / chamber representative.
The external evaluation and accreditation carried out by EEAP follows after the completion of the internal evaluation procedure and takes into account the relevant HEI's/Academic unit’s internal evaluation report. In order to verify internal evaluation elements, EEAP takes into account the findings after carrying out a site visit to the HEI/academic unit. External evaluation is completed after issuing the external evaluation and accreditation report. 
The external evaluation and accreditation draft report is prepared by EEAP and is notified to the HEI/ academic unit. The relevan HEI or academic unit may submit its comments within a specified period of time. If no comments are submitted until the deadline, the draft report is accepted by the HEI/ academic unit. The final external evaluation and accreditation report, accompanied by the internal evaluation report, is submitted by EEAP to EAC which will then issue an accreditation decision or take other relevant action. External evaluation is completed within four (4) months of the submission of the internal evaluation report to EAC.

Registry of Experts

 SAP maintains a register, which takes into account the suggestions of HEIs and HAHE. The process of keeping and updating the Registry is determined by decision of SAP, and then published on the Authority’s portal. The registy must include at least seventy-five percent (75%) Greek or foreign experts or researchers with experience in Higher Institutions' evaluation procedures. Members of the the Supreme Council of HAHE and SAP as well as related scientific staff are excluded.

Work programme Agreements 

Work programme agreements between a Higher Institution and the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports are established in the framework of the strategic planning and the national strategy for higher education. These agreements are agreed upon and specified on an annual basis, and primarily focus on the following issues:

1. The mission, priorities and profile of Higher education institutions, their position in the Greek, European and international area,
2. Identification, planning and measures for the development and support of research activities and objectives in HE
3. Infrastructure and equipment development,
4. Upgrading of services,
5. Coordination of academic, instruction and research activities in line with the corresponding developments in institutions abroad and especially with the developments and perspectives in the context of  the European Higher Education and Area.

As for the financial part, work programme agreements are mainly focused to: 

1. operating costs
2. Investments
3. Personnel. 

The agreements are entered on annual basis.

Allocation of public grants to HEIs

The Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports grants to HEIs’ is allocated on the basis of objective criteria (l.5128/2024) and indicators.

• Seventy percent (70%) of regular grants to HEIs is allocated mostly according to the following requirements:  
  • the total number of students enrolled per study program;
  • the estimated annual cost of study per student for each study program;
  • the duration of the study program;
  • the size and geographical distribution of the institution.
• Thirty percent (30%) of regular grants to HEIs’ is allocated on the basis of quality indicators and achievements, on which each HEI chooses to be evaluated. These indicators are the following:
  • the quality and effectiveness of the educational process, evaluated on the basis of the numerical relationship of graduates to incoming students; the student evaluation of educational services  and the level of graduate integration  to the labour market.
  • research activity, evaluated, for example, on the basis of the number of scientific staff members receiving funding from the European Research Council; the number of Centres of Excellence in Research, the number of faculty members holding positions in the central management bodies of international academic or research organisations or international scientific societies and the number of publications per professor.
  • internationalisation, which is evaluated mainly on the basis of the number of foreign students in relation to the total number of enrolled students; the number of students through European and international educational programs, or of students studying abroad through European and international educational institutions, as well as the number of cooperation agreements with other higher education institutions in Greece or abroad.
• the distribution criteria, the quality indicators and their weighting are determined by  the Minister of Education following a recommendation by the Supreme Council of HAHE.
• If a HEI fails to achieve the quality and performance indicators for which it has chosen to be evaluated, the grant will be allocated to other HEIs.

Centres of Excellence

ΗΕΙs have established Centres of Excellence (l. 5128/2024), with th epurpose to award and support good practices in quality and innovation. The Hellenic Authority for Higher Education gives prominence to HEIs, Departments or Units after a call. Applications are evaluated by specific committees the members of which are selected by lot by the SAP. The criteria for being nominated as Centres of Excellence are primarily: 

•  high quality and effectiveness of instruction and research work;
• the effective structure of the curriculum,
• the link between instruction and research and 

• the high quality of supporting services. 

  The criteria and conditions for the evaluation of candidate HEIs, and the particular procedure of giving prominence as Centres of Excellence are stipulated by decision of the Minister of Education and issued in the Government Gazette, after a  proposal by HAHE.