Skip to main content
European Commission logo

Eurydice

EACEA National Policies Platform:Eurydice

Greece

The organisation of the academic year in Greece is as follows:

Beginning of the academic year 

The academic year in the field of higher education regarding undergraduate programmes of study begins on the 1st September of each year. The start of the academic year for postgraduate studies is determined by the Operating Regulation of the respective programme of study.

National Information

Further readings

National education systems - Greece | Eurydice (europa.eu)

Fee and financial support policies

Organisation of the Academic Year in Higher Education

Steering documents

There are no educational guidelines for ECEC settings for children under the age of 4. 
The provisions of the Standard Regulation of Operation for Municipal Infant/Child Care and Child Care Centres” (Joint Ministerial Decision 41087/29-11-2017) constitute the minimum requirements, while each municipal council decides on the regulation of the municipal infant care, infant/child care and child care centres under their authority.

Place guarantee to ECEC

The starting age for compulsory pre-school education is age 4 (l. 4521/2018). 
Children aged 4 and 5 attend pre-school education in nipiagogeio (ISCED 020). The implementation of this framework started during the school year 2018-19 in 184 municipalities of the country.

Ηome-based publicly regulated ECEC provision operated on  a pilot basis in 6 out of 332 municipalities. The project entailed the financial assistance of mainly, working parents, or single parents and generally of the family with provision of caretaking of infants and toddlers in their own house or at the carer's/nurser's house. The "Neighbourhood Nannies" project laid was down by l. 4837/2021.

Admission requirements and choice of ECEC setting

All children coming from a respective Municipality may be enrolled at child care and infant/child care centres (ISCED 010).

Infant/child care centres admit infants from the age of 2 months, on certain conditions; otherwise, infants from the age of 6 months up to their compulsory pre-primary school age may be enrolled. 

Child care centres admit children from the age of 2.5 years up to their compulsory pre-primary school age.

The Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs & Sports implements special programs and supports alternative educational structures. The aim is to provide education, that meets the needs of people of a different educational, social and cultural background.

In this context, the following types of schools are in operation: