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. The law 4777/2021 provides the framework regarding HEIs security and disciplinary issues. 

The provisions of law 4485/2017 specify and implement the primary constitutional requirements as regards higher education.  The law also describes the mission of HEIs. Their mission is to:

1. Produce and transmit knowledge through research and teaching, prepare students for its application and cultivate the arts and culture.
2. Contribute to lifelong learning with modern teaching methods, including distance learning, based on scientific and technological research at the highest level in accordance with internationally recognised criteria.
3. Develop students' critical competence and skills, create the conditions necessary for the emergence of new researchers and provide graduates with the knowledge and skills necessary for their scientific and professional careers.
4. Meet the development needs of the country, promote the dissemination of knowledge and the cultivation of the arts, the use of research results and innovation, with a view to the principles of scientific ethics, sustainable development and social cohesion; contribute to the national plan for productive reconstruction of the country towards sustainability.
5. Promote cooperation with other educational and research institutions in the country and abroad, effective mobility of teaching staff, students and graduates by participating in the European and international academic community.
6. Contribute to the formation of responsible citizens capable of meeting the requirements of all areas of human activity with scientific, professional and cultural competence and responsibility, and with respect to the values of social justice, freedom, democracy, social solidarity and equality.
7. Develop common, open resources in education, research, technology and culture.

As part of their educational mission, HEIs provide quality and comprehensive education in line with the trends of modern science, technology and the arts, as well as international scientific practice.  In order to fulfil their mission, HEIs are organised and operate under rules and practices than ensure compliance with the principles of:

1. Freedom in research and teaching
2. Research and scientific ethics
3. Quality of education
4. The quality of their services, the efficiency and effectiveness of their personnel, resources and infrastructure management
5. Transparency in all their activities
6. The impartiality of their governing bodies in the exercise of their duties and in the making of individual and collective decisions
7. Meritocracy in the selection and promotion of their staff
8. Gender equality and respect for all differences.

All Universities must conform to quality standards set by the Hellenic Authority for Higher Education (HAHE), which has been established by  law 4653/2020, as an independent administrative body, under the supervision of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs 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 to strengthen strategic planning, the law 4653/2020 introduced the obligation for HEIs to design and implement four-year action plans and establish institutional agreements with the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs. Therefore, HEI’s funding is partly (20%) based on performance criteria, such as internationalization, quality assurance, research and innovation, absorption of graduates in the labour market etc, while the other part (80%) is based on objective criteria such as the number of students and academic staff etc.

All Universities must conform to quality standards set by the Hellenic Authority for Higher Education (HAHE), which has been established by  law 4653/2020 as an independent administrative body, under the supervision of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs 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 to strengthen strategic planning, the law 4653/2020 introduced the obligation for HEIs to design and implement four-year action plans and establish institutional agreements with the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs. Therefore, HEI’s funding is partly (20%) based on performance criteria, such as internationalization, quality assurance, research and innovation, absorption of graduates in the labour market etc, while the other part (80%) is based on objective criteria such as the number of students and academic staff etc.

Higher education structure

In Greece, higher education is provided by HEIs (total number 25) and includes two parallel and distinct sectors:

1. The university sector that includes universities, national technical universities and the Higher School of Fine Arts.
2. The technological sector that includes technological educational institutes (TEIs) and the School of Pedagogical and Technological Education (ASPETE).

It should be noted that all TEIs of the country have merged with university institutions.

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 the attendance of 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. Such are the cases of the programmes offered by the departments of a) Architectural Engineering, b) Civil Engineering c) Mechanical Engineering, d) Rural and Surveying Engineering, e) Chemical Engineering and f) Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering of many HEIs or those of the National Technical University of Athens. The successful completion leads to an integrated master's degree in the aforementioned specializations, according to law 4485/2017.

Some graduate programmes lead directly to a second-cycle degree. Such are the cases of the programmes offered by the departments of a) Architectural Engineering, b) Civil Engineering c) Mechanical Engineering, d) Rural and Surveying Engineering, e) Chemical Engineering and f) Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering of many HEIs or those of the National Technical University of Athens. The successful completion leads to an integrated master's degree in the aforementioned specializations, according to law 4485/2017.

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 September’s second fortnight 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.