Postgraduate education

It is not too late for so-called "perpetual students" at Greek universities to start considering their future.

A big bang in the secondary, tertiary and post-secondary education sectors is being pursued by the government.

Sixty-eight new recipients of Bodossaki Foundation scholarships will begin their studies at 25 prestigious institutions in Greece and abroad, including Boston University, ETH Zurich and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, it was announced on Thursday.

Two hundred and thirty-nine scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate studies are awarded by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens through the Legacies and Endowments, which it administers for this purpose.

The number of postgraduate programs and the number of students in Greece is rising. According to the data, the economic crisis that the country went through in the previous decade appears to have been a milestone for the increase in postgraduate studies. 

In 2010, 31,071 students were studying in the postgraduate programs of Greek universities.

With an aim to enhance the quality of postgraduate education, the Higher Education Council (YÖK) has introduced new criteria focusing on publications and accreditations.

Accordingly, universities will now need at least one program accreditation for doctoral programs. Moreover, faculty members must meet a minimum publication requirement for both master's and doctoral programs.

Only one in five students at Greek universities complete their studies within the minimum time of study, while most take almost six years to complete a four-year program, which is the shortest possible duration of an undergraduate program, according to a report by the National Authority for Higher Education.

The US Embassy in Athens is partnering with The American College of Greece on the Education Unites 2023 program, offering fully funded scholarships to at-risk refugee, migrant and displaced students with financial needs for undergraduate and graduate degrees at Deree.

The number of students registered for postgraduate programs in Greece increased by more than 25 percent in the 2016-17 academic year, according to Hellenic Statistical Authority figures.

The Fulbright Foundation in Greece inaugurates on Tuesday the 24th US University Fair, where representatives and alumni from 32 American universities and colleges will be on hand providing information on courses, entry requirements, cost of living and other useful tips for students wishing to study in the United States.