Private university

In the current academic year, private universities are charging outrageous tuition fees to students, despite the fact that some faculty members are paid less than their counterparts at public universities.

The recently appointed Education Minister, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, has affirmed his dedication to pushing for a review of Article 16 in the Greek Constitution, which currently prohibits the establishment of private universities. "Article 16 is an anachronism, and we are determined to change it," he said during an interview with Skai radio on Monday.

Let's assume that the circumvention of Article 16 of the Constitution (which stipulates that all universities are state-run) and the establishment of private universities by means of transnational agreements, has a double reading. 

Some 100,000 students in Greece choose private colleges over public universities after graduating from high school, with the Hellenic Colleges Association (HCA) reporting a 10% rise in admissions in the 2022-2023 academic year.

There are more than 6.9 million students and nearly 185,000 academic staff in a total of 208 higher education institutions in the country, according to the 2022-2023 academic year's statistics, Türkiye's Higher Education Board (YÖK) has announced.

The status in Greece of degrees from British institutions of higher education will not be impacted by Brexit, according to the Education Ministry.
More specifically, British universities and colleges were included in a bill tabled in Parliament by Education Minister Niki Kerameus which stipulates that degrees of European Union countries are recognized in Greece.

Applications for master's programs in Turkey have decreased by 60 percent in state universities and 50 percent in private universities after the government introduced paid military service for young men who could complete the draft by paying a certain fee and serving just 21 days.

For years now politicians, academics, and the majority of society according to opinion polls agree that Article 16 of the Greek Constitution which forbids the establishment of non-state universities should be revised.

The common denominator among those who seek this amendment is the belief that one can allow the establishment of not-for-profit private universities.

The government's insistence on refusing to allow private universities to operate in Greece not only defies international trends, but is also unreasonable from an economic and social point of view.

Greece's Open University will be adding new courses to its curriculum in the fall, with the aim of becoming more attractive to students vis-a-vis the country's public universities and technical colleges.