Widely considered the cradle of western civilisation, Greece continues to attract international students to its well-regarded educational institutions – which include 22 public universities, polytechnics, and the Higher Fine Arts Institute.
Greece lies at the meeting point of three continents – Europe, Asia and Africa and consists of a mountainous, peninsular mainland jutting out into the Mediterranean Sea at the southern end of the Balkans. Due to its highly indented coastline and numerous islands, Greece has the 11th longest coastline in the world with 13.676 km. From the waters surrounding the mainland, emerge a vast number of about 6,000 islands and islets, 227 of which are inhabited. Greece is widely considered as the cradle of Western civilization, thanks to its rich history, which dates back to ancient times. Being the birthplace of major political, philosophical, scientific ideas and inventions, which still govern and enrich our lives, Greece offers a unique experience of bridging the past with the present. Foreign students are quickly made feel home, while they enjoy Greek hospitality and a very mild climate.
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In Greece, Higher Education is divided into Higher University Education and Higher Technological Education. The university education system comprises universities, polytechnics, the Higher Fine Arts Institute and the Greek Open University. There are 22 public universities in Greece, located in various towns. University studies last in principal four years, and the academic year consists of two semesters with 13 full weeks of tuition and three weeks of examinations. Technological Educational Institutes (TEIs) are more practically oriented than those in universities. Studies last four years, during the final semester students may also practice their desired profession on a trial basis, with assessment. The TEIs cover specializations in the fields of graphic arts and art studies, management and economics, healthcare, applied technology, food technology and nutrition, agricultural technology and music technology In Greece post-graduate studies lead to the award of a postgraduate diploma of specialization. The general goal of postgraduate studies is to allow students to specialize in certain fields. Greek universities offer a total of 213 post-graduate courses; the Greek Open University offers ten post- graduate courses. On completion the students are awarded a post-graduate diploma of specialization. The post-graduate courses are open to university and TEI graduates. The candidates are chosen on the basis of a selection process or their (oral and/or written) examination results. Besides, candidates are required to know at least one foreign language. Courses last at least one calendar year. Tuition in public universities is generally free of charge but there are some exceptions, mainly in the case of certain postgraduate programmes and studies at the Greek Open University. Foreign students who come from countries which are not members of the European Union (non-EU students) pay fees to cover a small percentage of the expenses of their studies. Greece has 1 university which features in the Global Top 400 of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2015-2016 – the University of Crete ranked in between 351-400, and a further 6 universities in the THE Global 800.
The Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs offers scholarships for foreign nationals for different kind of studies, namely under- and postgraduate, doctoral studies and research, studies of Greek language and civilization. Applicants submit their application through the Greek Diplomatic Authorities in their country. For more information please visit minedu The State Scholarships Foundation (I.K.Y.) grants scholarships for postgraduate or postdoctoral studies in Greece to all foreigners as well as scholarships for the attendance of the Modern Greek Language and Culture. The programmes for postgraduate and postdoctoral studies are announced around January or February each year and the scholarships are offered to nationals (foreigners or of Greek origin) from: (a) The European Union member states, (b) Asia, Balkans, Central or Eastern Europe (non members of the European Union), Africa and Latin America. For the programme for the attendance of seminars of Modern Greek Language and Culture applicants must be nationals of Asia, Europe, North and South America, Africa and Oceania graduated from a Foreign University in Humanities. For further information please visit: http://www.iky.gr/en/