Private Universities In Greece: A New Legal Chapter Opens

From Constitutional Prohibition to Legal Opening

The core of Greece's academic system is the public higher education provided exclusively by state-run universities, which are constitutionally recognized and tuition-free. For decades, there has been an ongoing debate regarding Greece's constitutional framework, which restricts the establishment of private universities, particularly given the fact that private universities are permitted in other EU Member States. In particular, Article 16 of the Greek Constitution expressly reserved the provision of higher education to public legal entities, with professors classified as public servants. This constitutional provision allows foreign universities to legally operate in Greece through affiliated colleges or institutions; however, these entities are not formally recognized as part of the national higher education system and do not hold the same academic status as Greek public universities. With its landmark ruling of 16