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Ιδιωτικά Πανεπιστήμια στην Ελλάδα - Private Universities in Greece This is a comprehensive
guide to Private Universities or Colleges in Greece. The Institutions are
categorised depending on a) whether they are for profit or not and b) whether
their degrees are accredited, validated or neither. Explanations of the categories, the legal situation and the educational situation can be found below. I. Non-profit institutions that are accredited by a foreign state
II. Non-profit institutions that are not accredited by a foreign state or validated by a foreign university
III. For-profit institutions that award degrees validated by a foreign university
IV. Distance learning support institutions (for profit and non-profit)
The Legal SituationThe Greek Constitution states that
universities are public and charge no fees. At present (09/2007), the Greek
State has no system in place to recognize degrees wholly or partially
obtained from private universities in Greece (though it does recognize
degrees from private universities abroad via DOATAP
[formerly DIKATSA]). Consequently, nearly all private universities in Greece
cooperate with foreign bodies for accreditation
or validation, typically in the UK and USA. (For
other countries and languages other than English, only distance learning support exists, with the
exception of CNAM.) The Greek law permits public bodies (πρόσωπα δημοσίου δικαίου) to set up institutions of higher education (at university level). In 2004, the OAED has decided to establish a graduate program. Three things are to be kept in mind,
however: A) Private higher education is legally recognized in practically all countries outside Greece. Consequently, degrees from Greek private universities (if accredited or validated) are legally recognized outside Greece, both for work and for postgraduate study. Also, a license to practice a profession [άδεια επαγγέλματος] can be obtained abroad - and this license is normally (!) recognized in Greece as well. Membership in Greek professional associations only implies such a license if these associations are given this right by the Greek state. B) The EU expects Greece to give professional rights to people with EU degrees, irrespective of where the students obtained them (e.g. a UK degree in Greece). Greece must change its law to accommodate EU law. C) Both major parties, ND and PASOK propose to revise the constitution such that it will recognize private universities (in terms of both academic and professional rights) - but only if they are not for profit. Early in 2007, PASOK disagreed with other issues in the revision and withdrew from the revision process. The revision passed with ND votes foresees non-profit private universities. Each section of the revision will have to be confirmed by the current parliament, after the elections on Sept. 16, 2007. Whether this will take place is not clear at present. This parliament will also formulate a law with the details on how recognition will proceed, under which conditions, etc. Any private College which claims that its
degrees are recognized by the Greek state or will definitely be recognized
very soon does not tell the truth and should be viewed with suspicion. The Educational SituationThe quality of education at private
universities is not controlled by the Greek state and under varying levels of
control from foreign accreditation bodies and validating universities.
Consequently, the quality of teaching, research, libraries, computing
facilities, student support, organization etc. varies dramatically from
one institution to another. Some private universities offer better education
than Greek state universities, some are well below university level. (The
situation is similar to that of private schools, only that the state
guarantees a certain minimum standard there.) It is probably fair to say that
the level of faculty scholarship is typically lower than at Greek public
universities, while the level of student support, organization and facilities
is typically higher. In the better institutions, students work harder than at
public universities because they are continuously assessed through tests,
projects, papers, etc. Private institutions tend to be more market-oriented, more
student-oriented, but less research-oriented. Finally, they operate in
English, which is an educational gain. (Institutions that operate partially
or wholly in Greek are typically of much lower quality.) While a number of years ago most students
at private universities had not passed the Greek state university entrance
exams (πανελλήνιες) for the course of study they preferred, the student body now
mostly consists of people who care first about quality of education, less
about Greek state recognition - either because they are heading for jobs in
the private sector or because they are heading for jobs and postgraduate
study outside Greece, where the degrees are state recognized (a very
substantial portion of students are foreigners coming to Greece for that
purpose). Also, most students now expect the legal
situation to change, such that Greek state recognition is forthcoming.
Some private Greek universities additionally have study
abroad students visiting from universities abroad, especially the USA. Private universities receive no funds
from the Greek state and only the non-profit
institutions receive some support form foreign states and charitable
institutions or private donors. Since universities have to cover the costs of
instruction, administration, facilities (and, in the case of for-profit institutions, validation as well a profit), all private
universities charge fees. The more serious ones also offer full or partial
scholarships. In looking at institutions, do not just
rely on advertisement statements, check their faculty, visit their library
and facilities, check their cooperating institutions,[1]
ask why you should study there, talk to students, look at the record of
placing their graduates at good universities and in jobs. You are the
customer, so be picky. Categories & TermsAccreditationAccreditation is a legal act of a state
that grants an institution the right to award academic degrees. Some states
grant this right to an institution through a single legal act (e.g. a Royal
Charter in the UK, an act of parliament in Greece), some others use a
process of accreditation, by which the institution becomes a member of the
legal accrediting body (e.g. in the USA). The USA accreditation process means
strict control of all aspects of the institution by the accreditation body, and
is renewed periodically. This accreditation body is either a state
institution or an institution to which the state that has given the right to
grant accreditation (such as the USA Northern, Western, Eastern and
Mid-Western Associations of Schools and Colleges). Some such bodies
specialize in particular fields, e.g. the AACSB
International for business accreditation or the British Bar Council for legal
professions. All private accredited universities in
Greece are legally registered in the USA and accredited by the accrediting
bodies responsible for the place of legal registration. Some additionally
have a charter from a state of the USA. Accreditation is not paid for. Note that "accreditation" that
is not backed by a state is legally worthless, though it may indicate
educational value; one such pseudo-accreditation body is the British
Accreditation Council (BAC), a private
charity, not a government agency. There are several others for various areas
(computing, business, etc.). ValidationValidation of a degree is given by one
university or college that is accredited to
another university or college that is not; e.g. an accredited university in
the UK validates a degree given by a private university in Greece. Validation
is granted for particular degrees (e.g. BSc in Computer Science), not for
the whole institution. The foreign validating institution is paid by the Greek validated institution for this service. The foreign
validating institution controls, to some extent, the teaching etc. and (in
most cases) the students receive degree certificates from that institution.
(The validation activities of UK universities are occasionally controlled by
the British state through the "Quality Assurance for Higher
Education", QAA. The QAA publishes
detailed reports
about the validations of degrees in Greece.) The British Council has very
useful lists of UK
degrees in Greece. The Greek validated institution may act
as a branch or franchise, or it may be independent and offer degrees
validated by several foreign universities. Some such Greek institutions are
independent businesses, some are legal branches of a foreign university or
college. A few institutions listed here under
"validated" are (partially) accredited in the USA but operate under
a for-profit basis (AUA, NYC). Most non-profit institution in Greece are
accredited, none offers validated degrees (this may change). Distance LearningDistance learning means that a person
studies for a degree from a university without physically attending classes
at that university, or only attending very rarely. Anybody can study for a
degree by distance learning anywhere in the world, provided they are accepted
and pay the fees. Some institutions in Greece offer support (as a φροντιστήριο) for distance learning students, teach related classes, etc.
These support institutions offer no degrees and have no legal relation to the
distance learning universities (e.g. the University of London). Study AbroadA number of foreign universities and
colleges have study abroad programs in Greece, some in cooperation with
Colleges named above, some in cooperation with state universities and some on
their own or together with other universities from their countries. These
programs are for a limited period, typically a semester or a year and only
for students at these foreign institutions. If you are a student in Greece wanting to
study abroad, ask at your university or at the institutions representing host
countries (British Council, Institut Français, Goethe Institut, US Embassy,
etc.). DisclaimerThis site represents the information and
views of its author, not of any institution. It is independent and not
supported by anyone. Corrections and comments to: colleges at the domain @thought.de. Last changed: 03.12.2007. (Online since
30.06.2005.) |
