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In Greek public universities there are no tuition fees for Greek and EU nationals enrolled in undergraduate programs. However, most Universities now charge fees for some of their taught graduate programmes.
At the University of Crete there are currently NO tuition or bench fees for any registered undergraduate student.
To date, 11 of the 52 Postgraduate Study Programmes organized &/or coordinated by the University leading to Master Degrees have tuition and/or bench fees. Check the sites of Master programmes for fee status in the current year.
There are no tuition fees for PhD students.
Cost of Living
It is estimated that, on average, a Greek student spends a minimum of between 600-725 Euros per month for private accommodation, utilities, food, transport and other expenses.
As a rough guide, a breakdown of estimated costs is given in the official Study in Greece portal
In terms of accommodation in Crete, planning is underway for the construction of student halls of residence at both the Gallos Campus in Rethymnon and the Voutes Campus in Heraklion. Currently, however, there are only a limited number of University student residence places in the Gallos Campus (gallos.housing@uoc.gr).
As the University cannot guarantee accommodation, it is advised that students accepted to study here arrive before the start of the academic year to find a suitable apartment in the private sector.
tuition free universities in greece for international students
1. University of Crete
- Tuition Fee for Undergraduate Programs: FREE
- Tuition Fee for Graduate Programs: 0 – 6,000 EUR ($0 – $7,350)
The University of Crete sits on the beautiful island of Crete, with offices in both Rethymnon and Heraklion. It is one of Greece’s most highly regarded higher education institutions and has a quite large student pool of around 16.000 students, many of which come from outside Greece. With the tuition fee starting from 0 Euros, the University of Crete is the cheapest university in Greece for international students.
The university offers 16 main undergraduate courses, as well as over 30 master’s courses across its departments. It is a relatively young university, having been established in the late 70s, and is currently ranked within the top 70 universities that are younger than 50 years. Despite being young, the University of Crete is already a staple within many EU organizations and student exchange programs, which brings a lot of international students to the beautiful island of Crete.
2. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
The University of Thessaloniki is the sixth-oldest university in Greece and one of the top-ranked ones as well. It sits in Thessaloniki, the second-largest city in the country. Based on campus size, the Aristotle University is the largest in the Balkans and is attended by over 40.000 students, including many international ones, who have the option to study in one of six foreign languages: English, German, French, and Italian. However, most of the programs are carried out in Greek.
This affordable university in Greece consists of 11 faculties and 36 departments, which means that there is no shortage of options to choose from when it comes to choosing a field of study. There are also plenty of world-class facilities including libraries, sports centers, and more, which provide a great deal of extracurricular activities for the students.
3. University of Patras
The University of Patras is the third-largest university in Greece and is based in the third-largest city in the country – Patras. It is considered as some of the affordable universities in Greece, and people from all over the country and beyond come to study there. Over 30.000 students currently attend the university.
There are 7 schools that consist the University of Patras, and they are further split into a total of 35 departments. Recently, the university also began offering courses that are carried out digitally, attracting even more students from all over the world. The University of Patras has plenty of notable alumni coming from all spheres of life.
4. University of Piraeus
Located just around 10 kilometers from Athens’ city center, in Piraeus, the University of Piraeus is a public university that mainly focuses on economics and finance studies, as well as business management, and computer science. It is one of the most established higher education institutions when it comes to business and finance, and is the country’s second-oldest business school, having been established in 1938. It comprises of 4 schools, which are home to nearly 10.000 students.
The university also has its own research center, which was founded in 1989, which allows it to greatly contribute to various research efforts. The university is part of many cooperation agreements, including the Erasmus program, which brings a great deal of exchange students who have a background or interest in business and economics.
5. National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Next on our list of cheap universities in Greece is the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, or NKUA. It is by far the oldest university in Greece, as it was founded in 1837. Over the years, it remains as one of the most important higher education institutions for the country, as it is home to nearly 70.000, which makes it one of the largest universities in Europe. The university is also at the forefront in fighting for civil rights, which only adds to its popularity.
NKUA consists of 9 faculties, which offer courses in nearly all areas of study, including a few programs in English, which are particularly popular with international students.
6. Hellenic Open University
- Tuition Fee for Undergraduate Programs: 1,500 EUR ($1,837)
- Tuition Fee for Graduate Programs: 1,625 – 1,800 EUR ($1,990 – $2,200)
Accepting its first students in 1999, the Hellenic Open University in Patras is one of Greece’s youngest universities and the only one that offers both open and distance learning opportunities for students in all three levels including bachelor’s master’s and doctorate. The university was founded in order to meet the growing demand for new forms of education and places a very high emphasis on innovation and research. The university is organized into four schools: Humanities, Social Sciences, Applied Arts, and Science and Technology.
Due to its long-distance capabilities, this cheap university in Greece is attended by over 47.000 students from all over the world, making it one of the largest in Greece. Despite a large number of students, admission is not guaranteed, as only 1 of 10 students who apply get admitted into the school. The university also has a very low graduation rate, which hovers around 10%.
7. International Hellenic University
Established in 2005, the International Hellenic University is among the youngest university in Greece, and the first and only Greek universities where all programs are exclusively taught in English. It is based, in Thessaloniki, and since 2019, it comprises of 9 schools and 33 departments, spread across Thessaloniki and other cities including Kavala, Drama, Katerini, and others. The university is a project in cooperation between the EU and the Greek government.
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