The trend predicted for this year’s higher education admissions is expected to show a moderate decrease rather than a sharp decline. This is the conclusion of expert analysts after the first estimates of statistics on the grades of candidates in the Panhellenic Examinations. It seems that the drop in the scores will impact the high-ranking polytechnic schools, while the minimum admission for higher education is expected to be 8.33.

As far as the average performance of the 1st orientation group candidates are concerned, last year’s 11.69 became 11.35 this year, which portends a drop of 100 or 200 points in the top-tier, namely Law and Psychology. However, in the mid-tier and below (with admission grades below 15, 16), the marks seem likely to remain the same or at least have slight fluctuations of 50 and 100 points. The reason is that the possible drop is offset by this year’s increase in the number of Humanities applicants by 1,284 compared to last year.

Natural Sciences, and Health Schools

The drop in the Natural and Humanities average is expected to be small, with last year’s 12.30 becoming 12.10 this year. In particular, in high-ranking faculties above 18,000 points, such as Electrical and Computer Engineering at Metsovio, a drop of up to 300 points is predicted. Conversely, a drop of 500 points can be expected by those aiming for schools below 18,000 points – even those in the 10,000-point range.

There is an improvement in performance in the Field of Health Studies, as the average score this year is 11.94 compared to 11.62 last year. It is noted that there may not be a drop in the Medical Sciences base after all, as the good performance in Biology is acting as a buffer to the drop. If a drop is nonetheless recorded, it will be negligible, in the order of 100 points, due to more firsts in Chemistry. It is also worth mentioning that this year there is a slight decrease in the number of candidates -322 – in the Health Studies Group, which may “lock in” the marks at last year’s levels and thus avoid a rise.

For the 4th Orientation Group, the average performance this year is 10.42, when the corresponding figure last year was 10.45. Possible rise in the scores is expected mainly in the high ranking faculties of the 4th Field, such as the Management  and Technology departments, which is the flagship of the Field. However, the increase in the high schools will be small, about 100-150 points, which is linked to the significantly larger number of this year’s candidates: there were about 700 more candidates than in the 2023 Panhellenic Examinations.

– 1st Group Humanities Orientation Group. Slightly worse is this year’s scoring performance of candidates in Ancient Greek, with the average score being 10.62, compared to last year’s 10.83. Last year’s 10.07 average performance in History this year became 8.94, a decrease of 1.20, which is expected given the demanding subjects.

In Latin, the average performance recorded this year is 12.39 as compared to last year’s 12.51. The candidates’ performance in Modern Greek Language – Literature was improved, as this year’s average performance was 13.43, compared to 13.36 last year.

– 2nd Group of Orientation in Science Studies. The average performance in Mathematics was 12.16 this year, better than last year’s 11.18 and certainly against the negative predictions. In Physics, the average performance, 9.70, was considerably worse than last year’s 11.09.

Slightly lower was this year’s average score in Chemistry, at 12.49, while last year’s was 12.86. And finally, there was a subtle difference in Modern Greek Language – Literature: last year’s 14.05 became 14.06 this year.

– 3rd Group Health Studies Orientation Group. Much better average performance in Biology this year with 12.58 compared to last year’s average of 9.96. In Chemistry, it also appeared that candidates’ performance was better than last year – the average performance is 12.25 compared to 10.51 in 2023. This year’s average performance in Physics was lower at 8.64, compared to 10.76 last year. In Language there is almost no difference in the average performance: last year it was 14.24, this year it is 14.30.

As far as the top scorers in this particular Science Field are concerned, this year 1,691 people have scored above 18 in Chemistry, while almost 3,000 people have scored above 18 in Biology. Similarly, last year in Biology 2,000 candidates had exceeded 18, meaning that in the 2024 Panhellenic Examinations there were 1,000 more passers in Biology than last year. These are the ones who will hold back the drop in the scores because of Physics, where only 900 people scored above 18, while last year we had 1,800 – almost half of them.

– Group 4 Economics and Computer Science Orientation. This year’s average score in Mathematics was 6.84, compared to 7.28 last year. In Economics, the average performance was at last year’s level – this year it was 11.40 compared to 11.80 last year.

In IT, the picture was somewhat improved – 11.39 this year compared to 10.72 last year. But in Language, too, the situation remains the same in terms of average performance: 12.04 this year against 11.98 last year.

As a general prediction, it could be said that the gateway for candidates this year seems to open with a Minimum Admission Base of 8.33. This, being the lowest NAB will be the threshold for candidates of schools belonging to the 4th Orientation Group and having a factor of 0.8. The estimates are by Mr. Yannis Zampelis, mathematician, vocational guidance counsellor and director of studies at the Pukamisas Tutoring Centre in Ano Glyfada.

The secrets of the application form: The alternative schools for every orientation group

With grades in hand, candidates for a place at the universities are waiting for the admission bases and are now turning their attention to the correct completion of the application form. Even those who did not manage to gather the points to get into the school of their first – higher – choice can choose alternatives in order to find themselves in the same working universe. Smart school choices can bring a smile to the lips of those who were disappointed with their performance.

The matching several faculties of the University of West Attica (PADA), the Hellenic Mediterranean University (ELMEPA) or the International University with polytechnic schools, ensuring the possibility of obtaining equivalent degrees and registration in the TEI (thus offering the professional rights of engineers), makes these schools a strong alternative while their bases remain affordable. “As an indication, the admission bases at PADA for engineering schools last year ranged between 12,000 and 13,000 points – for example, those who entered the PADA School of Naval Architecture in 2023 with 12,500 points now acquire the same rights as those attending the Polytechnic,” says Panos Stavropoulos, career counsellor and founder of Your Career.

He points out that “these changes will definitely bring rearrangements in the application and registration. I have the feeling that candidates living in Athens, instead of declaring a Polytechnic in Patras with 17,500 credits and about 50,000 euros in living expenses over time, will prefer to stay in their city by applying to PADA, which is expected to see a surge in its admission criteria – at least from next year. At the same time, the polytechnics in the region will be decongested.”

The Candidates’ Mistakes

First of all, it is unnecessary to declare all the departments one is interested in. “Instead, it is preferable to group them into three broad categories: in the first one go the departments of real interest that will make the candidate happy. In the second group, the departments that include several relevant courses or offer prospects for the candidate to reach his goal through postgraduate studies. The third group usually includes the most under-ranked departments. This is the so-called ‘cushion’ and also concerns those who will retake the Panhellenic exams next year,” Stavropoulos notes.

A common mistake is not to give any weight to the completion of the application form because the candidate will retake the Panhellenic exams next year. “No one knows what might happen by then, nor are there any guarantees that he or she will do better next year. Besides, if a candidate fills out a “good” application this year, they may not have to resubmit next year,” the career counselor points out.

The good alternatives

By choosing from a range of alternative departments, those interested will not only not be deprived of what they prefer, but possibly through a postgraduate course of study they will come closer to their original goal.

– 1st Group For those who aim for Psychology and fail to get the grades, the next alternative is the Schools of Social Work. They teach Psychology while working in the same structures as psychologists. Note that they can be further trained as psychotherapists and work as Mental Health Counsellors. Alternatively, they can turn to the field of Special Education, as it involves many courses in Psychology.

– Those who do not be accepted in Law Schools may find the School of International European Studies, the School of Public Administration at Panteion or that of Political Science interesting. There are many law courses, and with a master’s degree one can work in the European Union, in large companies and in positions for which lawyers are recruited.

– For those who will not be accepted to the Schools of Communication and Media, the Schools of Digital Media in Kastoria or Argostoli are highly recommended. “They emphasise practical courses so that students learn how to “build” social media, create advertisements, TV and radio,” the career advisor tells us.

– If one loves foreign languages, apart from literature schools where languages are taken as a special subject, such as German or French, there are alternatives to Russian Literature or Turkish and Asian Studies, which do not require knowledge of the language as students learn them when they start their studies.

– 2nd Group If one is not admitted to the Mechanical Engineering at NTUA, one can apply to the Schools of Production and Management Engineering in Xanthi, Chania and Thessaloniki. “The courses are almost common, with a few management courses, registration at the TEI and common professional rights,” the expert underlines.

– Instead of Electrical Engineering, there is the “solution” of Computer Engineering departments. “This is where everything that has to do with hardware or telecommunications is located. There are many departments in Samos, Patras, Ioannina, Serres, as well as in PADA,” Stavropoulos stresses.

– For those targeting chemical engineers, the School of Materials Science Engineering in Ioannina is recommended because it already has recognised professional rights, unlike Patras and Heraklion, Crete. Other alternatives are the Schools of Environmental Engineering or Metallurgy.

– For those who don’t manage be accepted for Biology, strong alternatives are either the Department of Oceanography in Mytilene, or the Department of Ichthyology in Volos: many courses in Marine Biology and Biochemistry. As for the above mentioned, a lot of Biology and Chemistry are generally contained in the Agriculture departments or the Plant Production and Animal Production departments, while they have very low criteria.

– “If the Architecture goal is not met, there is Interior Architecture in Egaleo and Serres. Otherwise, there is the School of Design Engineering in Syros or Kozani. Landscape Architects can also study at the Agricultural University of Athens, provided they like Biology and Chemistry, because there are many courses related to them,” the expert says.

– In the 3rd Group the situation is peculiar, as in medical schools the alternatives are limited. However, it is advisable to bear in mind a basic distinction in the health professions: the more research-oriented and the more human-centred. “If one does not become a doctor, one can study to be a dietician, a physiotherapist or a dentist,” according to Stavropoulos.

– In the Group 4, the wide range of grades gives alternatives in itself, while the professional rights are the same. “Computer science departments reach 18,000 points, but start at 9,000 points. One only has to search for the field in which one wishes to be – digital systems; Internet of things? Telecommunications? Similarly, in Finance there are about 14 Business Administration departments and as many Finance departments, with bases ranging from low to high,” Stavropoulos concludes.