On Friday, February 14, 2025, the first application for a license to operate a non-state, non-profit university as a branch of Sorbonne Paris Nord, part of Sorbonne University, will be submitted.

“We are ready to receive and evaluate the first applications. We hope they meet legal requirements and comply with the standards of the Hellenic Authority for Higher Education (HAHE) so that the process can proceed smoothly. I remind you that all study programs must be accredited before they start operating, and the time frame is tight,” stated Professor Periklis Mitkas, President of the National Authority for Higher Education, in an interview with protothema.gr. With this, the Pierakakis law on foreign university branches in Greece officially comes into effect.

More specifically, the application will be submitted for the licensing of a branch under the name “French University of Greece.” The parent institution submitting the application, Sorbonne Paris Nord, is one of the thirteen universities operating under the umbrella of the University of Paris. It already collaborates with a college in Greece and ranks 43rd among French universities.

For the application submission, Professor Olivier Oudar, Vice President of Sorbonne Paris Nord, and Professor Anne Fauchon, Dean of the Faculty of Political and Social Studies, will travel to Greece. They will be accompanied by Nicolas Eybalin, Cultural Attaché of the French Embassy and Director of the French Institute of Greece.

According to sources, the University of Nicosia and the European University of Cyprus are also expected to submit applications for establishing branches in Athens soon.

The process for submitting applications for the establishment and operation of non-state, non-profit university branches began on January 2, 2025, and will close 40 days before the appeals hearing at the Council of State on March 1, 2025. By the end of spring, according to Minister of Education Kyriakos Pierrakakis, it will be announced which non-state universities will start operating in September 2025, following the evaluation of submitted applications. He has estimated that applications are expected from top international universities.

The Profile of Sorbonne Paris Nord

Sorbonne Paris Nord operates under the umbrella of the University of Paris, also known as “Sorbonne University.” Historically, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord—formerly Paris 13 University—is one of the 13 universities created following the reorganization of the old Sorbonne University after 1968. Today, it has 24,000 students spread across five campuses.

It is among France’s leading academic and research institutions, offering multidisciplinary studies and facilities across five campuses: Villetaneuse, Bobigny, Saint-Denis, La Plaine Saint-Denis, and Argenteuil, where 24,000 students are currently enrolled. Notably, its Medical School includes a University Hospital.

Université Sorbonne Paris Nord is a founding member of Campus Condorcet, one of the world’s prominent research centers in humanities and social sciences, and is also part of the Sorbonne Paris-Cité university alliance with Université Paris-Cité.

(Website: www.univ-spn.fr)

Rankings

The University Sorbonne Paris Nord is ranked #43 in France among 274 French universities, based on 19 different rankings.
Additionally, according to the latest ranking updates for University Sorbonne Paris Nord:
– November 2024: GRAS Global Ranking of Academic Subjects – ShanghaiRanking (Business Administration) – Ranked #201.
– September 2024: NTU Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers – Ranked #851.
– September 2024: NTU Rankings by Subject (Economics & Business) – Ranked #401.
– July 2024: URAP University Ranking by Academic Performance – By Field (Business) – Ranked #1424.

Overall, University Sorbonne Paris Nord is featured in the QS World University Rankings, US News: Best Global Universities, QS World University Rankings: Europe, CWTS Leiden Ranking, Scimago Institutions Rankings, CWUR Center for World University Rankings, among others.

The highest ranking received by University Sorbonne Paris Nord was #341 across 108 international rankings.

Timeline and Operational Framework of Non-State Universities

Starting in the academic year 2025-26, Non-State Non-Profit Universities will be established under one of the strictest founding criteria in Europe by law. These institutions will provide full academic and professional rights.

According to the law, a prerequisite for licensing is that non-state universities must conduct research and comply with building infrastructure, libraries, necessary equipment, and laboratories based on the specialties they offer.

For the operating license to be issued, an application must be submitted by the parent institution, which must receive approval from the National Authority for Higher Education (ΕΘΑΑΕ) and a positive opinion from the National Organization for the Certification of Qualifications & Vocational Guidance (ΕΟΠΠΕΠ) within 120 days (Article 135).

Regarding the granting and maintenance of the operating license, the following criteria must be met:
– Each University Legal Entity (ΝΠΠΕ) must have at least three Schools, each offering at least one undergraduate program.
– Exceptionally, if the parent institution ranks among the top 20 in a recognized global university ranking, the ΝΠΠΕ may consist of only one School with at least one undergraduate program.
– Each ΝΠΠΕ must be evaluated and accredited by the parent institution for the programs it offers.
– Each ΝΠΠΕ must offer at least one certified undergraduate program per School, certified by ΕΘΑΑΕ.
– Each ΝΠΠΕ must employ academic, administrative, and technical staff, ensuring secretarial organization, planning, facility integrity, and hygiene standards.
– Each ΝΠΠΕ must have appropriate infrastructure and technical equipment. Specifically, facilities must be sufficient for students’ teaching and study needs and comply with Construction and Building Regulations and Fire Safety Regulations.

The institution must be self-contained, featuring a fully functional library, research and laboratory spaces (approved by ΕΘΑΑΕ), audiovisual equipment, and a multimedia room with internet access. The ΝΠΠΕ may have secondary non-autonomous buildings only within the same regional unit as its headquarters, but may also have independent buildings in another city outside its regional unit.

Additional Required Documents

All of the above must, of course, be accompanied by the necessary supporting documents, including:
– The statute of each University Legal Entity (ΝΠΠΕ).
– A bank guarantee letter from a recognized bank established in Greece for €500,000 per school.
– A fee of at least €500,000 per application.
– Floor plans of all facilities, specifying their designated use and accessibility provisions for people with disabilities.
– Comprehensive details on the criteria for selection, admission, evaluation, and graduation applied by the ΝΠΠΕ.

Supreme Administrative Court Hearing in April

The law concerning the licensing and operation of Non-State Non-Profit Universities (ΝΠΠΕ) is set to be discussed in the Plenary Session of the Council of State on April 11.

It is noted that legal challenges have been filed by:
– POSDEP (Panhellenic Federation of University Teachers’ Associations) and seven academics.
– Former SYRIZA minister Giorgos Katrougalos.