“The most important thing is that through our country’s uninterrupted presence at NAFSA over the past five years, we have now managed to establish ourselves as an international educational destination,” says Dr. Christos Michalakelis, president of Study in Greece, to protothema.gr, regarding Greece’s participation in the Annual Conference and Expo of NAFSA, which will be held in San Diego, California, from May 27 to 30, 2025.

This year’s participation, coordinated once again by Study in Greece and supported by the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sports and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, features a national delegation of ten public Greek universities, reaffirming Greece’s priority to internationalize its higher education system.

The participating institutions for Greece’s 2025 delegation include:

National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Athens University of Economics and Business University of Crete University of Patras International Hellenic University Hellenic Mediterranean University University of Thessaly Technical University of Crete Hellenic Open University Harokopio University

The delegation will be housed at booth #635 from May 27 to 30, under the coordination of Study in Greece, at the NAFSA Annual Conference & Expo, the world’s largest international education exhibition. Greece’s representatives aim to showcase the landscape of Greek higher education.

The NAFSA Annual Conference & Expo is the largest, most diverse, and most comprehensive global event in international education, attracting thousands of professionals from around the world — including university representatives and educational institutions. Greek universities will have the opportunity to promote their institutions, build new partnerships, and enhance their internationalization strategies.

Greece first participated in NAFSA in 2021 via Study in Greece. From 2024 onward, however, this participation became formally structured, with a coordinated presence of public universities, marking a new chapter in the outward-facing strategy of Greek higher education. Last year’s 2024 mission to New Orleans demonstrated Greece’s dynamism, preparedness, and collective will to emerge on the global academic map.

“The key difference this year is that Greece is again participating in the exhibition — but this time with ten different universities. Adding last year’s and this year’s participants, we reach around twenty institutions — essentially, the majority of Greek higher education institutions,” says Dr. Michalakelis to protothema.gr.

Though there are already individual collaborations between Greek and foreign universities, Study in Greece promotes the country’s academic presence in a unified and coordinated way.
“The establishment of the organization and the representation of universities by SiG, the national body for the internationalization of Greek universities, is particularly important. Greece’s presence abroad has been consistent and sustained — our country is being established as an international educational hub. The growing number of participating universities also shows that internationalization is becoming an integral part of our academic culture,” he emphasizes.

Through participation in NAFSA, the goal is to network with top institutions and develop international partnerships, primarily by showcasing the programs and services of Greek universities to educational organizations, universities abroad, and recruitment agents.

“The exchange of best practices in academic strategy is another benefit of this interaction,” Dr. Michalakelis adds, highlighting that “this strengthens the national effort to establish Greece as a global hub for education, research, and innovation — attracting students, academics, and collaborations from around the world.”

What Foreigners Ask About Greece

“Besides academic programs, foreigners usually ask about housing, safety, and scholarships. They’re often very surprised at how low tuition fees are in Greece. Some ask about unrest in the country, and we explain that these are isolated incidents…” concludes the president of Study in Greece.
NAFSA Participants

Study in Greece (SiG) is Greece’s national body for the internationalization of higher education and the promotion of Greek universities abroad. Its mission is to establish Greece as a popular destination for international students.

National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

Founded in 1837, this top-tier institution ranks 89th worldwide and 16th in Europe. It offers 41 undergraduate programs, 3 undergraduate programs in English (BA in Archaeology, History and Literature of Ancient Greece; Medical Program; Integrated Pharmacy MSc), and 245 postgraduate programs (35 in foreign languages). It supports a community of over 77,000 and includes 15 Centers of Excellence, 23 Research Institutes, 3 Hospitals, 297 Labs, 11 Libraries, and 17 thematic museums.

Programs in English include:

MA English Studies: Literature & Culture MA in English Language, Linguistics and Translation Latin American and Iberian Studies Identity, Education & Competences for Democratic Culture

Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB)

Greece’s top institution in business and economics, AUEB offers:

A personalized Study Abroad semester program in Athens for international students. International MBA and 8 English-language MSc programs in high-demand areas like Shipping, Finance, Economics, Data Science, Marketing, Business Analytics, and Digital Transformation. Some programs offer dual degrees. BSc in International Business & Technology (English-taught). PhD programs and collaborative research with top global institutions.

Harokopio University of Athens

Focused on health, technology, environment, and economy, Harokopio promotes sustainability and life quality. It runs a Green Policy since 2016 and offers 4 undergraduate and 9 postgraduate programs (3 international). One-third of students are at the postgraduate or doctoral level. It has strong national and international research collaborations.

Hellenic Mediterranean University

Based in Crete, with campuses in Heraklion, Chania, Rethymno, Agios Nikolaos, and Sitia. It offers programs in engineering, health sciences, management, agriculture, and music. The university participates in Erasmus+, with 153 agreements in Europe and 72 outside (e.g., USA, China, Israel). It is part of European MSc (Mundus) and University Alliances (ATHENA), offering COIL and Blended Intensive Programs and hosting research facilities in printed electronics, chips, and lasers.

Hellenic Open University

Greece’s only open and distance learning university, HOU comprises four schools: Science & Technology, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Applied Arts & Sustainable Design. It offers 67 master’s and 9 bachelor’s programs, 12 of which are in English, French, German, or Spanish. Currently, it has over 30,000 enrolled students.

International Hellenic University

The first and only public Greek university where all postgraduate programs are taught entirely in English. Based in Thessaloniki, with additional campuses in Serres, Katerini, and Kilkis. It comprises 8 schools and 25 departments, offering undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs. It operates a University Center for International Programs of Studies (UCIPS) in Thessaloniki, offering 26 specialized English-language master’s programs.

Technical University of Crete

Located in Chania, it offers undergraduate and postgraduate studies in modern engineering fields. It has five schools: Production & Management Engineering, Mineral Resources Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Chemical & Environmental Engineering, and Architecture. With over 7,000 students, it excels in energy, environment, and tech.
English-language MSc programs include:

MSc in Sustainable Engineering and Climate Change MSc in Machine Learning and Data Science (MLDS) MSc in Sustainable Technologies for Energy and Raw Materials

University of Crete

Operates two campuses: Gallos (Rethymno) for Humanities and Social Sciences, and Voutes (Heraklion) for Sciences and Medicine. It is supported by the University General Hospital, Eleutherna Museum, Natural History Museum of Crete, and the Museum of Medicine. Offers a 6-year Medical Program, 18 MA/MSc programs, and several summer schools.

University of Patras

With campuses in Patras, Agrinio, and Messolonghi, it is the 3rd largest university in Greece in terms of students, faculty, departments, and awarded degrees. The Patras University Hospital is adjacent to the university.

University of Thessaly

Comprising 8 schools and 35 departments across 5 cities (Volos, Larisa, Karditsa, Trikala, Lamia), it offers a broad range of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs, including 100+ MScs, 9 English-language MScs, and an English-language undergraduate Medical Program.