About 290,000 “eternal” students are expected to be removed from the student rolls, while about 35.000 will have one last chance to complete their studies, Education Minister Sofia Zacharaki said.

The last chance will be given to students who have passed 75 percent of their courses or credits and have taken exams at least twice in the last two years, Zacharaki told ERTnews. These students “will be entitled to complete their studies in two more semesters,” she noted. Critical to maintaining student status is attendance at examinations.

The regulation, according to Zacharaki, improves the already existing legal framework, reflecting the Prime Minister’s will to give “one last chance to people who are very close to graduating”. At the same time, it retains a social character, as students with a disability of more than 50%, parents of children up to 8 years old, employees working more than 20 hours a week and athletes with a demanding schedule will not be written off.

“Necessary step” deletions

According to the minister, deletions are not just an administrative measure, but a necessary step for the evaluation and internationalization of Greek universities. She said, “the profile of each institution is affected when inactive students are included in the lists, as the student-faculty ratio and the image of the institutions are distorted.”

“Imagine a department that has 100 active students but appears with 150 enrolled. This image does not help either in evaluating the work or in finding partnerships with other universities,” he noted.

Who are exempt

Zacharaki clarified that students who still have room to study (e.g. “4+2” years for four-year programs) are not affected by the regulation. The same applies to those who have recently started their studies.

Regarding the definition of “perpetual student”, he clarified that it does not apply to those who have simply exceeded the standard period of study, but to those who have also exceeded the permitted delay limit (e.g. 4+2 or 5+2 years), without active participation in the university programme.

As an indication, just from the major universities, such as the NKUA and the OPA, it is estimated that there are over 10,000 students per year of enrolment who have not completed their studies, with some enrolments dating back to 1930 or 1931.

Computerisation, housing and halls of residence

The minister reminded that as of today the platform for filling out the Metographics, inviting prospective students to choose based on interests, family financial means and geographical proximity.

Referring to student housing, Ms. Zacharaki admitted that there are major shortages, especially in tourist areas such as Corfu, Corfu, Chania and Rethymno, while she spoke of a continuous effort to strengthen the housing allowance. “The student allowance reaches up to 2,500 euros when there is cohabitation in the region,” he said.

At the same time, he referred to the programmes for energy upgrading and the creation of new student halls of residence, through the Social Climate Fund and SDI, which are expected to add about 10,000 new beds to the region’s universities, with a five-year implementation horizon.

No change to the national exams by 2029

Referring to the future of the Panhellenic examinations, Zacharaki said that students currently attending high school will not be affected by possible changes to the admission system. She said that the debate on the National Baccalaureate concerns the 2029-2030 school year and is part of a broader bipartisan discussion that will be launched by the Parliament.

“It’s positive to have ideas, but it’s not about students who are currently in the first, second or third grade,” he clarified.