The second phase of the law on the expulsion of inactive students from Greek public universities will be implemented at the end of 2025. As Education Minister Sophia Zacharaki clarified, speaking to APPE-MPE, 35,000 students took advantage of the “second chance” given by the institutional framework passed last summer, while about 280,000 inactive students will be deleted.

“I fully understand that any change on such a sensitive issue raises concerns. But I want to be clear: we are not talking about punitive policies, nor about “cleansing” students, but about a modern, fair and functional framework that puts order without depriving opportunities,”

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The minister expressed the view that the status of inactive students for decades “did injustice to everyone: the institutions that could not plan, the active students who were struggling and, most importantly, our young people themselves, who were left stranded, without any real connection to their studies.”

Zacharaki noted that the legislative intervention that was made proved “necessary”, while stressing that the new framework “is not rigid”. “It explicitly provides for exceptions and flexibility for those who work, for those who have health problems or serious family and social obligations. We are not treating everyone the same, but everyone fairly. Some 280,000 inactive students will be de-registered in the coming period, and for serious social reasons, the necessary extension will be granted. At the same time, 35,000 of our students took advantage of the ‘second chance’ we introduced, and that says a lot about how necessary this intervention was,” he said.

Zacharaki pointed out that student status “is not valid for life in any modern European university” and added that the aim is for degrees to be of value and “to reflect effort, skills and passion”.

“Our goal is a public university that is modern, outward-looking and inclusive. A university that supports the student, builds their future and does not leave them indefinitely on the sidelines. We do not close doors, but we open doors to studies with perspective, credibility and institutional consistency,” the minister concluded.

The legislative framework and the numbers

December 31, 2025 is the date on which those who have exceeded the maximum duration of study will automatically be de-registered, according to the current framework.

The new institutional framework for the maximum duration of study and the possibilities of completing studies at universities, as passed last summer, stipulates that students who have completed 70% of the courses or credits and have taken examinations at least twice in the last two years were entitled to complete studies within two additional semesters, upon application, within 30 days of the release of the grades for the September examination period in which the maximum duration of study is completed

Those who did not initiate the extension of study process will be automatically withdrawn at the end of the calendar year.

Persons with a disability of more than 50% are excluded from the deletion, while the maximum duration of study is exceptionally exceeded for serious health reasons.

It is noted that the regulation does not affect active students, nor those who are within the legal time frame of studies (4+2 or 5+3 years).

In addition, the provision for part-time attendance applies to parents of children up to 8 years of age, employees (more than 20 hours of work per week proven), and champions and athletes with intensive schedules.

According to the latest report of the National Authority for Higher Education (NAHE), published last June, the total number of active HE students in the 2023-24 academic year was 352,099. At the same time, registered students totalled 703,857, implying that non-active students.