Greece revises private university accreditation after court invalidates licenses

Greece's National Authority for Higher Education (ETHAAE) has initiated a review of its accreditation criteria for study programs at three private universities. This action comes after a Supreme Administrative Court ruling invalidated the operating licenses and academic programs of these institutions, which had been approved last year and were set to begin in the 2025-2026 academic year.

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The Supreme Council of ETHAAE fully understands the disruption and concern caused to students and their families, as well as the significant time pressure under which the Authority is called to act, in order to restore legal certainty and normality to the study programs of the aforementioned institutions as soon as possible.

ETHAAE, responsible for evaluating applications and certifying study programs for non-state higher education institutions, stated its full respect for the court's decisions. In a recent announcement, the authority pledged to cooperate with the Ministry of Education to restore legal certainty for the affected programs. ETHAAE acknowledged the disruption and concern caused to students and their families, recognizing the time pressure to resolve the situation.

The authority is working to further specify its accreditation criteria to fully meet legislative requirements while aligning with European practices. ETHAAE will collaborate closely with the Ministry of Education and the academic community to ensure the revised framework guarantees both legal security and the quality of higher education provided in Greece. The current accreditation standards, adapted from European ESG guidelines, have been in use since 2018 for all Greek universities, ensuring international recognition of degrees.

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With full awareness of this responsibility, the Supreme Council and the Evaluation and Certification Council of ETHAAE have already initiated compliance actions with the decisions of the Council of State, including further specification of the accreditation criteria, so as to fully cover the legislator's requirements, without simultaneously compromising substantial alignment with European practice.

Meanwhile, Panos Lazaratos, a professor of Administrative Law at the University of Athens who filed the initial lawsuits, has also submitted applications for the annulment of seven newly granted licenses for private universities. Lazaratos argues that these new institutions should be evaluated based on the revised criteria that ETHAAE will establish following the Supreme Administrative Court's decision.

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The current accreditation standard for undergraduate study programs is an adaptation of the (European) ESG to the Greek legal order and academic reality and has been applied since 2018 to universities throughout the country, ensuring the international recognition and comparability of Greek study titles.