The Greek school system

Education in Greece is public and free at every level, university included, as Article 16 of the Constitution provides. Textbooks are supplied free by the state. After the colonels' dictatorship the system was reformed several times; in 1976 spoken Modern Greek (dimotiki) replaced the formal katharevousa in schools.

The school path

Compulsory education lasts 11 years, from 4 to 15: two years of kindergarten have been compulsory since 2018-2021. Foreign languages start early: English is taught from primary school, and a second language, usually French or German, is added at gymnasium.

The Panhellenic exams

At the end of lyceum, students who want to go to university sit the Panelladikes exetaseis, identical national written exams held in June. The score, combined with the student's preferences, decides which faculty and city they are admitted to. Medicine, law and engineering in the big cities require very high scores. The exams are a time of great stress for families, and the papers are published and discussed in the press.

Frontistiria

To prepare, most students attend frontistiria, private cram schools, in the afternoon, or take private lessons. Greek families spend large sums every year on this tutoring, often criticised for widening inequality.

Universities

Greek universities are public. The oldest and largest are the University of Athens (founded 1837), the National Technical University of Athens (Metsovio) and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the country's largest. In 2019 the technological institutes (TEI) were merged into the universities. A 2024 law allowed non-profit branches of foreign universities to open in Greece, a reform strongly contested by students and academics because the Constitution reserves higher education to the state.

See studying in Greece.