Studying in Greece

What a year costs

Tuition. Greek-language programmes at public universities are free. English-taught programmes charge fees. Study in Greece, the official portal of Greek public universities, states that English-taught programme fees range from €5,000 to €15,000 a year. The European Commission's Study in Europe profile gives €5,000-€15,000 a year for bachelor's and €3,000-€7,000 a year for master's for non-EU students.

Medicine sits at the top of that range. The English-taught medicine programme at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (MEDiCEN) charges €17,000 a year for 2026-2027, EU and non-EU alike, with a non-refundable €5,000 deposit to secure your place, deducted from the total.

Living costs. Study in Europe estimates €700-€1,200 a month for housing, food, transport and personal costs. Athens sits at the upper end of that range; Thessaloniki, Patras, Heraklion and smaller university towns sit lower. Rent is the variable, and flats near the universities are most contested in August and September, just as you arrive.

Budget on top for health insurance, the visa and residence permit fees, certified Greek translations of your documents (every official submission needs them), and a deposit of usually one or two months' rent.

The visa

Greece uses a two-step system: a national D visa for studies from a Greek consulate, then a residence permit for studies that you apply for in Greece.

The D visa. The fee is €90, plus a €30 service fee where you apply through Global Visa Center, which handles applications for Greek consulates in several countries including India and the UK. You need your university's registration or acceptance confirmation, proof of funds, a criminal record certificate, a medical certificate, and travel medical insurance covering at least the length of the visa. Processing time is at the consulate's discretion; no standard figure is published.

The money: at least €400 a month for the period of your studies, shown as a deposit, a bank transfer, a scholarship or salary. If the funds are not in your own name, consulates ask for your parents' bank statements and tax returns. Against Study in Europe's own estimate of €700-€1,200 a month, €400 covers well under half of a real budget.

The residence permit. The University of Athens' international student office tells non-EU students to apply for a residence permit for studies within 90 days of arrival, through the online platform of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum. Law firms quote the government fee as €150; we could not find it on an official English-language page, so confirm it on the ministry platform before you pay. Under Law 5275/2026 the permit is now issued for the full length of your programme rather than year by year, and your institution must confirm your progress every two years and notify the authorities within two months if you stop studying.

Working while you study

Law 5275/2026 lets student permit holders work part-time up to 20 hours a week, up from a previous limit reported as 15 hours. This figure comes from the Zepos & Yannopoulos and Bernitsas law firm briefings on the new law; at the time of checking, no ministry page in English stated it. Treat it as current law, but confirm with your university's international office before you sign a contract.

Realistically, part-time work in Greece is concentrated in tourism and hospitality, pays close to the minimum wage and mostly needs Greek. Do not plan your budget around it.

After you graduate

Graduates can apply for a 12-month residence permit to look for work or set up a business (Article 119, Law 5038/2023; the new law labels it type H.11). The conditions reported by Greek immigration lawyers:

• You hold a student (or researcher) residence permit and have completed a higher education degree in Greece
• You have health insurance and sufficient resources
• You apply at least 30 days before your student permit expires
• After at least three months, the authorities may ask you to show a real prospect of employment or of starting a business

Once you find work, you switch to a highly qualified (E.1), dependent employment or special purpose permit without the usual labour market test.

Language

Greece has a small number of English-taught undergraduate degrees: the Study in Greece bachelor's page lists around twenty, including medicine at Athens, Thessaloniki, Crete, Patras and Thessaly, law and engineering at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and business at the Athens University of Economics and Business. English-taught master's programmes are more numerous. English requirements are set by each programme: check the programme page.

Greek-language degrees are free but require Greek, and entry for foreign nationals runs through a ministry procedure with its own document rules.

Outside the classroom, you will need Greek. Residence permit correspondence, tenancy agreements, tax registration and most part-time jobs run in Greek, and all supporting documents must be officially translated into Greek. Start learning before you arrive.

When to apply

There are two separate routes, with different calendars:

• English-taught programmes run their own admissions through the programme or the Study in Greece application portal. Deadlines vary by programme; many close in spring or early summer for a September or October start.
• Greek-language bachelor's degrees for foreign nationals of non-Greek origin go through the Ministry of Education. For 2026-2027 the electronic application window was 2 July to 9 July 2026, after which the system locks. Before that you need apostilled documents, Ministry of Foreign Affairs approval, Greek translations and certification at the Greek embassy in your country. Results typically come out in late August.

Work back from the visa: allow two to three months for the D visa appointment and decision, and gather apostilles and translations early because they take the longest.

What to watch out for

The official English information is thin and sometimes out of date. Several university and consulate guides still circulate a 2015 version of the visa rules. Law 5275/2026 changed permit length, work hours and the post-study route from February 2026. Check the date on anything you rely on, and ask your university's international office which version it is working from.

Translation and apostille costs add up. Every certificate, diploma and bank document you submit to Greek authorities must be officially translated into Greek, and many need an apostille first. Budget for this and start early.

Apply for the residence permit promptly. The D visa is not your permit. Missing the application window after arrival leaves you without lawful status once the visa expires.

Housing in September. Competition for flats peaks when the academic year starts. Arrange at least temporary accommodation before you fly, and never pay a deposit for a flat you have not seen or had verified.

Budget beyond the €400 floor. The visa threshold is far below what a year actually costs. Students who arrive with the minimum and expect a part-time job to close the gap usually find the jobs need Greek and pay little.

Where these numbers come from

Rules change, sometimes at short notice. Every figure above carries the date we checked it. Check the official source before you rely on it, and note that the residence permit fee and the 20-hour work limit were not published on an official English-language government page when we checked.