YOUR SCHOLARSHIP IN EUROPE

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Your Scholarship in Europe 2008-2009
Greece
BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT GREECE
Greece is situated on the southern tip of the Balkan Peninsula in south-eastern Europe. Its territory
also includes several hundred islands in the Ionian and Aegean Seas. Around 20% of the
total land area is comprised of islands, the largest of which are Corfu, Crete, Euboea, Kefallonia,
Khios, Lesbos, Limnos, Naxos, Rhodes and Samos. Mountains and hills dominate the landscape
and account for nearly 80% of the total land area. The capital of the country is Athens. Greece has
a population of 10.7 million. The principal ethnic majority are Greeks who account for 96% of the
population. The offi cial language is Greek with 98% of the population speaking it, although English
and French are also widely understood.
THE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM
Greece has 18 university institutions (AEI) and 14 institutions of technological education
(TEI). Like universities, Technological Educational Institutions (TEI) form part of the higher
education system, but they do not belong to the university sector. There are also Military
Academies. Diplomas awarded by certain private higher education institutions are not recognized
by the State.
University level fi rst stage: Proptychiakes Spoudes (undergraduate level studies)
Undergraduate degree programmes at universities normally last four years (eight semesters)
and lead to a Ptychio in the relevant fi eld.
University level second stage: Metaptychiakon Spoudes (postgraduate studies)
The fi rst level of post-graduate studies lasts a minimum of four semesters and leads to a
Metaptychiako Díploma Exidíkefsis (Postgraduate Diploma of Specialization). This study
programme may be taken and completed in a university or research institute outside
Greece. The degree, however, is awarded in Greece.
University level third stage: Didaktorikes Metaptychiakes Spoudes (doctoral studies)
The Doctoral degree (Didaktoriko) is conferred after public defense of a thesis. The research
must be original and show advances in research and science. A doctoral thesis requires at least
three years' study from the time the student enrolled in the doctoral study course.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Greece offers Russian students three types of scholarship.