The first international branch campuses set up in Greece since a change in the law are set to welcome students within weeks, with UK institutions eyeing ¡°significant reputational benefits¡± from their expansion into southern Europe.

Four universities have received government approval for campuses since Greece passed new legislation enabling international universities to open fee-charging branches?with non-profit status in the country last year.

The law, which passed despite significant student protests and opposition during parliamentary debates, also permits private institutions to issue degrees equivalent to those from public universities.

Three UK institutions are included in the first tranche: Keele University,?the University of York?and the Open University. The Greek Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports has also approved plans put forward by the University of Nicosia, a private institution based in Cyprus.

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Earlier this year,?Sorbonne Paris Nord University announced plans?to transform an existing partnership with the private college, Institution d¡¯?tudes Francophones (IdEF), into a private branch campus. This application, however, appears to have been rejected by the ministry.

Speaking to?51³Ô¹Ï, Mark Ormerod, the deputy vice-chancellor and provost at Keele, said the first students will be admitted to Keele¡¯s Athens branch campus in the coming weeks, using a building refurbished for this purpose. The campus will be opened in collaboration with the local Metropolitan College.

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Undergraduate programmes in law, English language and literature, forensic science with policing, psychology with neuroscience and bioengineering will be offered in the 2025-26 academic year, while postgraduate programmes in medical ethics and public health will launch in 2026-27.

The branch ¡°will offer high-quality degrees and a high-quality student experience, and will increase opportunities for students in Greece and also further afield in southeastern Europe¡±, Ormerod said.

¡°There is a significant reputational benefit for Keele in being one of only three UK universities, and only four in total, that have been awarded this [approval to open a branch campus],¡± he told?THE. ¡°In terms of raising Keele¡¯s brand and profile in Europe as well as the UK, it¡¯s very positive.¡±

York, meanwhile, will operate its Europe Campus in Thessaloniki, expanding an existing partnership with the local CITY College. ¡°By locating in Thessaloniki, we have a vital gateway into the European Union but also a base that sits in an important strategic location in a region with rich cultural history and human capacity,¡± said Tracy Lightfoot, York¡¯s pro vice-chancellor for teaching, learning and students.

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Initial offerings in 2025-26 will include undergraduate programmes in computer science, law, business, psychology and English language, linguistics and literature, while postgraduate degrees, as well as programmes at a second Athens site, will launch in the next academic year.

¡°Our goal is to expand access to high-quality British higher education and give study opportunities to students from Greece without the need for them to move abroad,¡± Lightfoot said.

The degrees offered ¡°will support individual, national, and regional development, building human capacity and supporting economic development¡±, she said. ¡°We¡¯re confident that our programmes will be of significant interest to students from around the world.¡±

Keele, Ormerod said, ¡°has a strong internationalisation agenda that we¡¯ve really ramped up in the last three years, with a particular focus on larger, high-quality partnerships¡±. The new branch, he added, ¡°adds to the financial sustainability of the university, because there will be a financial return¡±.

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The campus received a ¡°high level of interest¡± from potential faculty, said the deputy vice-chancellor. ¡°This change in legislation is driving a return to Greece of some high-quality academic staff who were working across Europe and the US.¡±

emily.dixon@timeshighereducation.com