Kathimerini Greece Newsroom
The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki’s School of Medicine opened its doors on Monday to 60 foreign students who have signed up for its newly fledged English-language undergraduate program.
Describing the course in comments to Kathimerini, Aristotle’s rector, Nikos Papaioannou, said it is “entirely based on the core of the Medical School’s recently redesigned undergraduate program and on the experience of the department’s 78 years of uninterrupted operation.”
Like any new endeavor, the program was enthusiastically received in September 2020, though we had some reservations about whether it would take hold.
Papaioannou added that 1,200 students from different parts of the world expressed interest in the program, 176 sent in the necessary documents and 131 were interviewed for the 60 spots. The majority of the new enrollees, 31, are from Cyprus, along with nine from the United Kingdom, seven from Germany, five from the United States and one each from Australia, China, France, India, the Netherlands, Sweden, Turkey and Vietnam.
In the meantime, the ΒΑ Program in the Archaeology, History, and Literature of Ancient Greece at the University of Athens’ School of Philosophy embarked on its second year on Monday, with 20 students from nine countries.
“Like any new endeavor, the program was enthusiastically received in September 2020, though we had some reservations about whether it would take hold. From what came next, it is clear that it has both a future and a solid foundation,” said the head of its administrative committee, Eleni Karamolengou.
The UoA program was the first of its kind in Greece, which introduced the framework for fully accredited foreign-language degrees at its public universities in 2019.
According to a recent report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, just 3% of university students in Greece are from abroad, putting the country in last place, behind Lithuania, Columbia, Mexico and Poland. The list is topped by Switzerland, where 65% of the student body comprises international students.
