How your diploma will be recognized in Greece
In this article you can find information on how you can get your academic degree or diploma recognized in Greece. This applies for qualification which are the degree or diploma which certifies that the holder has successfully completed a higher education studies program. The recognition concerns degrees, postgraduate diplomas, and PhD diplomas.
In Europe there is no automatic EU-wide recognition of academic diplomas and this is the case for the recognition of qualifications by equivalent universities abroad, outside the countries of the European Union. You may therefore need to go through the national procedures to get your academic degree or diploma recognized in another EU country, if you seek admission to a further course of study there. If you already know that you will eventually want to pursue further studies in a different country, check before you start whether your diploma will be recognized there.
In Greece If you are a recognized refugee or beneficiary of subsidiary protection, you have to follow the same procedure as Greek nationals, related to recognition certificates or foreign diplomas. - If you are an asylum seeker, probably you will be able to have your diploma or certificate recognized, but maybe you will be asked to submit additional requirements. - If you cannot provide certificates or diplomas of your qualifications (degree, or diploma), the relevant Greek authorities should facilitate the process. However, the procedure for the asylum seekers is more complicated and thus it is common to take more time.
Conditions for the recognition of qualifications
The qualifications from foreign recognized educational institutes are recognized following the below criteria:
The duration of studies, the teaching and learning process and the terms of evaluation, advancement and graduation of students fulfill the requirements of universities and technological institutes of higher education in Greece. This does not apply for the "open university", "distance learning" and "external degrees".
The whole duration of studies has been attended in equal educational institutes and at least 1/2 of the program has been attended in the institute granting the qualification. The duration of the studies is calculated in academic years, semesters or credits, or a combination of those.
More specifically: Especially for the recognition of qualifications from abroad, acquired after a three-year period of studying, when the respective programmes domestically provide for four or five-year periods of studies and successfully examined in the principal subjects of the equivalent domestic studies programme.
The higher education institutions must accept , within the two following exam periods a number of candidates (referred by the Center for examination in additional subjects) equal to 10% of the enrolled students in the respective Departments on the current academic year.
The Center, in cooperation with universities and technological institutes of higher education, executes special written examinations for the evaluation of the required additional subjects and the examination of the knowledge acquired, when it deems it necessary. The exams may be executed by multiple choice questions and the grading of candidates'' essays may be executed electronically. The subject-matter under examination is defined a priori, is valid for one year, is publicly announced and is of a similar scientific level as the exams organized by the domestic higher education institutions for the acquisition of the respective degree. After the announcement of the results, the candidates exa mined have the right to request that their paper be shown to them by the Center''s competent bodies and its review, if there is an error or omission in the initial grading.
The postgraduate and phd qualifications are only recognized as equivalent.
Additionally, there is a project (European Qualifications passport for refugees) that maybe will help you to recognize your diplomas. It is supported by the Council of Europe. Find more here
Below you can find some useful information about the institutions that facilitate the recognition procedure.