After the law 5094/13-3-2024 published on Government Gazette 39/A/13-3-2024 According to the State
Constitution of Greece, "education at university level must be provided exclusively by institutions which are fully self-governed public law legal bodies". This prohibits private companies from operating post-secondary education that provides studies at Level 6 and higher on the Greek Qualifications Framework. However, it does not prohibit colleges from collaborating in Greece with foreign universities to offer undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. The Panhellenic Association of Recognised Colleges (Greek: ) is the representative body for the Greece located recognised private colleges. All the private colleges located in Greece are
for-profit. Generally, any individual who wants to found a college in Greece must obtain a
Higher Education Accreditation by the National (Hellenic) Authority for Higher Education (HAHE) and a license by the Ministry of Education, but has no obligation to become a participatory member of HCA. The vast majority of colleges are offering programmes of study under franchise or validation agreements with universities established in other European Union countries, primarily in the UK, leading to degrees which are awarded directly by those universities. The monitoring of those agreements as well as of additional provisions for the operation of colleges is carried out by the Ministry of Education and confirmed by
Parliament by a 2008 law. Amendments were passed in 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2014. They are also monitored by the respective educational authorities of the countries of the partnered universities, for example
QAA and
NARIC for a British university. One example of a college which neither operating as a franchise nor was validated through arrangements in the UK was the
University of Indianapolis – Athens Campus, which ceased operations in July 2014. By contrast, this college was wholly owned and operated by its home campus, and is therefore accredited by the same agency which accredits the home campus. Consequently, students of the University of Indianapolis could switch between campuses at any time. Degrees, diplomas, certificates, and any other type of attestation awarded by universities in
European Union and
European Free Trade Association countries to students that have completed their studies in an accredited private college located in Greece, can be recognized as professionally equivalent "in terms of the professional (practice) rights only" (Greek: ) to higher education titles awarded in the formal Greek education system. Recognition of professional equivalence permits access to a specific economic activity that the title-holder can exercise on the same rules, rights, terms as holders of comparable titles of Greece HEIs education system. Recognition of legally-recognized professional degree rights in Greece can only be granted by the Independent Department of Implementation of European Legislation (ATEEN; ) of the Ministry of Education (Υ.ΠΑΙ.Θ.), as of the
2005 Directive of the
European Parliament and
Council, implemented domestically by a presidential decree in 2010. Higher Education qualifications obtained from abroad foreign countries are recognised by the Interdisciplinary Organisation of Recognition Academic Titles and Information (D.O.A.T.A.P.; Greek: ) supervised by the Ministry of Education (). The
Hellenic National Academic Recognition and Information Center (Hellenic NARIC) is the official international name of DOATAP. In most cases, it can obtain a "statement of comparability" of a qualification (certificate of qualification equivalency information), stating how it compares to the qualifications delivered in Greece. ==HAHE authority==