France’s Sorbonne Paris Nord University is poised to become the first foreign institution to open a private university in Greece under a new law.
The university submitted its application to Greece’s Ministry of Education on Friday, seeking approval to establish the “French University of Greece—International Campus Sorbonne Paris Nord.”
The university is a public university based in Paris, and one of the thirteen universities that succeeded the University of Paris in 1968. It is a multidisciplinary university located in the north of the French capital, in the municipalities of Villetaneuse, Saint-Denis, La Plaine Saint-Denis, Bobigny and Argenteuil.
Successively named “Université Paris XIII”, “Université Paris-Nord”, “Université Paris 13 Paris Nord”, then “Université Paris 13”, it has been known by several names during the last half-century. Most recently it was renamed “Université Sorbonne Paris Nord” on January 1, 2020.
Greek Education Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis called the development a “milestone” for the country’s higher education reform.
The move comes just months after Greece passed a law allowing non-state, non-profit universities to operate in the country.
At the time, PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that the new law created “a framework so that non-state, non-profit institutions can finally operate in our country. The new provisions thus acquire a catalytically modernizing and European dimension.”
He added that it would offer young Greeks more opportunities to stay in their country to study instead of moving abroad, and it would put Greece on the international educational map.
Although private higher education is already legal in Greece, the new law made degrees from vetted private institutions equivalent to public universities. Overseas universities will be allowed to open branches in Greece using a nonprofit status despite charging tuition fees.
A delegation from Sorbonne Paris Nord, including Vice President Olivier Oudar, Professor Anne Fauchon and Dr. Stylianos Amargianakis, president of the French College of Greece, formally presented the application.
Sorbonne Paris Nord University opening in Greece changes the academic landscape
If approved, the institution will operate independently, without ties to any Greek educational body, and will mark a significant shift in Greece’s academic landscape.
The institution presented a five-year business plan for the establishment of a private, not-for-profit university which reportedly foresees a direct investment of 10 million euros in two phases and initially includes three faculties—Law, Economics/Public Administration and Physical Education—with the prospect of increasing them to six within five years. The degrees will be recognized in Greece as degrees of the Sorbonne Paris Nord.
The university has been active in Greece since 1995 through the non-profit French College of Greece-Institution d’Etudes Francophones, offering law and physical education studies.
Sorbonne Paris Nord, a public university and one of 13 institutions that succeeded the historic Sorbonne University after 1968, is a major research and education hub in northern Paris.
The Sorbonne Paris Nord application is expected to be the first of many, with up to 10 additional foreign institutions reportedly preparing to apply by the end of February.
To gain approval to operate in Greece, a non-state university must meet several criteria:
- It must already offer recognized higher education programs and award degrees in its home country.
- The parent institution must be officially accredited and included in Greece’s national register of recognized foreign higher education institutions (DOATAP).
- The Greek branch must include at least three schools, each offering at least one accredited undergraduate program.
- It must have sufficient faculty, administrative and technical staff to support operations.
The institution must have adequate infrastructure, including independent premises, a functional library, research facilities and multimedia-equipped spaces.
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