The Education Ministry in Greece gave thumbs up for the operation of about 33 new private colleges in major Greek cities, including Athens, Thessaloniki, Larissa and Herakleion.
In autumn, Greece will fall in line with an European Union (EU) directive and grant professional accreditation to graduates of private colleges that cooperate with EU universities. Academics and university students expressed their objections.
Of the 39 colleges licensed to operate, five have contracts with American universities and eight do not cooperate with any foreign university.
This means that the diplomas issued from the colleges will not grant professional accreditation to their graduates, since they are not covered by the EU directive.