Greek students are three times as likely to undertake post-secondary education as their European counterparts, according to European Commission study.

The study undertaken by the Eurydice Network, the EC’s executive agency for education, found the number of 18-year-olds entering higher education in Greece increased by 25 percent between 1998 and 2006.

The increase is exactly three times the 25 percent average increase in the 27-member EU.

Experts believe the increase in college entries in Greece is partly due to the creation of many new university faculties.

Another trend highlighted by the report is the significant proportion of Greek secondary students who pursue higher education abroad, some 5.5 percent to be precise.

The figure is nearly double the EU average of 2.6 percent and the highest in Western Europe.

But the wave of Greek youngsters travelling abroad to study has ebbed slightly over the past few years. In 2002, 8.6 percent of Greek high school graduates who chose to continue their studies did so abroad.

In 2003, this figure dropped to 7.9 percent and by 2006, it had reached 5.5 percent.

It is believed that the decision by many Greek students to stay at home in recent years has been partly influenced by the creation of private colleges in Greece that operate as franchises of foreign universities.