New Regulation for 'Eternal' Students: What the Ministry of Education Provides

Approximately 290,000 inactive students are expected to be removed from the registers in September, according to a new regulation by the Ministry of Education. The regulation provides a last chance for students who have exceeded the maximum study period.

Those who have completed 70% of the courses or credit units and have participated in exams at least twice in the last two years can complete their studies within two additional semesters, upon application.

Exempt from deletion are people with disabilities over 50% and those with serious health reasons. Partial attendance is also provided for parents of children up to 8 years old, employees (over 20 hours per week) and athletes with an intensive program.

The Minister of Education, Sofia Zacharaki, stated that this regulation gives students a realistic opportunity to turn their accumulated educational capital into a degree.

The Maximum Study Duration was established by Law 4957/2022, while regulatory efforts had been made in the past with the Yannakou and Diamantopoulou laws.