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RECOGNITION

The recognition offered by academic qualifications is a multidimensional issue, which includes recognition by the labor market, recognition for employment in the Public Sector, recognition for professional rights. It also includes recognition in the European Union or in other countries, both in terms of job search, as well as academic rights and continuing studies.

The Bachelor and Master degrees of graduates of Athens International College, issued by universities abroad, have full equivalence of degrees with the corresponding degrees of Greek Universities.

RECOGNITION

The recognition of academic qualifications is IMMEDIATE and is carried out by ATEEN (Autonomous Department for the Implementation of European Legislation) at the Ministry of Education.

Athens International College graduates, unlike in other cases, are not required to take written exams in any subject or any other test. This is because the curricula of the collaborating universities do not have substantial differences in subjects or subject matter, nor are there missing years of study and credits with the corresponding programs of our country's universities (four-year studies, as provided for by law 4093/12).

Law 4635/2019, articles 168-170, published in the Official Gazette 167 Issue A on 30/10/19, regulates issues of recognition of the professional equivalence of the degrees of college graduates and confirms the recognition of the professional qualifications of holders of degrees, which are awarded by foreign universities, both Bachelor (at least 3 years of study), and Master. According to the aforementioned law, holders of the degrees of graduates of Athens International College are professionally assimilated to graduates of Greek universities.

THE BENEFITS

The recognition of professional equivalence of a formal higher education qualification from a member state of the European Union or a third country, with that awarded within the framework of the educational system in Greece, provides the beneficiary with the opportunity

- to gain access in Greece and to exercise a specific economic activity as an employee or self-employed person under the same conditions and terms as holders of comparable qualifications in the domestic educational system

- to apply for positions as a graduate of a Higher School in the Public Sector (ASEP University Education competitions)

- to be awarded points in the Public Sector

- to apply for a relevant promotion or salary upgrade

- to participate in programs of DYPA or other Organizations

- in general to have all the employment rights that graduates of Greek Universities have.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT RECOGNITION OF YOUR STUDIES

According to the recent Law 4653/2020, Article 50, published in the Government Gazette (FEK) No. 12, Issue A, on 24/01/2020:

"Paragraph 5 of Article 54 of Law 4589/2019 is replaced as follows:
5. For the verification of qualifications of personnel in primary and secondary education:

  1. a) Degrees awarded by foreign educational institutions are accepted, provided they are recognized for academic equivalence and correspondence by the Hellenic National Academic Recognition and Information Center (DOATAP), in accordance with Law 3328/2005 (A’80), or through a decision for the recognition of professional qualifications based on Presidential Decree 38/2010 (A’78), or a decision recognizing professional equivalence of a higher education degree with a related degree for a teaching sector.
  2. b) Postgraduate degrees and doctoral diplomas awarded by foreign educational institutions are accepted, provided they have academic equivalence recognition from DOATAP or professional equivalence recognition in a relevant subject area for a teaching sector."

 

Note: When applying for ASEP competitions (public sector hiring), candidates must check whether DOATAP recognition or professional equivalence recognition is required. The law essentially mandates that both options must be mentioned as valid alternatives in the call for applications.

Exception: Holders of undergraduate degrees obtained through Colleges (affiliated institutions) do not have the possibility to pursue postgraduate studies at public Greek Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), where DOATAP recognition is still required. However, they can obtain a Master’s degree through College-based postgraduate programs.

Below we provide indicative decisions issued by SAEΠ (Note: the Council for the Recognition of Professional Qualifications, which has been replaced by ATEEN) for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.

Recognition of Professional Equivalence of Higher Education Degrees (ATEEN)

Graduates who are interested in submitting their documents to ATEEN for the Recognition of Professional Equivalence of Formal Higher Education Degrees are kindly requested to consult the website of the Ministry of Education.

For your convenience regarding recognition by ATEEN, you can find detailed information at the following link:
https://www.minedu.gov.gr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&layout=edit&id=26691

Alternatively, you may contact the ATEEN offices directly:

Ministry of Education – ATEEN
Andreas Papandreou 37,
Postal Code: 15122, Marousi, Athens

Phone numbers:
210 3442802, 210 3442822, 210 3442795, 210 3442821,
210 3442807, 210 3442819, 210 3442824

Email: [email protected]

European Qualifications Framework (EQF) – A Bridge Between National Systems of Professional Qualifications

At the core of the EQF are eight reference levels defined in terms of learning outcomes, that is, knowledge, skills, and autonomy-responsibility. Learning outcomes express what individuals know, understand, and are able to do at the end of a learning process. Countries develop national qualifications frameworks (NQFs) to implement the EQF.

Why the EQF is Important
The main purpose of the EQF is to make qualifications more readable and understandable across different countries and systems. This is crucial for supporting cross-border mobility of learners and workers, as well as lifelong learning throughout Europe.

The Legal Basis of the EQF
The implementation of the EQF was based on the Recommendation on the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning, adopted by the European Parliament and the Council on April 23, 2008.

Reflecting the success in implementing the 2008 Recommendation, a revised and strengthened Recommendation on the EQF was adopted on May 22, 2017, by the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council. The purpose of this revised Recommendation is to ensure continuity as well as further deepening of the EQF.

Implementation of the EQF

The EQF has acted as a catalyst for the development of comprehensive national qualifications frameworks based on learning outcomes. All countries committed to the EQF consider such national frameworks essential to make their qualifications comparable across sectors and countries.

By April 2018, 35 countries had officially linked (“referenced”) their national qualifications frameworks to the EQF: Austria, Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia), Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, and Wales). The remaining countries were expected to follow in 2018, meaning that the first stage of EQF referencing was almost complete.

The National Organization for the Certification of Qualifications and Vocational Guidance (EOPPEP) is the competent authority responsible for the creation and development of the National Qualifications Framework and its alignment with the European Qualifications Framework, under the supervision and coordination of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs.

Through the development of the National Qualifications Framework, the existence of a single and unified tool is ensured, through which all diplomas awarded in Greece can be described and evaluated. The initial goal is to create a coherent and understandable system for classifying qualifications—that is, degrees for all levels of education in the country. At a later stage, a classification system will be developed for qualifications obtained through non-formal education and informal learning.

LEVEL 1
Primary School Leaving Certificate

LEVEL 2
Lower Secondary School Leaving Certificate (Gymnasium Diploma)

LEVEL 3
Vocational Specialty Diploma Level 3 (awarded to graduates of Vocational Training Schools – S.E.K.)
Professional Training Certificate (Article 6 Law 2009/1992 – Article 11 Law 3879/2010 – Article 11, paragraph b of Directive 2005/36/EC)

LEVEL 4
General Upper Secondary School Leaving Certificate (General Lyceum Diploma), EPAL-EPAS Leaving Certificate

LEVEL 5
(Awarded to graduates of the apprenticeship class of EPAL after certification) Diploma of Vocational Specialty, Education, and Training Level 5

(Awarded to graduates of Vocational Training Institutes – I.E.K. after certification) Diploma/Degree of Higher School (tertiary Higher but not University Education)

LEVEL 6
University Degree / Technological Educational Institute (TEI) Degree

LEVEL 7
Postgraduate Specialization Degree (Master’s degree)

LEVEL 8
Doctoral Degree (PhD)

The 8 levels of the National Qualifications Framework cover the entire spectrum of qualifications from primary to higher education. Each level includes a set of knowledge, skills, and competencies that define the learning outcomes. The learning outcomes constitute the qualifications of the corresponding level.

- What is the difference regarding the recognition of degrees after 3 years of study versus after 4 years of study?
A three-year degree from abroad is recognized as equivalent only if the corresponding study program is intensive. The intensity of the program is defined by the following criteria: the number of credit units (credits) must be at least 15% higher than the total number of credits required to obtain the corresponding degree abroad. Degrees with the designation "Honours" are included. Degrees labeled as "Pass," "Ordinary," or "Unclassified" are not included.

It is important to note that the minimum length of study (at university level) required to apply for recognition is three years of study. Therefore, all two-year programs are excluded from the recognition process.

- In which cases are exams required for recognition?
Students who have studied at institutions whose curricula closely match (without significant differences or missing study years and credits) those of cooperating universities in Greece (four-year programs as provided by law 4093/12) are not required to take written exams in any subject. In some cases where these conditions are not met, the competent recognition authority may require students to be examined in specific subjects.

As stated in Article 57A of Presidential Decree 38/2010 regarding written testing:

"1. The Head of ATEEN, after examining the application and the file, may issue a decision for a practical adaptation exercise or competency test in cases of applications for recognition of professional qualifications, in accordance with Article 14. In cases of applications for recognition of professional equivalence, the Head of ATEEN, after examining the application and the file, may issue a decision for a written professional equivalence test if significant differences arise between the applicant’s study program and the study program of a comparable degree from a Greek Higher Education Institution (HEI).

  1. The written professional equivalence test in scientific subjects – courses of ATEEN takes place during each examination period set for the specific subject at a Greek HEI Department. The applicant has the right to choose the Greek HEI Department where they wish to be examined in the specific subject and submits a relevant application to the Department Secretariat. The application is accompanied by the ATEEN decision imposing compensatory measures. The Department Chair issues a special permission for participation in the exams, which may be written and/or oral, depending on the program of the Department or Faculty of the relevant subjects. After the examination, the Department Secretariat issues a certification of results indicating “passed” or “failed” without grading, which the applicant submits to ATEEN to verify that the conditions for recognition decided in the previous ATEEN decision are met."

- What is the general principle regarding equivalence?
Equivalence is recognized provided that the duration of studies, the teaching and learning process, and the conditions for assessment, promotion, and graduation of students meet the requirements of Greek universities.

- What is the difference between DOATAP and ATEEN?
The DOATAP (Interdisciplinary Organization for the Recognition of Academic Titles and Information) is the competent authority responsible for recognizing foreign university and technological degrees and providing information about higher education studies both abroad and in Greece. The Organization was established by Law 3328/01-04-2005 (Official Gazette A’ 80), as amended by Law 3369/2005 (Official Gazette A’ 171/6-7-2005) and Law 3467/2006 (Official Gazette 128/A/2006), as a public legal entity, headquartered in Athens with a branch in Thessaloniki, supervised by the Minister of National Education and Religious Affairs. Internationally, the Organization uses the name “Hellenic National Academic Recognition and Information Center” (Hellenic N.A.R.I.C.).

The ATEEN (Independent Department for the Implementation of European Legislation) replaced the Professional Qualifications Recognition Council (SAEP) and serves the purpose of Directive 2005/36/EC and Presidential Decree 38/2010, i.e., the recognition of professional equivalence of higher education degrees from EU member states or third countries with those awarded within the Greek education system.

- How long does the recognition process take?
The competent authority responsible for receiving applications and issuing decisions on the recognition of professional qualifications and professional equivalence of degrees is the Independent Department for the Implementation of European Legislation (ATEEN). Provided that the necessary conditions are met, the recognition decision is issued within a strict deadline of four months.

- What are ECTS and Credits?
These are two different systems for measuring the workload required to complete a degree program or a module within a program. They are awarded by the respective university and generally correspond to the hours spent attending a course and the method of evaluation. As a general rule, Credits (U.S. system) are twice as much as ECTS (European System): for example, a program with 180 credits is equivalent to 90 ECTS.

The ECTS system (European Credit Transfer System) is the European system for credit transfer and makes higher education studies throughout Europe much more comparable. A credit system means that a course or module is valued the same at any university. ECTS credits indicate the required workload to complete a degree program or a module within a degree program.

1 ECTS equals 20 study hours (which can reach up to 30 depending on the country), meaning that 1 year of full-time study, which is 60 ECTS, equals 1,200 study hours.

Bachelor’s degrees typically range from 180 ECTS (3 years full-time) to 240 ECTS (4 years full-time). Master’s degrees typically range from 60 ECTS (1 year full-time) to 120 ECTS (2 years full-time).

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