A UK university is set to upgrade an existing partnership in Greece to a branch campus, following a change in legislation in the southern European country.
City College in Thessaloniki has since 2021 admitted students to study University of York degrees, spanning subject areas including English, psychology, business administration and economics, and computer science.
Last year Greece’s government changed the law to allow the establishment of foreign branch campuses, and York has now announced plans for City College to become the University of York Europe Campus City.
The proposal, which is dependent on Greek government approval, would operate from three sites in Thessaloniki. A hub for computer science courses in Athens is also planned.
“City College has provided us with a hub for academics to work together, connect with government, build corporate networks across south-east Europe, and support students from more than 60 countries to achieve their educational ambitions,” said Charlie Jeffery, York’s vice-chancellor.
“We welcome the Greek government’s decision to support the establishment of foreign university branch campuses in Greece, and we hope, through our application, to continue to contribute to the advancement of higher education in the region.”
The announcement comes after York posted a £9 million deficit for 2023-24, its second successive year of making a loss, after international student numbers fell by 9 per cent.
The University and College Union has estimated that 434 jobs will go at the institution this year.
Last year Sorbonne Paris North University announced a similar move, seeking to partner with the private college Institution d’Études Francophones (IdEF), located in Athens, and transform it into a private, non-profit university under the name French University of Greece – International Campus Université Sorbonne Paris Nord.
Greece’s education minister, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, previously told Times Higher Education that the reforms should help to stem the brain drain of talented Greek students, and make the country more attractive to international learners.
