The establishment of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) branch in Cyprus is a milestone for higher education and cooperation between Greece and Cyprus, said University Rector, Professor Gerasimos Siasos
Speaking during a press conference held in Nicosia on the afternoon of 11 September, he added that discussions have also been held with the President of the Republic, in collaboration with other medical schools and the Cyprus General Health System, regarding the operation of a university hospital in Cyprus.
In his introductory presentation, Siasos, gave a historical overview of the University of Athens during its nearly two centuries of operation, said that over the last century, more than 320,000 Cypriot students have graduated from NKUA, with almost 1 in 4 practicing doctors in Cyprus being graduates of the Medical School of the University, while in 2025, more than 3,000 Cypriot students are enrolled at the University in Athens.
He presented the results of a pan-Cypriot poll, according to which 87% of citizens welcome the establishment of the University of Athens branch, while more than 70% recognise the prestige of the University, the quality of studies, and the value of its degrees.
Four schools and eight departments
The branch of the University of Athens in Cyprus, in its initial phase of operation, includes four schools and eight departments, utilising both historically renovated buildings in the capital and modern facilities in Larnaca, Siasos continued.
These are, as he said, the School of Medicine, the Department of Nursing, the Department of Economics, the Department of Business and Organisational Management, the Department of Port and Maritime Management, the Department of Primary Education, the Department of Psychology, and the English-language BA program in Archaeology, History, and Literature in Ancient Greece.
He added that the offices of the Rector's Office and the Administrative Council will be housed in the Elenio building, while the School Administration with the respective secretariats will be housed in a historic building in the Phaneromeni area, following an offer by the Archdiocese of Cyprus.
"The establishment of a branch of the University of Athens in Cyprus is a milestone of strategic importance for education, society, and the culture of Hellenism and will highlight and strengthen the long-standing historical, cultural, and educational ties between Greece and Cyprus," he stressed, adding that from the Government of the Republic of Cyprus and the Church of Cyprus to the Municipalities of Nicosia and Larnaca and local authorities, the Branch already enjoys strong support, "reflecting the desire of Cypriot society to embrace the University of Athens as its own."
A high-quality, distinguished institution
Addressing the press conference, Mayor of Nicosia, Charalambos Prountzos, said in his own address that the University of Athens, "as the leading university in southeastern Europe, comes to qualitatively strengthen the academic ecosystem that has been built in Nicosia for decades and which includes at least four major universities, the University of Cyprus and three private universities”, to which is added “a high-quality, distinguished institution with a rich history and scientific tradition."
"For us, therefore, this first phase of our strategy to establish a high-quality academic institution provides a new opportunity in the centre of Nicosia. Through the University's activities, it manages to attract a young, vibrant population, which acts as a multiplier to enhance not only life and the economy but also knowledge in our city. Furthermore, the Kapodistrian University of Athens is helping Nicosia to establish itself internationally as a regional educational centre, now that it has a university with a strong ranking that can address markets in our region and around the world," he noted.
The director of the Theological School of the Church of Cyprus, Fr. Kyprianos Kountouris, read a brief address on behalf of the Archbishop of Cyprus, who is a member of the branch's steering committee, was given by, followed by addresses by the heads of the University departments that will operate in Cyprus.
Asked about the target audience for the University's branch in its initial phase, and the recruitment process, Siasos said that it is aimed at all prospective Cypriot students who are currently in Cyprus.
"However, our audience is not limited to the island, it extends throughout the region. Of course, it also extends to Greece, and to the wider region of Western Asia and North Africa for foreign language programmes. We already have a foreign language programme, and our goal is to develop other foreign language programmes so that we can attract students from other, non-Greek-speaking countries. So at this stage, there are international students, but also Cypriot students," he added.
The next steps
Asked about the next steps for the University’s presence in Cyprus, the Rector said that they include the establishment of other departments. "However, we want to proceed steadily, first completing the operational phase of all eight departments, which we are optimistic will be achieved in 2026," he noted.
"We are a university whose primary goal is research and innovation. So we want to establish large research programmes here, with international impact," he added.
He added that discussions have been held with the President of the Republic, in collaboration with other medical schools and the Cyprus General Health System, on the operation of a university hospital in Cyprus. "This is something that is beyond our capabilities and decisive role, it will be decided by the state, the government. If it is decided, we as a university, as a medical school, in collaboration with other medical schools, I think we will contribute because we have the expertise, operating entirely in Athens on our own, four university hospitals and twelve other locations," he stressed.
Regarding tuition fees, he clarified that the branch operates as a non-profit institution.
"We believe that the tuition fees will be such that they will cover the operating costs of the branch, without, of course, making a profit. We will start at €6,000 per year for the Business and Organisation Management departments, the Department of Economics, and the Department of Primary Education, and will be just under €10,000 for the Nursing School and just under €20,000 for the Medical School," he said.
He added that many scholarships are also planned, while students who are already enrolled in departments in Athens and want to enroll in Cyprus will be automatically enrolled and will receive a reduction in tuition fees of at least 30%.
Asked about the buildings that will house the branch, the Rector of the University of Athens said that all the buildings are currently ready and renovated, "in excellent condition and available for use."
Collaboration with SHSO
Asked about the possible future operation of a university clinic, Siasos said that there is a collaboration with SHSO, which has responded in writing that it is willing to train medical school students in public hospitals in Cyprus.
"Of course, we are talking about three years from now, but we already have this assurance. We must not forget that there is the parent university, which has approximately 3,500 teaching beds in 16 hospitals. Therefore, students who decide they want to train in Greece from the fourth year onwards will have this option; we have already made this decision as a senate," he added.
Siasos said that Cyprus has many good universities and that the presence of the NKUA branch in relation to Cypriot institutions will be collaborative.
(Source: CNA)
