Greece is a country in Southern Europe with a long history of nursing education. The first school of nursing education in Greece was a military school established on August 18, 1861, by the Directorate of Health Services of the Greek Army to train soldiers as nurses. Later, formal civilian nursing education expanded: the Nosokomikon Paideftirion was established in 1875 to train women nurses, and in 1914 the Greek Red Cross founded a two-year school of assistant nurses whose graduates received a license to practice. In the decades that followed, nursing education moved into higher education and is now taught through university-level programs.
Greece has faced nursing workforce challenges, including understaffing, but nurses trained abroad must still follow recognition and professional practice procedures before working. EU rules and Greek services treat nursing as a regulated health profession; applicants may need recognition of qualifications, permission before practice, and evidence of Greek-language knowledge depending on their route and status. Students interested in Greek-taught nursing programs should expect Greek-language study requirements, while exchange and English-taught options vary by institution.
Undergraduate nursing programs in Greece normally last four years, and several official program pages list eight academic semesters or 240 ECTS. Instead of a single national post-graduation “licensure examination,” graduates and foreign-trained nurses should follow the current regional and professional procedures for the certificate or recognition needed to practice. Postgraduate nursing education is available at selected institutions. Let’s take a look at notable nursing institutions in Greece.
Top Schools Offering Nursing Programs in Greece
1. University of the Peloponnese
The University of the Peloponnese offers Nursing through the Department of Nursing in the School of Health Sciences. The Department was founded in 2005, operated in Sparta until 2019, and is now based in Tripoli after joining the School of Health Sciences. The university itself was founded by Presidential Decree 13/2000, is based in Tripoli, and has developed schools in Tripoli, Kalamata, Sparta, Nafplio, Corinth, and Patras.
The Department of Nursing provides undergraduate and postgraduate studies and is involved in research. Its infrastructure page notes that teaching, laboratory education, and clinical practice are supported by university facilities and clinical practice sites, including the Panarcadian Hospital and other health structures. For tuition and fee details, students should check current department and university announcements. Greek-taught undergraduate programs at Greek public universities are generally tuition-free, while fees may apply to postgraduate and English-taught programs.
2. University of Ioannina
University of Ioannina Department of Nursing lists a minimum study duration of eight academic semesters and offers undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral studies. It is based at the University of Ioannina’s Ioannina campus. Students should check current admission requirements directly with the university. For mobility students, the university’s Erasmus guidance notes that language requirements vary by field, so the original broad statement that all international students may conduct assignments in their own language has been replaced with more cautious wording.
3. National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens offers Nursing through the Department of Nursing in the School of Health Sciences. The university was founded in 1837 and is recognized by the university as the first university in Greece, the Balkan Peninsula, and the Eastern Mediterranean region. It is also described by the university as the largest state institution of higher education in Greece and one of the largest universities in Europe.
The Department of Nursing was established in 1979 as a four-year program in the School of Medicine and first opened in the 1980-1981 academic year. In 1983-1984, it became an equal and independent department within the School of Health Sciences. Since the 2005-2006 academic year, the department has also provided the academic nursing education of students of the Military Nursing Academy. The Department offers graduate nursing programs with specializations, and its current graduate program page lists tuition fees of €2,000 in total, paid as €500 per semester. Undergraduate studies at Greek public universities are generally state-funded for Greek-taught programs, with admission and language details set by current department and ministry announcements.
4. University of Western Attica
The Department of Nursing, under the Faculty of Health and Care Sciences, was founded in 1983 at the Technological Educational Institute of Athens and joined the University of Western Attica in 2018. The University of Western Attica was established in March 2018 through the merger of the Technological Educational Institute of Athens and the Technological Educational Institute of Piraeus. The Department offers undergraduate studies, postgraduate master’s options, and doctoral study opportunities.
The undergraduate nursing course lasts four years, or eight academic semesters. The department participates in Erasmus activities and supports research through its laboratories and academic activities. It also publishes the Rostrum of Asclepius, a peer-reviewed quarterly journal for nurses and other health-care professionals, in cooperation with the Hellenic Society of Nursing Research and Education. For tuition and fee details, students should check current program notices; Greek-taught undergraduate programs at Greek public universities are generally tuition-free, while postgraduate fees vary by program.
We hope that this article on the Best Nursing Schools in Greece was helpful. Check also the Available Programs in Europe for International Students to learn more about studying in Europe.
