Campus Life

Visa guidance

For detailed information regarding Visa and Residence Permit requirements for students of foreign origin who wish to study in the University of the Aegean, please visit the International Student Support Office website.

Language requirements

All undergraduate courses are taught in Greek. However, the University of the Aegean provides International Modules in English for Erasmus Students.

For language requirements regarding postgraduate courses please consult the information service of each individual postgraduate program.

Teaching of Modern Greek language as a foreign language at the University of Aegean

Welfare provisions and amenities

Aiming to ensure satisfactory living conditions for students and promote socio-cultural development as well as and physical and mental health and recreation during their studies, the University of the Aegean supports a series of services and welfare provisions.

Catering provisions

In all the academic units of the University of the Aegean, located on six Aegean islands, there are Refectories providing breakfast, lunch and dinner. Refectories function on a daily basis and on weekends and holidays, apart from the Christmas and Easter holidays, from September 1^st through June 30^th, every academic year.

Free meals or meals for € 2,70 per day

The University of the Aegean provides the right for free meals to a certain number of students. This number depends on whether those applying for free meals meet the criteria set by the law and also on the funds provided by the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs. However, students not entitled to free meals can use the refectory and buy three (3) meals per day for 2,70 euros.

Who is eligible to receive a free meal?

Eligibility requirements for free meals and ranking criteria in order of priority are defined by the law. Free meals are provided to a specific number of students based on this ranking and the budget line of the University. Moreover, there is an ongoing renewal procedure of the beneficiary list applied at the University of the Aegean (every 15 days) to ensure that students not exercising their right for free meals are supplemented by runners-up.

Submitting an application

Applications for free meals are submitted electronically to the special informational system all through the academic year. It is not required to submit printed documents to the Students’ Welfare Offices. Applications for free meals/ accommodation and the required documents are submitted only electronically and uploaded into the system as PDF documents.

The terms and eligibility requirements for free accommodation provided to the students of the University are decided by the Senate of the University of the Aegean.

Provisions and facilities

The University of the Aegean has the capacity to provide free accommodation for a specified number of students on every island. The number of beneficiaries depends on the availability of infrastructure and/ or available funds.

More specifically, the University of the Aegean has 672 beds (in rented and privately owned dorms) allocated as follows per University Unit:

Annual period of accommodation

The period to submit applications for free accommodation begins every year with the beginning of income tax return submissions and ends at a date set by the Central Administration of Studies and Students’ Welfare. The right to free accommodation regards the current academic year. Those eligible should submit a new application and the required documents to renew their right to free accommodation. The new submission of the application aims at updating data about candidates and also the ranking order of candidates, after the departure of graduates and the arrival of first-year students.

First-year students submit their application when they register.

The lists of those eligible for free accommodation and of runner-ups are announced at the beginning of October, after the registration of first-year students has been completed.

Those entitled to free accommodation maintain their right up to June 30^th of the running academic year and from September 1^st up to September 30^th of the next academic year.

 Students eligible for free accommodation

The right to submit an application for free accommodation is provided for:

Active students, i.e. undergraduate and postgraduate students and PhD candidates who have not received a degree (bachelor, postgraduate degree or PhD).

The above-mentioned students who either themselves or their family does not possess a privately owned house or do not have the usufruct of a house in the city/town where their School is based and in a distance less than 40 kilometers from it and their permanent residence (privately owned or rented) is in a distance bigger than 40 kilometers from the base of their Department.

Active students are:

Undergraduates going through up to the n+2 semester of their studies (n is the minimum number of semesters required to get a degree).

Postgraduates going through up to the n semester of their studies (n is the indicative number of semesters required to attend a postgraduate study program as defined in the Government Gazette for the specific program).

PhD candidates going through up to the 5^th year of their studies from the date they started their PhD (i.e. the date the Three-member Counselling Committee was appointed by the Assembly of the Department).

Prioritization of applications

In order to provide accommodation (rooms) to those interested, a prioritization procedure is followed for the applications submitted based on social and financial criteria.

Submission of applications

Applications for free accommodation are submitted only electronically to the special informational system of the Students’ Welfare and Counselling Department and the required documents are uploaded into the system as PDF documents.

It is not required to submit printed documents to Students’ Welfare Offices.

Housing Benefit

A Joint Ministerial Decision issued by the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Finance, defines the procedures and documents required for the 1.000€ annual housing benefit provided to university students.

Undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as doctoral candidates, who do not have other medical, pharmaceutical, or hospital coverage, are entitled to full medical, pharmaceutical, and hospital care within the National Health System (Ethniko Systima Ygeias – ESY) with the relevant costs covered by the National Organization for Health Care Services Provision (Ethnikos Organismos Parochis Ypiresion Ygeias – EOPYY), by analogous application of Article 33 of Law 4368/2016 (Government Gazette A’ 83). The terms, conditions, and procedure for the provision of such care are determined by a joint decision of the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Education Religious Affairs and Sports, and the Minister of Health.

The issuance of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) (Evropaiki Karta Asfalisis Astheneias – ΕΚΑΑ), pursuant to Regulations (EC) No 883/2004 (OJ L 166, 30.4.2004) of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 and (EC) No 987/2009 (OJ L 284, 30.10.2009) of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 September 2009, for undergraduate and postgraduate students and doctoral candidates who do not have other medical, pharmaceutical, or hospital coverage, as well as the reimbursement of the expenses incurred, is carried out by the services of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and Higher Ecclesiastical Academies (HEAs). For this purpose, the competent services are granted access to the Electronic Registry of Uninsured Citizens (Ilektroniko Mitroo Anasfaliston Politon) (maintained by IDIKA S.A. By joint decision of the Minister of Education Religious Affairs and Sports, the Minister of Labour Social Insurance and Social Solidarity, the Minister of Finance, and the Minister of Health, more specific issues arising from the implementation of this provision may be regulated.

To apply for the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), you must complete the online application form available at https://merimna.aegean.gr/ekaa

Medical and Hospital Health Care for the holders of the European Health Insurance Card

The European Health Insurance Card is a free card that gives you access to medically necessary, state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in any of the 27 EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland under the same conditions and at the same cost (free in some countries) as people insured in that country. The benefits covered include, for example, benefits provided in conjunction with chronic or existing illnesses as well as in conjunction with pregnancy and childbirth.

Cards are issued by your national health insurance provider (https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=563&langId=en#nationalinfo) .

Health Insurance for Third Country Nationals 

The benefits of the insurance policy submitted with the application for a residence permit or its extension (based on Ministerial Decision no. 2724/2024/10.05.2024) must include: 

• Permanent total or partial disability insurance due to an accident:
  Coverage amount at least EUR 15,000 per year
  Maximum contribution of 20% from the insured person.
•  Medical expenses resulting from sickness or accident:
  Coverage amount at least EUR 1,500 per year
  Maximum contribution of 20% from the insured person.
• Comprehensive hospital care:
  Coverage amount at least EUR 10,000 per year
  Maximum contribution of 20% from the insured person.

The contract must clearly state that the insurance covers the amounts set by the law/ministerial decision and it must be expressly stated that it covers anything that happens to you in the EU and specifically in Greece.

If you have an insurance policy from your country of origin, you can submit it officially translated as long as it provides the above coverages. It is possible to search the gov.gr services for certified translators who are included in the Registry of Certified Translators of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the link: https://metafraseis.services.gov.gr/

Otherwise, students are directed to draw a financial contract with a Greek insurance company.

The European Youth Card is a discount card for products, tickets, and services in 37 countries. In Greece, it is provided by the General Secretariat for Vocational Education, Training, Lifelong Learning and Youth and the Youth and Lifelong Learning Foundation (Idryma Neolaias kai Dia Viou Mathisis  – INEDIVIM).

Young people up to the age of thirty (30) are eligible to obtain it. The card is valid for one year from the date of issue and can be renewed annually. The issuance fee is 10 euros.

For detailed information, interested parties can visit the official website: http://europeanyouthcard.gr/