The first application for a permit to operate a non-state, non-profit university as a branch will be submitted on Friday, February 14, 2025, by Sorbonne Paris Nord University.

Specifically, the application will be for the licensing of a branch to be named “French University of Greece.”

To support this initiative, the Vice President of Sorbonne Paris Nord, Professor Olivier Oudar, and Professor Anne Fauchon, Dean of the School of Political and Social Studies, will be traveling to Greece. They will be accompanied by Nicolas Eybalin, Cultural Attaché of the French Embassy in Greece and Director of the French Institute of Greece.

It is worth noting that this application implements a law that was passed, allowing non-state, non-profit universities to operate in the country, thereby integrating Greece into a path of internationalization.

Identity of Sorbonne Paris Nord

Université Sorbonne Paris Nord is one of the thirteen independent universities that succeeded the University of Paris, which was known as the “Sorbonne University.”

It is a public university and ranks among the top academic and research institutions in France. The university has campuses in five locations: Villetaneuse, Bobigny, Saint-Denis, La Plaine Saint-Denis, and Argenteuil. It is worth mentioning that the University also operates a university hospital as part of its Medical School.

Université Sorbonne Paris Nord is a founding member of Campus Condorcet, one of the world’s leading research centers in the humanities and social sciences. It is also part of the Sorbonne Paris-Cité university alliance with Université Paris-Cité.

Timeline and Operational Framework of State Universities

Starting in the academic year 2025-26, the Non-State Non-Profit Universities will be established based on the law with the strictest founding criteria in Europe. They will offer full academic and professional rights.

As the law stipulates, a crucial condition for licensing is that research must be conducted at non-state universities, and they must comply with requirements concerning building infrastructure, libraries, as well as necessary technical equipment and laboratories, depending on the disciplines offered.

For the issuance of the operating license, the application must be submitted by the parent institution, which must then receive approval from the National Authority for Higher Education (ETHAAE). The National Organization for Certification of Qualifications & Vocational Guidance (EOPPEP) must provide a positive opinion within 120 days (Article 135).

Regarding the granting and maintenance of the operating license, the following criteria must be met:

• Each Legal Entity for University Education (NPEE) must have at least three Schools, with at least one first-cycle program in each.
• Exceptionally, if the parent institution ranks within the top 20 in a recognized global university ranking, the NPEE may consist of a minimum of one School with at least one study program.
• Each NPEE must have an evaluation and certification from the parent institution for the study programs it offers.

Each NPEE offers at least one first-cycle study program for each school, certified by ETHAAE.

• Each NPEE must have the required academic staff, administrative and technical staff, and necessary support personnel to ensure administrative organization, facility adequacy, and hygienic conditions of the premises.
• Each NPEE must have suitable infrastructure and technical equipment. Specifically, the facilities must be adequate to meet student needs in teaching, studying, and adhere to the applicable rules for educational spaces under the current Building and Construction Code and Fire Safety Regulations. The installation must be autonomous, with a functional library, laboratory and research spaces appropriate to the offered programs, subject to approval by ETHAAE, audiovisual means, and a multimedia room with internet access. The NPEE may only have non-autonomous secondary buildings within the same regional unit as its headquarters, but it may have autonomous buildings in another city outside the regional unit.

All of the above must be accompanied by the necessary documents, including the statute of the respective NPEE, a bank guarantee letter from a recognized bank based in Greece for €500,000 for each school, a fee of at least €500,000 per application, floor plans of all spaces with usage designation, and a description of accessibility for people with disabilities for all buildings, as well as full details on the criteria for selection, admission, evaluation, and graduation applied by the NPEE.