The one thing to establish first
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, usually shortened to AUTH, was founded in 1925 and is the largest university in Greece by student numbers. It is a serious institution.
It is also the institution this market misrepresents most often, and the misrepresentation is always the same: an English-taught bachelor's degree that does not exist for the subject being sold. AUTH teaches overwhelmingly in Greek at undergraduate level. Its English-taught provision is concentrated in master's and doctoral programmes, plus short courses and summer schools.
A 2022 Greek law does permit public universities to run foreign-language undergraduate programmes for non-EU students at a fee, and a small number now exist across the country. The list is short, it changes from year to year, and it is published on each university's own site. If somebody shows you an English-taught AUTH bachelor's degree, ask for the link on auth.gr and open it yourself. That single check prevents most of the damage done in this market.
Two different routes, two different lives
| Greek-taught degree | English-taught master's | |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Greek, certified at the required level | English, with a test score |
| Preparatory year | Usually yes — AUTH's School of Modern Greek Language runs one | No |
| Admission route | Ministry of Education non-EU quota process | Direct to the department |
| Tuition | Lowest of the nine countries; nominal or nil for many public programmes | Set by the programme, published by the university |
| Realistic total time | Degree length plus a language year | Degree length |
The Greek-taught route is genuinely cheap and genuinely slow. The English-taught route is faster and narrower. Neither is wrong; choosing without knowing which one you are in is.
Where AUTH is strong
- Engineering — one of Greece's largest polytechnic faculties
- Sciences, particularly physics, geology, biology and informatics
- Medicine and health sciences — taught in Greek
- Classics, archaeology, history and philology, where the location is not a marketing line but the actual material
Medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, psychology, law and teaching are regulated professions. A Greek degree in any of them is not by itself a licence to practise, in Greece or in Bangladesh. Registration is a separate process with its own language requirements and, for Bangladesh, its own examination — settle that before you enrol, not after.
How admission and the visa actually work
Greece has no central application portal. You apply to the university, and for the non-EU quota route your file passes through the Greek Ministry of Education. Intakes are October, the main one, and February.
The step that catches Bangladeshi families out sits at the visa stage: the Greek student file requires proof of tuition payment, and universities typically want at least a third of it up front. That money goes out before you have a permit. The sequence, the funds figure of about EUR 7,200 a year, and where the application is lodged are set out in the Greece guide.
⚠️ Confirm where Greece accepts student applications from Bangladesh before you plan a timeline — this changes, and it is not always Dhaka. See where to submit your visa.
Living in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki is Greece's second city, on the sea, with a very large student population and costs well below Athens. The month-by-month picture is in the Thessaloniki cost guide.
Where applications fail
- 1Applying for a programme that is not taught in the language the applicant believes. By far the most common, and the most expensive.
- 2No Greek certificate for a Greek-taught programme, with no preparatory year budgeted.
- 3Documents not recognised by the ministry. Greek recognition of a foreign secondary certificate is a separate administrative step and it takes time.
- 4Underestimating the up-front tuition payment required for the visa file.
Before you apply
- 1Open the department's own page on auth.gr and confirm, in writing, the language of instruction.
- 2If Greek-taught: price and schedule the preparatory language year as part of the plan, not as an afterthought.
- 3Start ministry recognition of your certificates early — it is the slow step.
- 4Budget the up-front tuition instalment separately from the EUR 7,200 of funds.
Official sources — check for yourself
- Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
- Study in Greece — official portal
- Greek Ministry of Education
- Greece country guide
Rules and figures change. We review these articles periodically and show the date above, but always confirm the current requirement with the official source before you act on it.
Common questions
Can I do a bachelor's degree in English at Aristotle University?+
Its undergraduate teaching is overwhelmingly in Greek, and English-taught provision is concentrated at master's and doctoral level. A 2022 Greek law allows public universities to run English-taught undergraduate programmes for non-EU students at a fee, but the list is short and changes yearly — verify it on auth.gr before believing any agent.
How much does Aristotle University cost?+
Greek public tuition is the lowest of the nine countries we work with, and for many Greek-taught public programmes it is nominal or nil. English-taught programmes carry a fee the university publishes on the programme page. The real costs are living costs and, on the Greek-taught route, a preparatory language year.
Do I need Greek to study there?+
For a Greek-taught degree, yes, certified at the required level, and AUTH's School of Modern Greek Language runs a preparatory year for exactly this. For an English-taught master's you need an English test score instead.
What is the biggest mistake Bangladeshi applicants make with AUTH?+
Paying an agent for an English-taught undergraduate place in a subject that is taught in Greek. Open the department's own page on auth.gr and confirm the language of instruction before any money moves.
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