Greece is committing more than 900 million euros to build new student dormitories and renovate existing ones at public universities across the country, according to figures released by the Ministry of Education.
The spending is split into two streams: 737.5 million euros for the creation of roughly 8,600 new beds through Public-Private Partnerships, and 224 million euros for the renovation and energy upgrade of 17 dormitory buildings through the Social Climate Fund.
New Complexes From Crete to Thrace
The new building projects span the length of the country. For the University of Crete, two new complexes are planned, one in Rethymno expected to serve 2,710 students and one in Heraklion for 2,136, for a combined total of 4,846 additional places.
The University of Thessaly will gain two new complexes, in Volos and Lamia, projected to accommodate a combined 763 students. Democritus University of Thrace will receive two new complexes, in Alexandroupolis and Komotini, each expected to house 350 students.
Four new complexes are planned for the University of Western Macedonia, in Kozani, Florina, Kastoria, and Ptolemaida, with a combined estimated capacity of 750 students. The University of Western Attica will get a new dormitory for 1,100 students, and Panteion University a new facility with 196 beds.
Renovation Work Already Under Way
Separately, the ministry plans to allocate 226.3 million euros from the Social Climate Fund for the energy and operational upgrade of 15 dormitory buildings belonging to INEDIVIM (the National Organisation for the Management of University Student Welfare) and other universities, with tenders expected to open from 2027 in Athens, Thessaloniki, Kalamaria, Rio, Koukouri, Ioannina, and Komotini.
In Athens, the first student dormitory of the University of Athens at the Zografou campus has already been completed and opened, while a full reconstruction of the second dormitory at the same site is under way. Renovation work on the student residence of the Athens University of Economics and Business is scheduled to begin over the summer, and fully refurbished common areas at the National Technical University of Athens dormitories are expected to be handed over by September.
The Public Investment Program is also funding extensive renovation, energy upgrades, and modernisation at University of Athens buildings in Zografou, in Patras, Kavala, Xanthi, and at the Technical University of Crete, while student dining facilities in Patras and Xanthi are being upgraded.
According to INEDIVIM data, spaces at dormitories in Thessaloniki, Kalamaria, Kalamata, and Heraklion have already been refurbished. Some 150 rooms at the Thessaloniki and Patras dormitories have been fully equipped, and a bulk procurement of professional equipment including washing machines, dryers, mattresses, and beds has been carried out for multiple sites. A controlled-entry system has been installed at the first University of Athens dormitory for the first time, with similar systems planned for the National Technical University dormitories and the Thessaloniki and Kalamata residences.
Emblematic Athens Project
Anna Rokofyllou, president of INEDIVIM, told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency that a comprehensive upgrade programme had been drawn up to radically change what she described as the disheartening state of many dormitories. She singled out the full renovation of the University of Athens dormitory on Patission Street, a 10,000-square-metre building that will accommodate up to 280 students, as an emblematic intervention because it is one of the oldest student residences in Athens, located in the city centre. Rokofyllou said a further 2.9 million euros had been secured for new equipment across INEDIVIM-managed residences, and that a renovation and energy-upgrade programme covering 12 dormitories would run from 2026 to 2032 using Social Climate Fund resources expected to exceed 220 million euros in total.
Gerasimos Siassos, rector of the University of Athens, said upgrading student welfare was one of the institution’s top priorities. He said spaces at the first Athens dormitory that had been occupied for years had been restored and turned into modern reading rooms, study areas, common spaces, and a new gym. On the second dormitory, Siassos said the full reconstruction was proceeding at a fast pace using the Pro-GET-OnE method, developed with the university’s participation in the European Horizon 2020 programme. He said the rebuilt facility would be the first zero-energy-footprint student dormitory in Greece.
Minister: A Question of Social Justice
Education Minister Sofia Zacharaki told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency that students studying away from home deserved a safe, modern, and dignified environment that allowed them to focus on their studies. She described student housing as above all a matter of equality, opportunity, and social justice, and called the programme the largest construction of new student dormitories ever carried out in Greece. Zacharaki added that Greek public universities were being built into institutions that were more outward-looking, more competitive, and more modern, with ambitions to attract talent from around the world, and that modern living conditions were an inseparable part of that educational experience.
