Study in Greece Scholarships 2027: Greek Government, IKY and University Awards for International Students

The biggest study in Greece scholarship scheme open to international students is run by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Many guides credit it to IKY, but the call comes from the ministry. Each year it offers 50 scholarships for bachelor’s and master’s study at Greek public universities, paying €650 a month with free Greek language classes and free textbooks. Applications go through the Greek embassy in your country, and you will study in Greek. The Greek State Scholarships Foundation (IKY) adds a Modern Greek language programme for foreign graduates, while university awards are few, small or limited to certain nationalities.

The 2026/2027 government call closed on 27 July 2026, so you are now preparing for the 2027/2028 round, with a deadline of 27 July 2027. Below I go through every scholarship to study in Greece I could confirm on official pages, who each one is really for, and the steps for the embassy application.

Study in Greece scholarships open to international students

Greek government scholarships for international students (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

This is the scheme most guides mean when they say “Greek government scholarship”. The 2026/2027 call was published on 25 June 2026 and offered 50 scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate study at Greek universities. Each eligible country gets a share, set out in a list attached to the call. If your country is not on that list, you cannot apply, so ask the Greek embassy for the country list first.

What the scholarship pays

1. Monthly allowance: €650.
2. Greek language year: if you need it, one academic year of free Greek classes to reach B2 before your degree starts.
3. Books: free textbooks, except at the Greek Language School.
4. Duration (bachelor’s): the minimum length of the degree plus two years.
5. Duration (master’s): the minimum length of the master’s programme.

The call does not mention flights, housing or health insurance. The ministry’s 2025/2026 notice described the awards as fully funded and exempt from tuition fees, but €650 a month has to cover rent and food, so plan for that. Undergraduate study at Greek public universities is taught in Greek, which is why the language year exists.

Who can apply

1. Nationality: foreign nationals, and people of Greek origin living permanently abroad, from countries on the ministry’s allocation list.
2. Residence: you and your parents must have lived abroad for at least five years before the selection year, confirmed by the Greek embassy or consulate. Your parents must not work for the Greek state.
3. No other scholarship: you cannot hold another scholarship at the same time.
4. Bachelor’s applicants: a school qualification that gives you access to university in your home country.
5. Master’s applicants: a degree recognised by DOATAP (the Greek recognition body) and an acceptance from a Greek-taught, tuition-free postgraduate programme.

Documents for the embassy application

Every foreign document must be legally certified and translated into Greek. Incomplete files are rejected, so start the translations early. In most countries an apostille or embassy legalisation takes weeks.

Keeping the scholarship

Renewal is not automatic. After the language year you must pass the Greek proficiency exam in the May or September session. During the degree, the allowance is paid only if you pass at least 50% of your courses or credits in year 1, 60% in year 2 and 70% in year 3 and after. You must attend classes and sit every exam period, and you need a Greek bank account for payments.

Greek government scholarship dates

2027/2028 dates (based on this year’s date; confirm on the official page when the call opens).

IKY scholarships for foreign nationals

IKY is Greece’s State Scholarships Foundation. Most of its programmes fund Greek citizens. On its English site I found two that involve foreigners.

Modern Greek Language and Culture courses

1. Who can apply: foreign nationals who do not live permanently in Greece and hold a degree from a university outside Greece. IKY’s announcement says foreign nationals of Greek descent can apply too.
2. Number: up to 50 scholarships, according to IKY’s announcement page.
3. Course: 8 months, usually October to May, at a Greek public university, at every level from beginner up, with cultural events and visits to historical sites.
4. Result: a certificate of attendance.
5. How to apply: through IKY’s candidate platform (ams.iky.gr). IKY’s foreigners desk is at foreigners@iky.gr.

IKY’s programme page does not list the stipend or a deadline. Greek embassies have advertised past rounds, so ask the embassy in your country as well as IKY. If you are planning to take the government scholarship later, a year of Greek here would make the language exam far easier.

IKY-Fulbright PhD Research Award (US students only)

IKY funds up to four six-month research grants in Greece for PhD candidates enrolled at US universities, run with Fulbright Greece. It covers round-trip travel and settling-in, monthly maintenance and research allowances. The 2026/2027 call closed on 7 October 2025. Unless you are a doctoral student at an American university, this is not open to you. The same applies to the other Fulbright Greece programmes, which are for Greek and US citizens.

Older third-party scholarship databases also describe IKY postgraduate and postdoctoral grants for foreign nationals, applied for through Greek embassies. I could not find a current call for these on iky.gr, so check with IKY before you plan around one.

University scholarships to study in Greece

Alba Graduate Business School (Athens)

Alba, part of the American College of Greece, has two kinds of support. Its Financial Aid Program is a need-based tuition reduction, but you must file taxes in Greece and declare enough income to cover living costs and part of the fees. That rules out most people applying from abroad.

The Leventis Foundation scholarships at Alba are for Nigerian citizens only. The 2026/2027 round offered two full-tuition scholarships for the Online MBA, for applicants with a bachelor’s CGPA of at least 4.3 out of 5 and at least three years of work experience. Because the MBA is online, it does not come with a Greek visa. Applications were accepted by email only between 20 and 30 March 2026, so the next window is 20 to 30 March 2027. The 2025/2026 round was different: two on-campus MBA places with accommodation and €250 a month, plus one MSc in Finance tuition award, with a CGPA cut-off of 4.1. Read each year’s PDF, because the terms change.

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh)

AUTh gives scholarships for its summer Greek language and culture courses, which usually run from late June to late July. You cannot apply directly: your home university must have a cooperation agreement with AUTh and nominate you. AUTh’s International Relations Department tells partner universities about the places each February, so ask your international office in January.

National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (BA in ancient Greece)

NKUA’s English-taught BA in the Archaeology, History and Literature of Ancient Greece has offered merit scholarships of €10,000 to international students. The most recent round I could confirm on an official page was 2021, with two awards and a deadline of 27 July 2021. Ask the programme directly whether a round is running for your intake.

American College of Thessaloniki (ACT)

ACT’s undergraduate aid page lists $1,000 grants and scholarships (need-based, merit, Greek heritage and others), all aimed at US degree-seeking students. It does not list awards for other international students, so email ACT admissions before counting on any discount.

Other ways to fund study in Greece

1. Erasmus Mundus master’s: several joint master’s programmes include a Greek university as a partner, and the scholarship pays tuition plus a monthly allowance. See our Erasmus Mundus scholarship guide.
2. Funded PhD positions: EU-funded doctoral posts, such as Marie Skłodowska-Curie positions, are advertised one at a time as paid research jobs. Search each university’s research centre and the EU’s EURAXESS portal.
3. Home-country awards: check your own government’s bilateral scholarships with Greece, which are announced through the Greek embassy.

How to apply for a Greek government scholarship, step by step

1. Contact the Greek embassy: ask whether your country is on the allocation list and how many places it has.
2. Get the residence certificate: the embassy or consulate must confirm that you and your parents have lived abroad for five years.
3. Collect civil documents: marital status certificate, parents’ birth certificates, passport copy and photo.
4. Certify and translate: have every document legalised and translated into Greek.
5. Master’s only: get DOATAP recognition of your degree and an acceptance from a Greek-taught, tuition-free programme.
6. Submit within the window: applications are due within 30 days of the call, at the embassy.
7. If selected: open a Greek bank account, sign the scholar’s declaration, and start the Greek language year.

If a referee letter is part of your university application, our guide on recommendation letters for scholarships has samples.

FAQ on study in Greece scholarships

Are there fully funded scholarships in Greece for international students?

The closest is the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs scheme: €650 a month, a free Greek language year and free books for up to the degree length plus two years. It does not mention housing, flights or insurance.

When is the Greek government scholarship deadline for 2027/2028?

27 July 2027, the same date as the 2026/2027 call. Applications go to the Greek embassy within 30 days of the call, so watch the embassy’s news page from June.

Do I need to speak Greek to get a scholarship in Greece?

For the government scholarship, yes, eventually. You get one free year of Greek classes and must pass the proficiency exam before your degree, which is taught in Greek.

Does IKY give scholarships to foreign students?

Yes, for its 8-month Modern Greek Language and Culture course for foreign graduates. Its IKY-Fulbright award is only for PhD students at US universities.

Sources and updates

The government scholarship terms, documents, renewal rules and 27 July 2026 deadline come from the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs call for 2026/2027, published on its missions’ news pages on 25 June 2026; the 2025/2026 notice supplied the “fully funded” wording and tuition exemption. IKY programme details come from the State Scholarships Foundation’s Modern Greek Language and Culture page, its announcement page and the IKY-Fulbright call. Alba details come from the Leventis Foundation scholarship PDFs for 2025 and 2026 and Alba’s financial assistance page. AUTh details come from its International Relations Department; the NKUA award comes from the Greek embassy announcement of 2021; ACT’s from its undergraduate financial aid page. Checked on 24 October 2026. I will update the dates when the 2027/2028 calls are published.

Jude Chinecherem

I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.