Our History

Opened on 3 May 1837, the University of Athens was the first university established in the newly independent Greek state and the first modern university in the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean. Originally known as the University of Otto, after King Otto, Greece’s first monarch, it opened with four faculties and an initial enrolment of 52 students. In 1932, it adopted the name National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in honour of Ioannis Kapodistrias, the first Governor of Greece following independence. Today it is the country’s largest university, with world-class teaching and research supported by modern facilities, cutting-edge laboratories and advanced digital infrastructure.

The University of Athens at a Glance

Schools

Undergraduate Programmes

English-taught Undergraduate Programmes

Postgraduate Programmes, including 33 offered in languages other than Greek

University of Athens – Cyprus Branch Established in 2025

Schools

Departments, including an English-speaking one

THE UNIVERSITY’S FIRST GRADUATE

Anastasios Goudas (1816-1882) was a physician and writer from Ioannina. He became the University’s first graduate and, in 1843, the first recipient of a doctoral degree awarded by the Faculty of Medicine.

NOTABLE UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS ALUMNI

Since its foundation, the University of Athens has played a defining role in Greece’s political, scientific and social development. Especially in its early decades, the University educated many of the public figures who helped shape modern Greece.
Its alumni include presidents of the Hellenic Republic, prime ministers, government ministers, and internationally distinguished figures in science, literature, culture and the Church.

The University of Athens at a Glance

University of Athens – Cyprus Branch Established in 2025

THE UNIVERSITY’S FIRST GRADUATE

NOTABLE UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS ALUMNI

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