QS Top Universities: Schools

The establishment of the University of Thessaloniki, as the second Greek university, was legislated under Law 3341/1925, during the premiership of Alexandros Papanastassiou, during the period of the first Greek Democracy.

The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki began direct participation in various European Union Educational Programmes from the beginning. The Educational Programmes Office was established to provide administrative support for the programmes and today employs six members of staff who deal with all matters concerning incoming and outgoing students. The co-ordination of the activities of the Office of European Educational Programmes is carried out by a Committee appointed by the Senate, for which the Dean of Academic Affairs is responsible. This twelve-member Committee consists of Professors from all the Faculties in the University.
Due to the continuous attempts it has made, AUTH is now recognised as the most important institution in the country in the field of European educational programmes (ERASMUS, LINGUA, ECTS, COMETT, TEMPUS, and others), within the framework of which hundreds of European and other universities cooperate in the exchange of teaching staff and students, the conduct of intensive courses, etc. With the help of these programmes, AUTH each year receives more than 400 foreign students and sends about 500 of its own students to various countries. Within the framework of the same programmes there is also an exchange of a significant number of members of the Teaching Research Staff.
The experiences gained from European Educational Programmes in different areas of education in recent years have come together in the SOCRATES Programme and have developed, in parallel, with the introduction of new activities.
The SOCRATES Programme is an extension of the programmes mentioned above and covers a wide range of activities, which will be developed before the end of the millenium. The agreement by AUTH to participate in this programme involves cooperation with 333 institutions from all the member states of the European Union in its many activities, and exchanges of more than 2,000 students each year are anticipated as well as exchanges of teaching staff, intensive programmes, etc. For further information about the programme:

A steady and unbroken development lasting more than twenty-three centuries is an unusual phenomenon in the history of a city. Thessaloniki is one of the few European cities which can boast a long and, at the same time, continuous history. Moreover, in this case, there are some additional features which characterize the history of only a few Greek cities which have remained unchanged throughout the history of the city despite turbulent economic, social and demographic urban change. In the following brief historical review we will try to present concisely all the facts which are considered to be the main components of the history of this Macedonian capital.
A long time before the establishment of the city, the entire gulf of Thermaikos was dotted with long-standing settlements of people. Up until today, seven of those prehistoric settlements have been found in the area, which proves that this area has been inhabited since the fifth or the sixth millennium BC. Moreover, the excavation findings certify the uninterrupted presence of these settlements throughout the Ancient and Classical era as well as the close financial and cultural relations between the inhabitants of this area with the rest of Greece.

Faculty

Number of Faculty Staff	Headcount: 2,330
Total number of academic faculty staff who are responsible for planning, directing and undertaking teaching only, research only or both teaching and research. Please include: vice-chancellors, deputy vice-chancellors, principals, professors, heads of school, associate professors, principal lecturers and tutors. Please exclude research assistants, PhD students who contribute to teaching, and exchange scholars or visiting professors who are members of another university. FAQ: How is research assistant defined?
Number of International Faculty Staff	Headcount: 17
Number of academic faculty staff who are of foreign nationality. The term �international� is hereby determined by citizenship. For EU countries, this includes all foreign nationals, even if from another EU state. In Hong Kong, this includes professors from Mainland China. Inclusion and exclusion mirrors those for academic faculty staff.

Undergraduate Information

Number of Undergraduate Students	Headcount: 86,000
Number of students pursuing a Bachelor�s level or equivalent degree. This excludes certificates/diplomas and associate�s degrees.

Graduate / Postgraduate Information

Number of Graduate / Postgraduate Students	Headcount: 9,000
Students pursuing a higher-level degree (Master and Doctorate), including both taught and research postgraduates (e.g. PhD students)

Students

Total Students	Headcount: 8,586
Total number of students.
Total International Students	Headcount: 2,905
Number of students who are foreign nationals. The term �international� is hereby determined by citizenship. For EU countries, this includes all foreign nationals, even nationals of other EU states. In Hong Kong, this includes students from Mainland China.