A new Eurobank study delivers a sharp critique of Greece’s higher education system, arguing that a rapid expansion in university participation has not been matched by gains in skills or educational quality.
The report notes that Greece leads the European Union in participation among 20-year-olds in higher education, with 55.7% enrolled, compared with an EU average of 33.1%. Yet researchers question how universities can award degrees to people assessed as functionally illiterate, citing OECD findings showing that 19% of university graduates fell into that category.
The study points to “degree inflation,” weak alignment between graduates’ skills and labor-market needs, and one of Europe’s highest rates of overqualified job seekers, with many degree holders employed in low- or medium-skill jobs. It also highlights a sharp rise in postgraduate and doctoral graduates.
