Learning Greek as a foreign language

The body competent for supporting and promoting the Greek language both inside and outside of Greece is the Greek Language Centre which is based in Thessaloniki. The Greek Language Centre is a private law body corporate under the supervision of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs and operates as a coordinating, consultative and executive body of the state on issues of language education and policy. It places particular emphasis on issues of language support and education for Greeks returned from abroad, Greeks abroad and foreigners. Among its activities are setting various levels of exams in the Greek language and certification of fluency levels in Greek.

Teaching Greek as a foreign language in Greece

The teaching of Greek as a foreign language in Greece takes places at the following universities:

• Athens University


• Aristotle University of Thessaloniki


• University of Patra


• University of Ioannina


• Democritus University of Thrace


• University of Crete


• Ionian University

• Hellenic - American Union
• French Institute
• Hellenic Culture Centre - Ifigenia Georgiadou
• The Athens Center - Greek Culture
• “Alexander the Great” Greek Language School
• Balkans Peninsula Studies Foundation
• International Centre of Greek and Mediterranean Studies
• Anatolia College, Thessaloniki
• Christian Youth Brotherhood
• Christian Young Women’s Association
• Efxini Poli

Teaching Greek as a foreign language abroad

The Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs has established Coordination Offices which are responsible for supervising and administering the teaching of Greek abroad while at the same time acting as liaison offices for tertiary level education.

For more information on learning Greek abroad and the certification process, contact the Coordination Offices, which are usually housed in Greek Embassies or Consulates. The addresses of these offices can be found on the Ministry of Education website.

Moreover, Greek courses abroad are also run by the Greek Cultural Institute via its annexes in Berlin, Alexandria and Odessa. These annexes operate as authorized examination centres where examinations set by the Greek Language Centre of the Ministry of Education are conducted each year for acquisition of the official Greek language skills certificate.

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