Georgetown University, Iowa State University and Roger Williams University have received approval to establish operations in Greece, adding higher education to a bilateral relationship already spanning defense, energy, investment and technology.

Three American universities have received licenses to establish and operate academic entities in Greece beginning with the 2026–27 academic year, marking a new stage in the expanding relationship between the United States and Greece.

The approvals were announced on July 24 by the Greek Ministry of Education and include Georgetown University, Iowa State University of Science and Technology and Roger Williams University.

Georgetown and Roger Williams will establish operations in Athens, while Iowa State will be based in Thessaloniki.

The universities are entering Greece under a recently established legal framework allowing foreign institutions to operate non-state, nonprofit university branches in the country. The licenses authorize the institutions to establish and operate their Greek entities, but their individual degree programs must still undergo a separate accreditation process through Greece’s Hellenic Authority for Higher Education.

The arrival of the three American institutions adds education to a US-Greece relationship that has expanded across defense, energy security, trade, investment and emerging technologies.

Education and culture are already included in the formal US-Greece Strategic Dialogue, along with regional cooperation, defense and security, energy, trade and investment, law enforcement and humanitarian preparedness. In its most recent joint statement, the two governments described education, innovation and culture as contributors to economic growth and security.

Georgetown University to Offer Graduate Degrees in Athens

Georgetown University will establish Georgetown University Greece in Athens, with an initial focus on graduate education connected to leadership, energy and sustainability.

The university is working with Greece’s Public Power Corporation (PPC), referenced in Georgetown’s official announcement here, to offer two ten-month graduate programs through Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business.

The Executive Master’s in Leadership will cover business, public policy, technology, energy and organizational management. Nine intensive modules will be held in Athens, followed by a final residency and commencement activities at Georgetown’s campus in Washington, D.C.

A second program, the Master of Science in Environment and Sustainability Management, will combine environmental science with business, finance, energy policy and sustainability management. It will follow a similar structure, with most instruction taking place in Athens and a concluding residency in Washington.

Both programs are designed primarily for working professionals and will be taught by Georgetown faculty.

Georgetown already maintains a presence in Greece through Earth Commons Greece, an Athens-based environmental research and education center described on Georgetown’s official site here, involved in work related to biodiversity, water resources, sustainable development and the environmental challenges facing Mediterranean communities.

Iowa State Builds on a 30-Year Partnership in Thessaloniki

Iowa State University will establish the AFS University of Science and Technology on the campus of the American Farm School in Thessaloniki.

The initiative is detailed in Iowa State’s official announcement here.

The new institution will initially include three academic schools offering English-language bachelor’s degrees in plant production, food science, biochemistry and agricultural business.

The programs will use the American Farm School’s laboratories, educational farm and other facilities, with an emphasis on agriculture, food production, science, business and applied research.

The project builds on a relationship between Iowa State and the American Farm School that has lasted approximately 30 years. According to Iowa State, more than 300 of its students have participated in programs at the school, along with exchanges involving more than 25 faculty and staff members.

The undergraduate programs are expected to begin during the 2026–27 academic year, subject to their final accreditation. Graduate programs may be added later.

Roger Williams Partners With The American College of Greece

Roger Williams University, based in Rhode Island, will serve as the American university partner for Deree, The American University of Greece, a new legal university entity created by The American College of Greece.

The partnership is referenced in official ACG communications here.

The Athens-based institution plans to operate through three schools covering business and economics; arts, humanities and social sciences; and science and technology.

It has applied to offer 22 undergraduate programs and one graduate program, although the final offerings will depend on the completion of Greece’s accreditation process.

The partnership will allow students to pursue degrees awarded through an American university while studying in Greece under the country’s new regulatory framework for non-state higher education.

Education Joins a Broader American Presence in Greece

The university approvals come during a period of wider American involvement in Greece.

The two countries have expanded defense cooperation through the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement, while Greece has become an important entry point for American liquefied natural gas moving into Southeast and Central Europe.

American energy companies have also expanded their involvement in offshore exploration, while trade, technology, investment and innovation have become regular components of bilateral government discussions.

Speaking to members of the Greek diaspora in New York in September 2025, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described the relationship as having expanded across defense, new technologies, education and energy.

The government approvals do not mean that traditional American campuses will immediately be recreated in Greece. Each university is entering through a different model.

Georgetown is beginning with specialized graduate programs in partnership with PPC. Iowa State is building an agriculture and science-focused institution with the American Farm School. Roger Williams is providing the American academic partnership behind Deree’s transition into a university operating within Greece’s new legal framework.

Four additional institutions were included in the Greek government’s July approvals: European University Cyprus, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord of France, and Britain’s University of Essex and University of Derby.

Their inclusion brings the total number of newly licensed foreign university entities to seven, but the American presence accounts for three of the four newly approved applications. The other three European institutions were licensed following the reevaluation of earlier applications.

The next step will be the accreditation of the individual academic programs proposed by each institution. Final enrollment dates and the complete list of available degrees will depend on that process.