Universities, colleges drop in ranking – Surprise rise of military schools

Source: ProtoThema English

In recent years, Greek Higher Education has been experiencing a deep crisis, which is also reflected in international rankings, such as Webometrics. The course of Greek public universities as well as colleges appears downward, as shown in the global Webometrics 2024–2025 ranking, specifically in the annual evaluation of Cybermetrics Lab, the research center of the Spanish CSIC, which records the position of more than 32,000 universities and colleges worldwide.

For Greece, the data show a decline of public universities (-12.1% on average), downgrading of colleges (-10.3% overall and -19.1% for those aiming for university upgrade). On the contrary, Military Schools emerged as the unexpected protagonists, as they recorded an increase in a year of generalized decline by 14%.

Improvement for 4 Universities
The average world ranking (WR) of Greek universities worsened by -12.1%: from 1,482 in July 2024 to 1,661 in July 2025. Most regional universities lost significant positions, while only four of the 24 Greek universities improved their ranking: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), University of Thessaly, University of Western Macedonia, and the Hellenic Open University (HOU). However, despite the decline, the seven leading public universities remain in the top 1,000 worldwide: NKUA (WR 273), AUTH (WR 287), NTUA (WR 453), University of Patras (WR 655), University of Crete (WR 721), University of Thessaly (WR 808) and University of Ioannina (WR 853).

Collapse of Colleges
Greek colleges have lost significant ground, particularly the 23 institutions evaluated by Webometrics. The average world ranking fell by -10.3% (from WR 16,187 to WR 17,849).
For colleges that have already applied for licensing to establish and operate foreign university branches in Greece, the average ranking dropped by -19.1% (from WR 12,063 to WR 14,373).

In the 2024–2025 Webometrics ranking, Deree is not included, as it holds international accreditation (by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, USA). Although it maintains a better position (WR 3,645), it also experienced a decline of -22.6%.

The Surprise
A bright exception in the academic landscape are the Higher Military Educational Institutions (ASEI). The Hellenic Army Academy, Hellenic Naval Academy and Hellenic Air Force Academy all showed improvement. Overall, the average world ranking of ASEI improved by +14% (from WR 8,371 to WR 7,198).

The Hellenic Army Academy stood out, marking a rise of 22.3%, gaining 1,857 positions in one year (from WR 8,318 to WR 6,461). This represents the most impressive progress not only among the Military Schools but across all Greek Higher Education Institutions.

At the same time, challenges remain, as Greece still lags regionally. Notably, Turkey’s National Defense University (WR 2,728) ranks much higher, approaching the level of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (WR 1,945) and the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis (WR 1,595).

What Comes Next
The Webometrics 2024–2025 ranking leaves no room for complacency: Greek Higher Education faces structural weaknesses that lower its global academic standing. Although the leading public universities keep their place, institutions overall are losing momentum. As the country awaits the ETHAAE decision regarding which colleges will be licensed, their international image highlights the need for further upgrading.

As for the Military Schools, their progress contrasts with the overall downward trend of Greek universities. A national strategy of internationalization of Higher Education is now considered an absolute priority, together with increased investment in research, extroversion, and international collaborations.

The original article: https://en.protothema.gr/2025/08/27/universities-colleges-drop-in-ranking-surprise-rise-of-military-schools/ belongs to ProtoThema English .