Cyprus Lifestyle | Education in Cyprus | Working in Cyprus
3 years February 28, 2020
Studying Abroad: Cyprus Higher Education Institutions & Best Routes
If you are thinking about attending university or college, many people see studying abroad as a viable option. Traveling will open up new perspectives and expand any graduates career prospects.
Learning about another culture, and being immersed in a new language are among some of the many benefits. While in Europe (if you choose this option, as many students do), Cyprus has a competent and respected higher education system.
Here are the different universities and routes of secondary education available on the island.
In Cyprus, almost 7% of the GDP is spent on education making it one of the top three spenders on education in the EU, giving it a highly developed education system as per European standards. Coming to Cyprus to study? There are a wide variety of institutions to choose from.
The 4 main classifications of higher education institutions in Cyprus:
Cypriot Public universities.
There are three public universities in Cyprus, and have all been founded as public corporate bodies, this means they are academically independent and governed by their own individual and respective Councils in Cyprus. They are typically government funded, however can raise money using other methods as well. All the three public universities in Cyprus are dedicated to excellence of teaching & research.
The specific objectives and mission of each university are stated in its respective founding Law. They offer academic programs at Bachelor, Master and Doctoral (PhD) level. The teaching languages are the official languages of the Republic of Cyprus, Greek and Turkish.
Cypriot & International Private universities
Private universities are founded as private law organisations of speculative or non-speculative character, registered with the Ministry of Education. Private universities are funded using their tuition fees. Law 109(I)/2005 governs and ensures all the Private Universities are adhering to the education standard.
Private universities focus on:
- The advancement of science.
- Knowledge, learning and education through teaching.
- Research for the benefit of society as a whole.
- The cultivation, transmission, implementation and exchange of knowledge through science.
- The provision of graduate and/or postgraduate education of a high standard that accepts international recognition.
Public non-university level institutions
There are currently five public institutions in Cyprus working at a non-university level, they tend to operate under bodies other than the Ministry of Education & Culture.
Instead, each ministry is responsible for setting regulations for each organisation under its remit and regulates them accordingly based on the institution type, the level of courses available, admission requirements, student enrollment and course curriculum. The official teaching language is English or Greek.
Private non-university level institutions
Non-university level private institutions of higher education are registered with the Ministry of Education and Culture with their programmes of study accredited by the Council for Educational Evaluation & Accreditation. Each establishment sets its own internal regulations and goals with the approval of the Ministry.
They offer vocational & academic programmes at various levels of study, such as the Certificate level (one-year duration), the Diploma level (two-year duration), the Higher Diploma level (three-year duration), the Bachelor level (four-year duration) and the Master level (one-year or two-year duration). Fields of study cover Secretarial Studies, Business Administration, Banking, Accountancy, Hotel Management, Computers and Engineering.
Cyprus is located right between three major continents: Europe, Asia and Africa. Trips to all three places can be found at very fair prices. Check out Lebanon, Turkey, Brussels and Bulgaria which there are frequent, one way flights to.