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Facts and Figures

The American College of Greece - Welcome - Facts and Figures

FACTS AND FIGURES

During the decade of the 1960s, there were significant changes at the College. Pierce College was incorporated in the state of Colorado in 1961 and was authorized to grant bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees. In 1963 the secondary school division of Pierce College was recognized by the Greek government as the equivalent of a national public school. In 1965 the College permanently moved to a sixty-acre site in Aghia Paraskevi, a northeastern suburb of Athens. The first baccalaureate degrees were awarded in 1969. The undergraduate division was renamed Deree College in 1973 in honor of a generous benefactor from Chicago, William S. Deree (born Derehanis in the village of Ambelionas in the prefecture of Messenia in the Peloponnese).

Deree College is an American-sponsored, independent, coeducational, nonsectarian, and nonprofit educational institution accredited in the United States. One hundred and twenty-five years of dedicated service have forged a school larger and more diverse than its founders could have envisioned. Over 14,000 alumni reside in 39 countries and are prominent in business, the arts, and the professions.

Deree College has two campuses, the Aghia Paraskevi campus and the Downtown campus. The Aghia Paraskevi campus, situated on the western slopes of Mt. Hymettus, some ten kilometers from the center of Athens, offers a magnificent view of the surrounding countryside. Its original buildings were designed by the renowned Greek architect, Constantine Doxiades. The Downtown campus was established in 1971 to broaden the College's commitment to both business education and the professional community in Greece. After two decades of remarkable growth, the College launched a development campaign to construct a new urban campus. With the help of a challenge grant from the United States Agency for International Development, funds were raised in both Greece and the United States from businesses, parents, alumni, trustees, and friends to build a five-story facility in Ambelokipi, near the city's business center, in 1993. Both the Aghia Paraskevi campus and the Downtown campus offer outstanding programs in the arts and sciences and in business administration, and the Downtown campus also offers an associate in applied science degree.

The Junior College was established in 1994 and is located at the Downtown campus. Its two-year program offers associate degrees in the liberal arts and in business that permit its graduates to continue toward the completion of a bachelor's degree at Deree College, to transfer to other four-year institutions, or to enter the workforce better qualified.

Although a majority of Deree and Junior College students are Greek, others come from more than 40 countries. Admissions standards are rigorous and competitive, without regard to gender, race, creed, color, or economic background. English is the exclusive language of instruction on both campuses. Since it is a second language for most students, its constant use is a significant part of the learning experience. Students are encouraged to take advantage of the linguistic environment of the College to improve their communication skills in English.

The educational system at Deree and The Junior College is based upon that of American institutions of higher learning. Its degrees do not correspond to those granted by Greek educational institutions and are not recognized by Greek authorities as the equivalent of Greek public university degrees. Nonetheless, Deree College degrees are internationally recognized as the equivalent of corresponding degrees granted by colleges and universities accredited in the United States.

Male students of Greek citizenship are not eligible for military deferment on the basis of their enrollment at Deree.

It should be understood that since the status of private education in Greece is defined by Greek laws and regulations that may be modified at any time by the competent authorities, Deree College cannot guarantee that its educational status in Greece will remain unchanged. However, while faithfully observing all relevant Greek laws and regulations, the College can confidently assert that it will always strive to provide its students with a quality education of a standard equivalent to that of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the United States by virtue of the College's accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.