The University

The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens was officially founded in April 14th, 1837, by King Otto of Greece, and was named in his honor Othonian University. It was the first University not only in Greece, but both the Balkan peninsula and the Eastern Mediterranean region. The Othonian University was renamed to National University in 1862, following events that forced King Otto to leave the country. In 1932 the National University was officially renamed to “National and Kapodistrian University of Athens” in honor of Ioannis Kapodistrias, the first governor of Greece, after the nation’s independence.

The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens is the largest state institution of higher learning in Greece, and among the largest universities in Europe. With a student body of about 125,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students, over 2,000 members of academic staff and approximately 1,300 administrative and secretarial staff and specialized personnel, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens aims at excellence in both teaching and research in a significantly varied range of disciplines.

The Department of Economics is an independent department within the School of Economics and Political Sciences at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. The Department of Economics is renowned for its outstanding faculty members, some of which have served as Prime Ministers of the Hellenic Republic, Ministers of Finance, Minister of Economy, Competitiveness and Shipping, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Interior, Public Administration and Decentralization, Ministers of Labor and Social Insurance, Governors and Deputy Governors of the Bank of Greece, Vice President of the European Central Bank, Chairmen of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officers of Banks, Presidents of the Athens Stock Exchange, Governor of the Foundation of Social Security, Chairmen of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Telecommunications Organization S.A., the Public Power Corporation S.A., Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos”, etc. In other words the faculty of the Department encompasses the most influential economic decision makers of the Modern Greek State. Furthermore, its faculty members are world-class researchers and educators focusing on all fields of economics and business, such as bank management, accounting, corporate finance, investments, economic history, philosophy, mathematics, statistics, information science etc. Thus, the Department of Economics of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens plays a leading role in the production of economic knowledge, by challenging conventional wisdom, exploring new ways of thinking, generating new insights, and uncovering compelling evidence. 

Epitome of the Data on the NKUA’s Operation (2012-2016)

The position of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in the seven most famous ranking lists the period 2015-2016 (Universal Level and position in Greek Ranking)