University admission: athlete bonus proposal due within November
Sofia Zacharaki sets out a timetable for the proposal and promises transitional provisions. An approximately two-year transition remains indicative.
Update 13.11.2026 · 09:14, Athens time — What changed
The overall proposal to reform university admission bonuses for distinguished athletes will be presented to the prime minister within November, according to a Ministry of Education announcement dated 12 November about interviews given by Sofia Zacharaki. This is a timetable for presenting a proposal, rather than the start of new admission rules.
The minister said this year’s candidates would not face sudden changes and promised transitional provisions. She referred indicatively to a period of around two years, while explaining that the final terms would be included in the proposal. A definitive implementation year and new bonus percentages have not yet been specified.
Previous coverage · 12 November 2026 · 15:14
The prime minister instructed the Ministry of Education and the General Secretariat for Sport to prepare a new plan reviewing the framework for bonus points in higher education admissions, according to Pavlos Marinakis. His statement appears in the official transcript of the November 12 press briefing.
The government spokesperson said the review would cover the overall framework, rather than athletes alone. For sporting activities, he identified actual participation in teams and competitions as one direction. A second is the number of years spent taking part in activities linked to bonus points.
Marinakis said that, once the ministry settles on a plan and the intervention moves forward, explicit transitional provisions would cover candidates taking examinations “this year” or “next year”, as he described them in his statement. He did not detail those provisions or specify which examination year any new rules would apply to.
The announcement concerns an instruction to prepare a plan. It does not publish new point totals or percentages and does not itself change the current admissions rules. The specific requirements and timetable can be assessed when the plan and the relevant instruments are presented.
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