After being named after one of the most famous Greek philosophers of all time, it is hardly surprising that the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki is one of the oldest and most highly ranked institutions in Greece. It is also the largest in the country, covering 230,000 square metres of space in the centre of the coastal city, Thessaloniki, and enrolling about 40,000 students at one time. The university offers both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, principally taught in native Greek but also welcoming international students for courses in German, Italian, French and English.
The university offers a range of programmes over 11 different faculties, including the traditional subjects of Sciences, Philosophy and Law, and courses in Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Environment, Education and Fine Arts. There is also a strong research field at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, with close connections to organisations within Greece and throughout the world, working on scientific, technological and social developments. The campus itself has many impressive buildings including the Aristotle University Library, the second largest in Greece and home to more than 800,000 books alone. Outside the campus, the university also has a Centre of Byzantine Researches, a farm and forest reserves, and visitors can explore the grounds to find smaller departmental buildings, halls of residences, sports clubs and social student centres.
As it is located in the centre of Thessaloniki, visitors can easily reach Aristotle University by using the local bus services that navigate the city as there are bus stops directly beside the campus, or indeed by walking from the city. The central station is just over a 30-minute walk away, where visitors can find train links throughout Europe, and there are also boat links from the main ferry terminal connecting to nearby Greek islands.
Founded in 1925, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki was the second university of Greece, built on the remains of an old Jewish cemetery in the city. It gained its current name after the Greek philosopher in 1954, who was born 55 kilometres away in the ancient city of Stageira. Some of the first faculties were Philosophy, Law, Theology and Mathematics, although more were slowly added over the years in a series of expansions and changes at the University.