University pick based on proximity, job prospects
The rising cost of living and the need to secure a steady paycheck appear to have been the main drivers in university preferences this year, according to an analysis of the application forms submitted by candidates.
Carried out by mathematician Stratos Stratigakis, one of the main findings of the study was a marked rise in candidates in more rural parts of the country choosing schools near home as opposed to ones in bigger cities.
The University of the Aegean’s School of Business on Chios, for example, saw the number of candidates who listed it as their top preference – dictated by proximity – almost triple this year to 108 from 39, while the overall number of candidates who listed it among their preferences – indicating nationwide – dropped by 214 from 3,042 to 2,828.
A similar picture emerged with the University of Macedonia’s Department of Management Science and Technology in Kozani and the University of Western Macedonia’s Department of Economics in Kastoria.
Stratigakis also found a rise in demand for the Athens-based Hellenic Police Academy – where a job, steady paycheck and promotions are secured – with 1,239 candidates making it their top preference against 752 in 2021. Preschool education has also become more attractive, with 3,281 more candidates this year compared to last.
