The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens was founded in 1837 with the original name "Othoneion University". It was the first University, not only of the Greek state, but also of the entire Balkan Peninsula and the wider region of the Eastern Mediterranean. In 1932, it received the name: "National and Kapodistrian University of Athens", which it retains until today (abbreviation: NKUA). NKUA is a Public Law Legal Entity, fully self-governing but subject to public law rules and supervised by the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs.
The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens is the largest state institution of higher education in Greece and one of the largest universities in Europe. With 45,500 undergraduate students, 27,200 postgraduate students and doctoral candidates, 8,000 foreign students of all levels, 2,000 academic staff members and approximately 1,000 administrative staff members, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens focuses on the production and dissemination of knowledge. In addition, the University aims to become a center of excellence in research, innovation and teaching in all sciences that it treats, thereby contributing to the social, cultural and economic development of the country.
The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens aims to provide excellent education at all levels of study and to promote science through basic and applied research in a wide range of scientific fields. The vision of NKUA is the promotion of excellence in the field of education, innovation in research, the cultivation of education in general, but also the active participation of the academic community in the social and cultural events of the country.
The mission of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens remains, throughout its historical course almost since the foundation of the new Greek state, the continuous upgrading of the education of young scientists through the continuous improvement of the learning process and the renewal of study programs, the cultivation of the spirit of distinction and the effective connection of the University with society and the economy.