RESOURCES AND SERVICES
Students Affairs Office
The Student Support Unit is under the Directorate of Academic Affairs and operates at Department level.
The mission of the Unit is to support students during their academic life, the continuation of their studies and their integration into the labor market, as well as support for internal mobility and exchange programs.
Financial Support for Students
- Long - term mobility: Students from Partner Countries may receive a monthly contribution to their expenses abroad of EUR 850. Each selected individual participant will get a travel contribution based on the distance from the sending to the receiving institution.
- Participation in Blended Intensive Programs/ Short-term mobility (should be combined with a virtual component in order to award at least 3 ECTS) Τhe daily contribution is 79EUR(5th-14th day) and 56EUR (for 15th -30th day)
Each selected individual participant will get a travel contribution based on the distance from the sending to the receiving institution.
Distance is calculated using the distance calculator of the European Commission's tool:
| Distance | Amount |
| 10-99 km | 20 EUROS per participant (KA171/2023) 28 EUROS (KA171/2024) |
| 100-499 km | 180 EUROS per participant (KA171/2023) 211 EUROS (KA171/2024) |
| 500-1999 km | 275 EUROS per participant (KA171/2023) 309 EUROS (KA171/2024) |
| 2000-2999 km | 360 EUROS per participant (KA171/2023) 395 EUROS (KA171/2024) |
| 3000-3999 km | 530 EUROS per participant (KA171/2023) 580 EUROS (KA171/2024) |
| 4000-7999 km | 820 EUROS per participant (KA171/2023) 1188 EUROS (KA171/2024) |
| 8000 and more | 1500 EUROS per participant (KA171/2023) 1735 EUROS (KA171/2024) |
Insurance
- EU students: must have a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) during the mobility period.
- Non-EU students: must have private health insurance valid in Greece.
⚠️ Insurance coverage is mandatory, privately arranged, and represents a financial burden for the interested student.
Medical Facilities
According to the Ministry of Education Circular, uninsured undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as doctoral candidates, are entitled to full medical and hospital care in the National Healthcare Service (NHS – Greek: ESY) with coverage of said expenses by the National Organization for Health Care Services (Greek: EOPYY).
The students are referred to Public Health Services with their Social Security number, as since the academic year 2017-2018 the University is not allowed to issue nor renew health booklets for uninsured students.
Any health booklets that may have been issued by the UTH are revoked.
European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)
The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is a free card offering access to public medical care under the same conditions and cost (in some countries, there is no cost) as the insured citizens of the country.
The EHIC does not substitute travel insurance, nor does it cover private healthcare expenses.
An EHIC for uninsured UTH students traveling for educational purposes in one of the 28 countries of the EU, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland is issued by the Student Welfare Directorate and any expenses are covered by the University.
To issue an EHIC, the following documentation is required:
- an application for an EHIC signed by the student
- an attestation of the duration of travel abroad as part of an Erasmus+ Exchange Program, issued by the International Relations Office
- a photocopy of the Academic ID card
In order to issue an EHIC, it will be confirmed that the student is not covered by another insurance agency using the Uninsured Citizens Registry data kept at the e-Government Center for Social Security Services.
Sport and Leisure Facilities
The social and cultural activities carried out in our city and university provide the students with many alternative opportunities for leisure.
Alongside academic success, our university gives great importance to the social and cultural activities of students. Throughout the academic year, the university hosts many famous guests from different academic and artistic backgrounds, enabling students to participate in a variety of lectures, seminars, and workshops, in addition to enjoying performances and special exhibitions in music, dance, theatre, and visual arts.
Incoming students are informed of the sport activities and teams they can join at the beginning of each semester.
Choir
The University of Thessaly Choir was founded in 2015 in Volos, where it is primarily located. Its classes are made up by students and all University Departments from Volos, Larissa, Karditsa, Trikala and Lamia participate in its activities.
Its artistic activity started in 2015 and consistently continues up to this day.
Choir rehearsals are held in the “Skouvara” room, on the mezzanine of Bulding 3 at the seafront complex of the University of Thessaly.
Special Facilities
Student Counselling Service
The Student Counselling and Psychological Support Centre, UTH, provides all UTH students with psychological support and assistance for personal difficulties and concerns, free of charge. At the same time, it offers students training programmes in acquiring skills to manage and solve problems they may encounter.
Students can contact the Counselling and Psychological Support Centre, regardless of the city where they are studying in. First, they should submit their request by filling in the relevant form available on the Centre website: http://kesypsys.uth.gr/ . Then, a Centre associate will contact them to set up a meeting with a counselor.
Students may participate in individual or group sessions and seminars organised at regular intervals. All services are provided free of charge and the sessions are confidential, ensuring personal privacy. More information is available on the University of Thessaly website.
IT & Student Services
- Incoming students will receive an Institutional Account and email address at UTH.
- Services include e-Registrar, eClass (online learning platform), VPN access for off-campus, wi-fi on campus.
- Accessibility and support services are available via the centre “PROSVASI”.
Practical Information For Incoming Mobile Students
- Incoming students must be nominated by their home university under a bilateral agreement.
- Deadlines typically:
- Full academic year/first semester: 30 June
- Spring semester: 30 November
- After nomination, incoming students fill in an application form, may submit a Learning Agreement online (OLA) and select courses.
Cost of Living
Living cost in Thessaly:
The cost of living in Thessaly for an average Erasmus student varies from 400€ to 700€ per month for all expenses, depending of course on the lifestyle of each student.
It would be better for the exchange students to arrive at the city which their Department is situated in the morning or early in the afternoon during the working hours of the Erasmus Office (Mon - Fri, 11:00 - 14:00) so that they might avoid staying in a hotel or private apartments for short stay, although for the first few nights, temporary accommodation might be necessary. The following search engines for short stay accommodation are considered to be safe:
| Booking |
| TriVaGo |
| TripAdvisor |
| Airbnb |
In any case, the Erasmus Office and the ESN are willing to help students find accommodation and get adjusted to the new environment.
Housing
- Incoming students are recommended to arrange accommodation early (private rent, shared flats, or possible university dorms).
- Accommodation details (links, lists) are available via IRO website
Erasmus Students can visit : https://uth.esngreece.gr/accommodation and https://stayinvolos.com in order to find accommodation or contact the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) at uthesn@gmail.com & info@uth.esngreece.gr or on https://www.facebook.com/esnuth/
We strongly recommend you to join the "ERASMUS UTH" group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1425860577690445) , where you can also contact other Erasmus students looking for a roomate and/or check the posts offering accommodation.
As referred above, students can be informed about some of their options for private, fully furnished apartments or houses at reasonable prices and can choose the one more suitable for them. The cost may vary depending on location, available equipment, number of rooms, roommates, inclusion of bills etc
Students are free to search for accommodation on their own, before or after arrival*, through the various real estate agencies in Volos or through valid accommodation websites.
*Students are advised to book their accommodation upon their arrival, after visiting the apartments or houses first.
Caution: Since several students all over the world have already been scammed booking appartments through fake international websites, make sure of the quality of the offered services and suitability of rented apartments (sometimes even of their existence) before booking and definitely before depositing any money in advance.
Meals
Students at the University of Thessaly may submit their application for free meals online, on the relevant UTH platform (VPN connection required), using their institutional account details. Applications are submitted before the end of the current academic year, on dates announced by the Student Welfare Directorate, in order for students to receive meals for the upcoming academic year.
Student Associations
Erasmus experience proves to be a strong motivation for our students to help new incoming students in the University of Thessaly, especially for their first days in the country, having in mind also their need to adjust in a new educational system.
First of all, try to join the "ERASMUS UTH" (fb)! You will find it very useful from every point of view, also for accommodation before arrival and other renting needs (e.g. bicycles)
Language courses
There are specific lists of English-taught or “exchange‐friendly” courses for incoming students.
Students should check departmental coordinators and course lists available online.