This guide covers the Republic of Cyprus. Its higher education system has two distinct halves for an international student. The public universities, including the University of Cyprus and Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), teach almost all undergraduate programmes in Greek: CUT states that all of its bachelor's programmes are taught in Greek and that very good Greek is a prerequisite for foreign applicants. Their English-taught offer is at master's level, where CUT runs programmes in artificial intelligence and data engineering, shipping management, chemical engineering, design and digital marketing. Private universities such as the University of Nicosia (UNIC) teach most programmes in English, from accounting and architecture to medicine and veterinary medicine.
Fees follow the same split. At CUT a non-EU bachelor's student pays EUR 6,834 a year, and a master's costs a total of EUR 5,125 for most programmes regardless of nationality, with a few specialised masters at EUR 7,500, EUR 9,600 and EUR 19,500. CUT's non-EU students must pay a deposit and the first semester's instalment before an entry permit can be arranged. At UNIC, for 2026-27, most bachelor's programmes cost EUR 10,320 a year, Architecture EUR 11,820, Medicine EUR 24,000 and Veterinary Medicine EUR 21,000, and master's programmes are priced for the whole course, from EUR 14,490 to EUR 35,280.
Deadlines are less formal than in northern Europe. CUT publishes dated rounds for its masters: for September 2026 the second round closed on 30 June, but on 12 June for non-EU applicants who need an entry permit. UNIC gives only indicative deadlines of late June for September entry and late October for February entry.
English requirements are moderate: IELTS 6.5 and TOEFL iBT 72 or more for CUT's masters, and IELTS 6.0 and TOEFL iBT 72 for UNIC's undergraduate programmes, rising to IELTS 6.5 and TOEFL 79 for postgraduate study.
A student from outside the EU cannot simply fly in on a tourist visa and apply. The university applies to the Migration Department for an entry permit before arrival, which is examined within a month, and within seven days of arriving the student registers in the Aliens Register and applies for a temporary residence permit, renewable yearly. Students may work up to 20 hours a week in term and 38 hours in breaks, in occupations and sectors set by the Minister of Labour and with a contract approved by a District Labour Office. Graduates of a master's degree or higher can stay up to 12 months to seek work or set up a business.