Enrollment in Cyprus’s public institutes of further education falls by 24.7% in six years

Cyprus’s public institutes of further education (ΚΙΕ) have lost almost a quarter of their students in six years. In the 2019–2020 academic year, they recorded 12,600 enrolments, compared with 9,482 in 2025–2026. The difference amounted to 3,188 enrolments, or 24.7%.

ΚΙΕ offer language courses, additional lessons based on the school curriculum and exam preparation at prices significantly lower than those of private tutoring centres: annual fees range from €225 to €385, while exam preparation costs €410. At the same time, private centres remain an integral part of Cyprus’s education system and a major expense for thousands of families.

The decline was uneven. From 12,600 enrolments, the figure fell to around 8,000 in 2020–2021 amid the pandemic, then to 7,749 in 2021–2022 and to a low of 6,921 in 2022–2023. This was followed by a recovery to 9,420 in 2023–2024, another drop to 8,726 and an increase to 9,482 in the current academic year — still below the level of six years ago.

Overall figures are being supported by adult non-Cypriots studying Greek. According to the Ministry of Education, there were 1,399 of them in 2019–2020 — around 11% of all enrolments — while their number for the new academic year is estimated at approximately 2,700. Excluding this group, enrolment fell from 11,201 to 7,114, or by 36.5%.

The problems facing ΚΙΕ first reached parliament in 2021, when the discussion focused precisely on the decline in enrolments and the number of operating branches. The institutes have been operating since 1959–1960; they now have 46 branches in all districts of Cyprus and remain focused on lifelong education for both children and adults.