Statistics
The Department of Higher Education (DAE) has proceeded to the Mapping of the Educational field for Higher Education in Cyprus for the academic year 2019-2020.Specifically, the DAE collected data from the Higher Educational Institutions of Cyprus (Private and Public Universities and Private and Public Institutions of Tertiary Education) concerning the number of students (Cypriots, other EU-citizens and citizens of non-EU countries) per Level of Study and Discipline, as well as the preferences of students per Discipline and Level of Study.
Analysis of the data showed that the total number of students studying in Cyprus for the academic year 2019-2020 (according to data collected for the 2020 spring semester) is 53.262, 39.203 of whom study at the Universities of Cyprus and 14.059 study at the Institutions of Tertiary Education. As Chart 1 indicates, 5.421 students attend 1-3 year Programmes of Study offered by Institutions of Tertiary Education, whereas 19.271 students attend Undergraduate Programmes at the Universities, 7.213 students attend Undergraduate Programmes at the Institutions of Tertiary Education, 18.470 students attend Postgraduate Programmes at the Universities, while 1.338 students attend Postgraduate Programmes at the Institutions of Tertiary Education, 1462 students are pursuing their Ph.D. studies at the Universities, while 87 students are pursuing their Ph.D. studies at the Institutions of Tertiary Education.
Chart 1: Number of students at Universities and Institutions of Tertiary Education according to the level of study

From a total of 53.262 students at Higher Educational Institutions in Cyprus, 22.949 are Cypriot nationals (43.08%), 18.863 are nationals of other EU countries (35.42%), while 11.450 are non-EU nationals (21.5%).
Tables 1-5 below show data on Cypriots, EU and non-EU students studying at the Universities of Cyprus during the academic year 2019-2020.
Table 1: Number of students at Public and Private Universities according to level of study, sex and country of origin (Cypriot nationals, nationals of other EU countries, non-EU nationals).
Number of students studying in Universities | |||||||
Level of Study | Cypriots | Other EU nationals | Non-EU nationals | Total | |||
Men | Women | Men | Women | Men | Women | ||
Undergraduate level | 5823 | 6670 | 2394 | 2815 | 837 | 732 | 19271 |
Masters level | 1736 | 2744 | 3275 | 9891 | 475 | 349 | 18470 |
Ph.D. level | 409 | 633 | 147 | 172 | 55 | 46 | 1462 |
Total number of students | 7968 | 10047 | 5816 | 12878 | 1367 | 1127 | 39203 |
18015 | 18694 | 2494 |
Table 2: Number of students at Public and Private Universities according to level of study, sex and continent of origin
Number of students studying in Universities | |||||||||||
Level of Study | America | Asia | Oceania | Africa | Europe | Total | |||||
M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | ||
Undergraduate level | 81 | 80 | 350 | 287 | 44 | 38 | 220 | 135 | 8359 | 9677 | 19271 |
Masters level | 56 | 49 | 122 | 106 | 9 | 4 | 249 | 143 | 5050 | 12682 | 18470 |
Ph.D. level | 6 | 9 | 32 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 6 | 556 | 815 | 1462 |
Total number of students | 143 | 138 | 504 | 412 | 54 | 44 | 484 | 284 | 13966 | 23174 | 39203 |
Table 3: Number of undergraduate level students at Public and Private Universities according to sex and country of origin (Cypriot nationals, nationals of other EU countries, non-EU nationals)
Number of students studying in Universities | |||||||
Type of University | Cypriots | Other EU nationals | Non-EU nationals | Σύνολο | |||
Men | Women | Men | Women | Men | Women | ||
Public | 2551 | 3741 | 435 | 701 | 21 | 38 | 7487 |
Private | 3272 | 2929 | 1959 | 2114 | 816 | 694 | 11784 |
Total number of students | 5823 | 6670 | 2394 | 2815 | 837 | 732 | 19271 |
12493 | 5209 | 1569 |
Table 4: Number of Masters level students at Public and Private Universities according to sex and country of origin (Cypriot nationals, nationals of other EU countries, non-EU nationals)
Number of students studying in Universities | |||||||
Type of University | Cypriots | Other EU nationals | Non-EU nationals | Σύνολο | |||
Men | Women | Men | Women | Men | Women | ||
Public | 935 | 1488 | 867 | 1101 | 54 | 67 | 4512 |
Private | 801 | 1256 | 2408 | 8790 | 421 | 282 | 13958 |
Total number of students | 1736 | 2744 | 3275 | 9891 | 475 | 349 | 18470 |
4480 | 13166 | 824 |
Table 5: Number of Ph.D. level students at Public and Private Universities according to sex and country of origin (Cypriot nationals, nationals of other European countries, non-EU nationals)
Number of students studying in Universities | |||||||
Type of University | Cypriots | Other EU nationals | Non-EU nationals | Total | |||
Men | Women | Men | Women | Men | Women | ||
Public | 302 | 480 | 82 | 96 | 20 | 11 | 991 |
Private | 107 | 153 | 65 | 76 | 35 | 35 | 471 |
Total number of students | 409 | 633 | 147 | 172 | 55 | 46 | 1462 |
1042 | 319 | 101 |
Tables 6-9 below show data on Cypriots, other EU and non-EU students studying in Institutions of Tertiary Education in Cyprus during the academic year 2019-2020.
Table 6: Number of students at Public and Private Institutions of Tertiary Education for the fall semester of the academic year 2019-2020, according to country of origin (Cypriot nationals, nationals of other EU countries, non-EU nationals), and sex
Public and Private Institutions of Tertiary Education | Enrolled students – Winter Semester 2019-2020 | |||||
Cypriots | Other EU nationals | Non-EU nationals | Men | Women | Total | |
Private Institutions of Tertiary Education | 4247 | 193 | 8446 | 8904 | 3982 | 12886 |
Public Institutions of Tertiary Education | 775 | 36 | 6 | 485 | 332 | 817 |
Total number of students | 5022 | 229 | 8452 | 9389 | 4314 | 13703 |
Table 7: Number of students at Public and Private Institutions of Tertiary Education for the spring semester of the academic year 2019-2020, according to country of origin (Cypriot nationals, nationals of other EU countries, non-EU nationals), and sex
Type of Institution of Tertiary Education | Enrolled students– 2019-2020 Spring Semester | |||||
Cypriots | Other EU nationals | Non-EU nationals | Men | Women | Total | |
Private Institutions of Tertiary Education | 4159 | 133 | 8950 | 9160 | 4082 | 13242 |
Public Institutions of Tertiary Education | 775 | 36 | 6 | 485 | 332 | 817 |
Total number of students | 4934 | 169 | 8956 | 9645 | 4414 | 14059 |
Table 8: Number of students at Public and Private Institutions of Tertiary Education for the Fall Semester 2019-2020, according to level of study and country of origin (Cypriot nationals, nationals of other EU countries, non-EU nationals)
Level of Study | Number of students at Public and Private Institutions of Tertiary Education | |||
Cypriots | Other EU nationals | Non-EU nationals | Total | |
1-3 years programmes | 2645 | 115 | 2789 | 5549 |
Undergraduate level | 1539 | 54 | 5157 | 6750 |
Masters level | 784 | 59 | 471 | 1314 |
Ph.D. level | 54 | 1 | 35 | 90 |
Total number of students | 5022 | 229 | 8452 | 13703 |
Table 9: Number of students at Public and Private Institutions of Tertiary Education for the Spring Semester 2019-2020, according to level of study and country of origin (Cypriot nationals, nationals of other EU countries, non-EU nationals)
Level of Study | Number of students at Public and Private Institutions of Tertiary Education | |||
Cypriots | Other EU nationals | Non-EU nationals | Total | |
1-3 years programmes | 2587 | 67 | 2767 | 5421 |
Undergraduate level | 1456 | 41 | 5716 | 7213 |
Masters level | 836 | 60 | 442 | 1338 |
Ph.D. level | 55 | 1 | 31 | 87 |
Total number of students | 4934 | 169 | 8956 | 14059 |
Chart 2 below shows the number of students studying at Public and Private Institutions of Tertiary Education, according to the Level of Study over the last four academic years (2016-2017 until 2019-2020). It seems that there has been a steady increase in the number of students studying in the 1-3 years duration Programmes, as well as in the number of students studying in Undergraduate Level Programmes, while the number of graduate students both at a Masters and a Ph.D. level has remained stable.
Chart 2: The number of students at Public and Private Institutions of Tertiary Education, according to the level of study during the academic years 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019 and 2019-2020

Chart 3 below shows the number of students who studied at Cypriot Universities, according to Level of Study over the last four academic years (2016-2017 until 2019-2020). It seems that there has been a steady increase in the number of students studying at both Masters and Ph.D. level over the last four years, with the only exception being a drop in the number of students studying during the academic year 2019-2020 compared to the academic year 2018-2019 (a drop of 1.168 students).
Chart 3: The number of students at Public and Private Universities, according to the level of study during the academic years 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019 and 2019-2020

It should be noted that from a total of 39,203 students studying at Public and Private Universities, 15.689 students (11.373 women and 4.316 men) were enrolled in a Distance Learning Study Programme (40%).
Table 10 below presents the number of Cypriot, EU and non-EU students studying in Distance Learning Programmes for the academic year 2019-2020.
Table 10: Number of students at Distance Learning Programs in Public and Private Universities according to level of study, sex, and country of origin (Cypriot nationals, nationals of other EU countries, non-EU nationals).
Number of Students at Universities | |||||||
Distance Learning Study Programmes Level | Cypriots | Other EU Nationals | Non-EU Nationals | Total | |||
Men | Women | Men | Women | Men | Women | ||
Undergraduate level | 145 | 189 | 215 | 349 | 25 | 19 | 942 |
Masters level | 613 | 1112 | 2970 | 9455 | 308 | 206 | 14664 |
Ph.D. level | 25 | 26 | 14 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 83 |
Total number of students | 783 | 1327 | 3199 | 9821 | 334 | 225 | 15689 |
2110 | 13020 | 559 |
Chart 4 below shows the number of students at Distance Learning Programmes in Cypriot Universities according to the Level of Study over the last four academic years (2016-2017 until 2019-2020). The number of students has been steadily increased, while the number of students at the Undergraduate Level has gradually dropped.
Chart 4: Number of students studying in Distance Learning Programmes at Public and Private Universities, according to the level of study during the academic years 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019 and 2019-2020

As regards as to the most popular Programme of Study, it appears that the first choice among students at the Undergraduate Level is Medicine and Paramedical Sciences, followed by Finance and Business Administration, Social Sciences and Sciences of Education and Engineering (Table 11).
Table 11: Students’ of Undergraduate level programmes at Public and Private Universities discipline preferences
Programmes of Study | Number of students | Percentage |
Medical and Paramedical Sciences | 5157 | 26.8% |
Finance and Business Administration | 3888 | 20.2% |
Social Sciences and Education Sciences | 3862 | 20.0% |
Engineering Sciences | 2630 | 13.6% |
Humanities | 1771 | 9.2% |
Pure and Applied Sciences | 1622 | 8.4% |
Philosophy | 341 | 1.8% |
Total | 19271 | 100% |
Table 12: Students’ of Masters level programmes at Public and Private Universities discipline preferences
Programmes of Study | Number of students | Percentage |
Social Sciences and Education Sciences | 9482 | 51.3% |
Finance and Business Administration | 5309 | 28.7% |
Humanities | 1766 | 9.6% |
Medical and Paramedical Sciences | 800 | 4.3% |
Pure and Applied Sciences | 530 | 2.9% |
Engineering Sciences | 499 | 2.7% |
Philosophy | 84 | 0.5% |
Total | 18470 | 100% |
As it is shown at the above Tables, the students of Masters Level Programmes prefer mostly the fields of Social and Education Sciences (51.3%). The Finance and Business Administration Programmes is their second preference (28.7%), while Humanities is their third preference (9.6%) (Table 12). When it comes to the Ph.D. Programmes of Study, the first choice among students is Social and Education Sciences, followed by Engineering Sciences, Finance and Business Administration and Medical and Paramedical Sciences (Table 13).
Table 13: Students’ of Ph.D. level programmes at Public and Private Universities discipline preferences
Programmes of Study | Number of students | Percentage |
Social Sciences and Education Sciences | 418 | 28.6% |
Engineering Sciences | 321 | 22.0% |
Finance and Business Administration | 202 | 13.8% |
Medical and Paramedical Sciences | 188 | 12.9% |
Humanities | 133 | 9.1% |
Pure and Applied Sciences | 109 | 7.4% |
Philosophy | 91 | 6.2% |
Total | 1462 | 100% |
The most popular Study Programme which lead to a Certificate, Diploma and a Higher Diploma for students studying at Institutions of Tertiary Education is Hotel and Tourism, followed by Business Administration and Finance, Aesthetics, Secretarial and Computers (Table 14). The first preference among students studying at the Undergraduate Level in the Institutions of Tertiary Education is Business Administration and Finance, followed by Hotel and Tourism, Aesthetics and Computers (Table 15). Students who study at a Masters Level at the Public and Private Institutions of Tertiary Education prefer mostly the Business Administration and Finance Programmes, followed by the Arts (Acting, Music, Art, Photography), Education and Medical and Paramedical Sciences (Table 16). As far as Ph.D. level studies and concerned, students at Public and Private Institutions of Tertiary Education prefer mostly Medical and Paramedical Studies, followed by Environmental Sciences and Computers and Cultural Heritage Studies (Table 17).
Table 14: Students’ of 1-3 years programmes of study (Certificate, Diploma and Higher Diploma) at Private Institutions of Tertiary Education discipline preferences
Programmes of Study | Number of students | Percentage |
Hotel and Tourism | 486 | 16.3% |
Business Administration/Finance | 466 | 15.6% |
Aesthetics | 385 | 12.9% |
Secretarial | 277 | 9.3% |
Computers | 264 | 8.9% |
Culinary Arts and related subjects | 238 | 8.0% |
Mechanical engineering | 164 | 5.5% |
Table 15: Students’ of Undergraduate level programmes at Public and Private Institutions of Tertiary Education discipline preferences
Programmes of Study | Number of students | Percentage |
Business Administration/Finance | 1583 | 50.5% |
Hotel and Tourism | 711 | 22.7% |
Aesthetics | 241 | 7.7% |
Computers | 143 | 4.6% |
Culinary Arts and related subjects | 93 | 3.0% |
Medical and Paramedical Studies | 87 | 2.8% |
Arts (Acting/Music/Art/Photography) | 74 | 2.4% |
Table 16: Students’ of Masters level programmes at Public and Private Institutions of Tertiary Education discipline preferences
Programmes of Study | Number of students | Percentage |
Business Administration/Finance | 739 | 75.0% |
Arts (Acting/Music/Art/Photography) Hotel and Tourism | 93 | 9.4% |
Teaching | 63 | 6.4% |
Medical and Paramedical Studies | 53 | 5.4% |
Culinary Arts and related subjects | 17 | 1.7% |
Computers | 12 | 1.2% |
Aesthetics | 9 | 0.9% |
Total | 986 | 100% |
Table 17: Students’ of Ph.D. level programmes at Public and Private Institutions of Tertiary Education discipline preferences
Programmes of Study | Number of students | Percentage |
Medical and Paramedical Studies | 28 | 47.5% |
Environmental Sciences | 12 | 20.3% |
Computers | 11 | 18.6% |
Cultural Heritage | 8 | 13.6% |
Total | 59 | 100.0% |
Students of Distance Learning Undergraduate Programmes at the Universities prefer mostly the fields of Humanities, followed by Social and Education Sciences and Finance and Business Administration (Table 18). As regards as to the Distance Learning Graduate Programmes, the students’ first choice is Social and Education Sciences, followed by Finance and Business Administration, Humanities and Medical and Paramedical Sciences (Table 19). At the Ph.D. level, the first choice of Distance Learning Programme students is Humanities, followed by Finance and Business Administration, Social and Education Sciences and Pure and Applied Sciences (Table 20).
Table 18: Students’ of Distance Learning Undergraduate level programmes at Public and Private Universities discipline preferences
Programmes of Study | Number of students | Percentage |
Humanities | 366 | 38.9% |
Social and Education Sciences | 317 | 33.6% |
Finance and Business Administration | 259 | 27.5% |
Total | 942 | 100% |
Table 19: Students’ of Distance Learning Masters level programmes at Public and Private Universities discipline preferences
Programmes of Study | Number of students | Percentage |
Social and Education Sciences | 8533 | 58.2% |
Finance and Business Administration | 4153 | 28.3% |
Humanities | 1355 | 9.2% |
Medical and Paramedical Sciences | 345 | 2.4% |
Pure and Applied Sciences | 268 | 1.8% |
Engineering | 10 | 0.1% |
Total | 14664 | 100% |
Table 20: Students’ of Distance Learning Ph.D. level programmes at Public and Private Universities discipline preferences
Programmes of Study | Number of students | Percentage |
Humanities | 30 | 36.1% |
Finance and Business Administration | 28 | 33.7% |
Social and Education Sciences | 14 | 16.9% |
Pure and Applied Sciences | 11 | 13.3% |
Total | 83 | 100% |
Chart 5 below shows the number of students who studied at Universities and Institutions of Tertiary Education over the last five academic years (2015-2016 until 2019-2020). It should be noted that over the last five academic years there has been a continuous increase in the total number of students, both at Universities and at Institutions of Tertiary Education. In particular, the academic year 2019-2020 there was an increase of 206 students in the total number of the University students compared to the number of students in the academic year 2018-2019. During the academic year 2019-2020 there is an increase in the number of students at the Institutions of Tertiary Education compared to the number of students of the academic year 2018-2019 (16.3%, increase of 1970 students).
Chart 5: Number of students at the Universities and at the Public and Private Institutions of Tertiary Education over the academic years 2015-2016, 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019 and 2019-2020.
