Perrotis College, the higher education division of the American Farm School in Thessaloniki, Greece, offers an ideal setting for faculty-led study abroad groups. 

Our location, infrastructure, and experience hosting groups enable us to provide faculty-leaders and students with a wide array of services and options to shape programs around each group’s particular interests and needs. 

Who We Are

The only private residential college in Greece, Perrotis offers English medium bachelor degrees to Greek and international students in four areas of study—Environmental Systems Management, Food Science & Technology, International Agribusiness, and Outdoor Leadership/Alternative Tourism.  In addition to hosting faculty-led groups, the College offers summer, semester, and yearlong study abroad and internship programs to undergraduates from US and international universities.

The American Farm School (AFS) was established in 1904 to educate the “heads, hands and hearts” of young men and women of high school age from Greece and the Balkans: a mission which, with the opening of Perrotis College in 1996, was extended to those seeking a university degree.  Today AFS has become a unique institution offering elementary, high school, college and adult education programs, all of which are serviced by the AFS farm.  The 165-acre campus farm includes a herd of Holstein-Friesian dairy cows and a new educational dairy. The farm also has a poultry unit, greenhouses, field crops, olive orchards, vineyards, and a winery. 

What We Offer

As a study abroad venue, Perrotis College offers services, facilities and features that few other institutions can match.

Ideal Location:

• The Campus:  The 165-acre campus, located in a green suburb just six miles east of downtown Thessaloniki, offers a quiet, green, safe environment.  Since most of the students reside on the school grounds, as do a majority of staff and their families, the campus atmosphere resembles that of a small Greek village. Yet the school is a short 10-minute drive from Thessaloniki’s international airport and 15 minutes from the city center.  One of the largest shopping centers in Southeastern Europe is a 15-minute walk from campus.  Health facilities are nearby, as are excellent recreational and sports facilities.  The Chalkidiki peninsula—famous for its beaches, resorts, and the medieval monasteries of Mt. Athos—begins a half-hour drive south of the school.  And an hour to the west is Mt. Olympus, the mythical home of the Greek gods and popular destination for hikers from around the world.  Other sites of interest close by are Stageira, (birthplace of Aristotle), Vergina, (tomb of Alexander’s father, Philip II); and, at the foot of Mt. Olympus, the ancient city of Dion. With easy access to air, rail, and sea links, the campus serves as an ideal base for exploring mainland and island Greece.

• The City:  Founded in 315 BC,Thessaloniki is a modern, bustling city, the second largest in Greece, and the major seaport for Southeastern Europe.  The city, a former Cultural Capital of Europe, has become famous for its cuisine, open air markets, Byzantine churches, and lively student population (Aristotle University, the country’s largest public university, is located in the city center). 

Inclusive Infrastructure:

• Campus Residence Facilities:  As a residential school, Perrotis College hosts visitors year round in comfortable, convenient residential facilities. Selected as a “representative sustainable building” for the 2011 EcoWeek International Conference on Urban Communities & Green Architecture, ‘Aliki Perroti’ student facility uses environmentally friendly building materials, innovative design features, and state of the art technology to create living spaces that facilitate both individual privacy and community interaction.

• Office Space and ICT Access:  Wireless Internet access is available in the residence halls, as well as in all classrooms, offices, and the Library.  Visiting faculty are provided office space, PC, and other IT access, and audio visual equipment for teaching purposes.  Video and skype conferencing facilities are also available.

• Sports Facilities:  Visiting faculty and students have access to an outdoor soccer field, tennis courts, and campus gymnasium which houses weight room and newly refurbished basketball court.

• Library:  The campus Library maintains a collection of over 8000 books, CD-ROMS and DVDs, and subscribes to 45 journals as well as to the Emerald Management 95 and Science Direct databases.  It provides students and faculty with reference services, audio-visual and photocopying services; reading carrels, two computer labs, a conference room, and an amphitheater.  Access to the Library collections is available through the Online Public Access Catalogue.

• Teaching & Research Facilities:  In addition to classrooms, teaching facilities include two conference rooms; an amphitheater, and a multipurpose room; laboratories for chemistry, biology, horticulture, plant propagation, soil science and agronomy; and an outdoor AgroCenter.  The newly completed Life Sciences Laboratory includes facilities for new product development in connection to our Food Science & Technology major, and the European Biological Control Laboratory, which is currently being used to conduct USDA research projects.

• Educational Farm: The Farm is divided into Dairy, Poultry, and Horticulture departments. The Dairy unit Holstein-Friesian herd has been the industry leader in productivity and quality of milk since 1935, when the institution first introduced pasteurized milk to Greece. Our newly completed dairy produces what is considered the best milk in Greece, as well as cheese and yogurt. The Poultry unit uses the latest scientific methods to produce and market Omega-3 eggs, turkeys, broilers and day-old chicks. The Horticulture unit includes greenhouses and nurseries; a vineyard and winery; olive trees, and extensive experimental field crops.

Experience in Hosting Groups:

Our institution is a living laboratory where students undertake practical training in agricultural production, animal husbandry, agribusiness, food science and technology, and natural resource management. Each year thousands of farmers, schoolchildren, university students, and other visitors enjoy the opportunity to observe, participate, and learn.  Among those visitors are many study abroad students and interns from US universities, as well as study abroad groups. 

We work with each group to find the right balance between academic rigor, experiential learning, and avenues to partake in the culture, natural beauty, and historical significance of Greece.  We assist faculty leaders and their institutions in arranging teaching programs, student orientation, excursions, recreational activities (including sailing the islands and hiking Mt. Olympus), and arranging additional university-credit courses, homestays, service-learning projects, and research or work internships.

• Support for Faculty-Leaders:  We also know the importance of providing logistical and other support for faculty-leaders.  We can help lessen the teaching load by providing assistance from Perrotis College teaching staff, all of whom hold advanced degrees, most from American and British universities.  For a nominal fee, faculty and staff are also available to accompany groups on trips and excursions.  We offer free lodging to faculty leaders who bring groups of 10 or more students and, in special cases, a visiting faculty member can be invited to teach in our regular study abroad and academic programs. 

• Tailor-Made Programs:  Perrotis College staff work closely with universities in setting up a program that suits the interests and needs of students, faculty, and the Stateside institution.  Once the home university identifies program length, time of year, and courses, we assist in arranging appropriate services and support.  Because the College runs its own degree program for Greek and international students, as well as a lively, diverse study abroad and internship program, we can offer many opportunities to visiting faculty and students.  These include, as mentioned above, arranging for additional credit courses, homestays, service-learning projects, research and work internships, and a variety of excursions, tours, and field trips.

Optional Activities:

We offer a wide range of optional activities that include a four-day excursion to Athens, a two-day Mt. Olympus trek, sailing around the Chalkidiki peninsula, and during the summer months, a four-day sailing trip to the Northern Aegean Sporades islands.

We also assist groups arrange tours of Thessaloniki and excursions to various sites in Northern Greece. (Participation in these activities is limited to groups staying on campus for two weeks or more.  The sailing trip requires a minimum of five participants)

Program Fees

The standard fees for students and faculty are quoted below. However, fees vary according to size of group and length of stay.

Student Fees: 

The standard fees for students participating in faculty-led groups are as follows:

Security Deposit: $200/person. Refundable (retained on a credit card upon arrival)

 ¹Costs and fees are paid in US dollars, and are subject to change.  Also note that once fees have been paid there is a 10% surcharge for any cancellation of an optional activity or a room & board reservation.

*Health insurance is $15 and up depending on length of stay

⁴A complete list of optional activities (lectures, tours, excursions, etc.) for faculty-led groups is available on request. 

Program fees and optional costs do not include:

• Transportation expenses to and from Thessaloniki, Greece.
• Trips and excursions.
• Meals and personal expenses while not on campus.
• Pocket money.
• Visa and residence permit fees (these are paid directly to the Greek authorities).

Costs for Faculty:

The standard costs for faculty are as follows:

¹Faculty who bring groups of 10 or more students have their room cost waived.

²The price for the meal package is fixed; no refunds are available for missed meals.

³For visits of six weeks or more, this fee is increased to $50 per person.

All services and options not identified above are negotiable.

When You Can Come

We can arrange to host groups on whatever dates suit the needs of the home institution and its study abroad group.  However, the dates of our regular study abroad and academic programs are as follows:

• Fall 2017
  September 25 – December 22
  Deadline for arranging visits: August 1, 2017
• Winter 2018
  January 1 – January 26
  Deadline for arranging visits: November 30, 2017
• Spring 2018
  January 21 – May 18
  Deadline for arranging visits: December 22, 2017
• Summer 2018
  May 21 - June 29
  Deadline for arranging visits: April 10, 2018

Questions or Clarifications

Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have. Send an e-mail to studyabroad@afs.edu.gr or call us at 0030 2310 492 700.