The highest a Greek school could place in the Academic Ranking of World Universities, also known as the Shanghai Ranking, was the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (EKPA) that's somewhere between 301 and 400.

Apart from the top schools, again dominated by American Ivy League colleges as well as Stanford, MIT and CalTech, there was no precise rating of those lower down in the pack.

The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki was rated from 501-600, the University of Crete from 601-700, and the University of Thessaly from 801-900, Greece still unable to rein in a notorious reputation for secondary school mediocrity.

in positions 501-600, the University of Crete in positions 601-700 and the University of Thessaly in positions 801- 900.

Despite being so far down the list, Greek academics were said to be happy schools were even included in the top 1000, said Kathimerini, because 30 percent of the score comes from graduates and professors who have won the Nobel Prize or Fields Medal in mathematics.

Ironically, some of the top in the world, primarily the first 10, have a number of Greek academics who left their country as well as Greek-Americans who have distinguished themselves as academics in the United States, United Kingdom and elsewhere around the world.