Institutions of higher Tertiary education "Ανώτατα Εκπαιδευτικά Ιδρύματα (ΑΕΙ)" (universities and technical universities) and "Ανώτατα Τεχνολογικά Εκπαιδευτικά Ιδρύματα (ΑΤΕΙ)" (technological educational institutes / universities of applied sciences) in Greece are fully self-managed public entities and are the only institutions that can issue university diplomas.