In Greece, Roma ethnic-cultural identity is frequently situated in a social narrative which "others" this community. As a consequence, Roma pupils' low achievement is frequently understood on the basis of a deficit view of Roma culture because schooling and Roma traditions are widely seen as incompatible. This article theorises aspects related to Roma's national and ethnic-cultural identity descriptions by investigating how 20 Greek Roma who have accessed higher education account for their success in relation to its connections with their national ("being Greek") and ethnic-cultural ("being Roma") identities. This article argues that, for the respondents, "being Greek" is critical in making up their identity; simultaneously, their identities positively draw on "being Roma" which is reconstructed, against public stereotypes, as being connected with educational success and with "being Greek". The findings suggest that the identities of these academically successful respondents are inclusive of national and ethnic-cultural dimensions.