The private university founding boom of the early 2000s has ebbed, but new locations are still being added. According to data from Statistics Austria published on Thursday, there were 16,000 students at private universities most recently (2022/23 academic year), which is almost five percent of all students. This is an increase of five percent compared to the previous year.
The private university type was created in 2000, and the first accredited private university was the Catholic Theological University of Linz in 2001. Ten more institutions were added by 2005, some of which have closed over the years. In the current academic year there are 17 private universities and two private colleges.
