Private Universities in Austria

“The legal framework for private universities

Private universities have been established in Austria since 1999. The respective Federal Act on Private Higher Education Institutions (Gazette I No. 77/2020 / Privathochschulgesetz – PrivHG, BGBl. I Nr. 77/2020) provides the legal basis. AQ Austria (Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation Austria) is the national quality agency for Austrian private higher education institutions. It carries out both institutional and programme accreditations.

These procedures form the basis for the state recognition of higher education institutions and their degree programmes. AQ Austria’s work is based on the Higher Education Quality Assurance Act (Hochschul-Qualitätssicherungsgesetz – HS-QSG) and the Private Higher Education Institutions Act (PrivHG).”