The Unexpected Rise of Private Higher Education in Germany

In their open-access article “The Unexpected Rise of Private Higher Education in Germany”, Anna-Lena Rose and Prof. Dr. Liudvika Leišytė present initial research findings from the BMFTR-funded collaborative project ELLpH—Factors Influencing New Teaching and Learning Concepts at Private Universities.

The article examines the dynamic expansion of the private higher education sector in Germany, a higher education landscape traditionally dominated by public universities. The authors highlight how private universities have developed in recent years and what distinctive features characterize their governance. It becomes clear that private universities are gaining increasing importance and operate within a tension between government regulations, market demands, and institutional autonomy.

The publication thus provides initial insights into key issues of the ELLpH project and lays the foundation for further investigation of the framework conditions and influencing factors affecting innovations in teaching and learning at private universities.