Studying at Austrian Private Universities is more efficient and focused

The Federal Ministry asked students about socially related issues

The recently published results of the Austrian Student Social Survey of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research provide a comprehensive overview of relevant social issues related to studies and student life. The 16 domestic private universities in Austria score particularly well in the assessment of the quality of teaching, the individual advisory services offered by the universities and the wide range of courses on offer, particularly in the fields of business studies, medicine and art. Across Austria, around 325,000 students from all higher education sectors were invited to take part in the survey. 48,000 students submitted their answers and feedback.

Quality of teaching is exceptionally good

Students of domestic private universities were able to contribute feedback about their experiences in higher education. Karl Wöber, President of Modul University Vienna and the Austrian Private University Conference ÖPUK, is pleased with the results. "The assessment of the quality of teaching is exceptionally good compared to other sectors and the recommendation rate is also significantly higher than the level of the state-financed universities. We are particularly pleased, however, with how highly the students rate us in terms of support in organizing their studies. We are almost 20 percentage points ahead of the state-funded universities in this respect. Our investments in quality and the breadth of our offerings are now paying off. We can also see this in our numbers of enrollment.  Also this year (2020) most private universities are again expecting growth in student numbers."

Shorter study times and fast integration to job market

The results of the survey show that students at private universities have to spend more time on their studies than students at state universities, but at the same time they rate their learning success more highly. Karl Wöber finds the following explanation: "Studying at private universities is more intensive and focused. The result is shorter study times, more efficient studies overall and faster integration into the job market". In addition, students at private universities often rate their lecturers particularly positively. In addition, private universities now account for a significant proportion of national student places in popular programs such as medicine, dentistry, psychology, music and business, which is very positively evaluated by students.

The complete study is available for download in German: www.sozialerhebung.at