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Expert Comment

Global private higher

education revolution

PHILIP ALTBACH

N THE PAST HALF-CENTURY AND ESPECIALLY Private universities are arguably
since the new millennium, there has been a quiet but
extraordinary promotion of high quality non-profit pri- the best in their countries. Despite
Ivate universities, especially in the Global South (Asia, challenges, private institutions have
Africa). These universities are changing the landscape of
global higher education. They are providing new ideas brought vitality to moribund higher
about organisation, curriculum and even philosophy of education environments
higher education in countries where academic institutions
are usually traditional and bureaucratic. These universities, ties are, in their national contexts, well-resourced due to
often supported by substantial private philanthropy, have their establishment by wealthy individuals or businesses.
been able to attract top-rated students and high-quality Innovation: The universities represent new ideas about
faculty. curriculum, teaching, organisation, student affairs, and
The elite private higher education sector is small — per- other aspects of academic life. Excellent facilities: They
haps 150 worldwide. The largest number is in the United have built ‘state-of-the-art’ campuses that are attractive to
States, with perhaps half the total, and a few in countries students and faculty, and permit advanced research and
such as Japan and South Korea. Some Latin American scholarship. Governance: As private non-profit universi-
countries also host private Catholic and other private uni- ties, they differ from public institutions in their countries
versities. But the largest growth area for premier private in their approach to management and governance and
higher ed institutions is now the Global South. often less influenced by national political pressures, pro-
There have been several periods of development for
these universities. At the end of the 19th century, wealthy vide a greater degree of academic freedom. Highly quali-
fied students and faculty: With ample resources, these
American capitalists sponsored newly invented German- universities are able to attract top quality people. Local
style research universities in an effort to build scientific ca- quality and global orientation: By offering education
pacity in the United States. Stanford, Chicago, and Johns comparable to international standards, these universities
Hopkins, among others, were established and quickly be- retain many students who would otherwise go abroad. Eng-
came renowned private universities. Waseda and Keio, with lish: Most of these universities use English either as the
similar missions, were founded in Japan. sole language of instruction and research or as a prominent
In the Global South, elite private universities began to
be established in the mid-20th century. Examples include language. Internationalisation: Links, joint research,
collaborative degrees and other international initiatives are
the Tecnologico de Monterrey (Monterrey Tec), established integral to these institutions. Students are often offered an
in 1943 in Mexico by industrialists. A decade later, the Ma- international opportunity as part of their degree program.
nipal Academy of Higher Education was founded in India, ost, if not all, of these elite privates depend on revenue
followed by the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Mfrom student tuition — and this determines academic
Pilani. programs and future direction. Tuition prices tend to be
These pioneer private universities now have multiple high so students from low-income families cannot attend;
campuses in their country and are among the best and most therefore diversity is limited. However, many such as LUMS
innovative national academic institutions. In the following in Pakistan, have a robust scholarship program aimed at
decades, additional innovative universities were founded. low-income and rural students. But by and large, the new
Symbiosis International University in Pune, India, was elite universities remain preserves of wealthy families —
established in 1971 as an internationally-focused institu- indeed this may be one of their attractions. These univer-
tion, and the Pohang University of Science and Technology sities remain mainly undergrad institutions and few have
(POSTECH) was founded in 1986 in South Korea. become research-intensive with large graduate programs
INSPER, an independent university in Sao Paulo, Brazil in the traditional disciplines, although some offer highly-
focusing on business, economics, and (later) engineering regarded professional schools in fields such as business and
was founded in 1987. LUMS University (formerly Lahore law. These are arguably the best universities in their coun-
University of Management Science) in Pakistan, was found- tries, but at the same time sometimes benchmark them-
ed in 1984 and grew from a management training insti- selves against the top global institutions — a rather high
tution to a comprehensive university. There were a small hurdle. Despite challenges, these elite private institutions
number of additional universities founded during this pe- have brought vitality to an often moribund higher education
riod in other countries. environment in their countries.
Although there are probably under 50 such institutions
in the Global South, there are some elements common to (Philip G. Altbach is research professor and distinguished fellow, Center
all. Among them — Financial backing: These universi- for International Higher Education, Boston College)

26 EDUCATIONWORLD JULY 2023