NEOS to Put Number of Universities in Austria Under Scrutiny

According to figures cited by NEOS, Austria currently has 23 public universities, 21 universities of applied sciences, 17 private universities, 14 teacher training colleges, and two private colleges. In the party's view, this diversity of institutions and programs should not simply be continued, but strategically reorganized.

Facts: Figures on the Higher Education Landscape

In terms of content, the party is concerned with more excellence, better talent development, higher international visibility, shorter study durations, and a higher graduation rate. "wie man mehr Exzellenz, bessere Talentförderung, höhere internationale Sichtbarkeit, kürzere Studiendauern und eine höhere Abschlussquote schaffe" – NEOS wants to bring these questions into the strategy process. At the same time, Künsberg Sarre emphasized that not every university has to offer everything.

To kick off the parliamentary discussion, Robert-Jan Smits, the former EU Director-General for Research and Innovation and former rector of the University of Eindhoven, was invited. NEOS wanted to discuss necessary strategic directions for the higher education sector with him and gather impulses for the ongoing strategy process.

Strategy Process and Open Conflicts

The background to the debate is the "Higher Education Strategy 2040" launched by the Ministry of Science. This process is intended to fundamentally discuss whether and how the Austrian higher education landscape should be reorganized. A final report is planned for the first quarter of 2027.

However, the process has recently become more complicated: due to planned austerity measures in the university sector, the Universities Conference and the Private Universities Conference initially withdrew from the strategy process. This conflict between policymakers and higher education representatives is considered one of the central hurdles to the success of the 2040 Strategy.

NEOS Position on Profile Building

In this context, Künsberg Sarre underscored the importance of clear profile building: "Der österreichische Standort wird in Zukunft nur attraktiv sein und mithalten können, wenn wir gut aufgestellt sind. Es geht um strategische Profilbildung. Es muss nicht jede Hochschule alles machen." This makes clear that the NEOS politician explicitly wants a reduction or concentration of locations and study programs to be put on the table.

Observers view the move as an attempt by the opposition party to have an early say in the direction and topics of the strategy process. The coming months, until the final report is presented in early 2027, will show whether the higher education representatives will re-engage in the process and whether the government will revise the austerity plans in light of the strategy.

The APA report on which this article is based is dated 8 June 2026. NEOS announced that it will continue to follow the debate in the upcoming parliamentary sessions and bring forward its own proposals regarding the structure of the higher education space.