ÖPUK is the representative body of Austrian private universities and represents their concerns vis-à-vis the legislator, the public, the media and other important stakeholders. It is a founding member of the European Union of Private Higher Education (EUPHE), an association of European private universities that campaigns for more decision-making powers and uniform access criteria for private universities in Europe and represents these issues in the European Parliament.
The 19 Austrian private higher education institutions offer a wide range of study opportunities in more than 200 degree programmes, especially in the fields of social sciences and economics, law, medicine, theology, philosophy as well as art and musicology. With about 20,000 students, the private higher education sector has a market share of 5%.