A recent survey conducted by market research firm Management Consult, commissioned by the Association of Private Universities (VPH), has revealed a significant and growing burden of bureaucratic hurdles facing private higher education institutions in Germany. The findings, reported by Funke-Mediengruppe, underscore a critical disconnect between the burgeoning private university sector and the capacity of accreditation bodies.
The survey, involving key decision-makers across the private university landscape, indicates that a staggering 71.4% perceive the bureaucratic load as ‘high’ to ‘very high.’ The overwhelming majority of complaints, accounting for seven of the ten most frequently cited barriers, are directly related to accreditation and re-accreditation processes – both for the institutions themselves and for individual degree programs.
Ottmar Schneck, Chairman of the VPH board, attributes the problem to insufficient infrastructure within accreditation bodies struggling to keep pace with the rapid expansion of the private higher education market. He argues that the current system is ill-equipped to handle the increased workload, leading to protracted decision-making timelines. This delay has tangible financial ramifications, particularly in the accreditation of new degree programs. As long as a program lacks accreditation, private universities are legally prohibited from offering it. Postponements by the Accreditation Council, which convenes at intervals, can therefore translate into semester-long delays for institutions.
Furthermore, the practice of granting accreditations for periods of only five years, rather than the longer ten-year timeframe, intensifies the burden. Given that an accreditation process itself typically consumes approximately two years, universities find themselves perpetually entangled in resource-intensive and demanding procedures.
While acknowledging the importance of robust quality assurance measures and the necessity of filtering out substandard providers, Schneck insists on streamlining the process and accelerating timelines. The current system, while aiming for essential quality control, risks stifling innovation and impeding the growth of a vital sector of German higher education, demanding a critical reevaluation of the accreditation infrastructure. The situation highlights a potential political challenge: balancing quality control with the need to support a thriving and competitive private university landscape.