Gaudeamus Igitur, Because Austria Has So Many Universities

Austria's universities could sing "Gaudeamus igitur" not because they are young, but because there are so many of them. Guest commentator Othmar Zechner argues that the country's higher-education system has expanded without the consolidation it needs.

Neos science spokeswoman Martina Künsberg-Sarre has questioned the international standing of Austria's 77 institutions and 3,600 degree programs. Zechner says the real issue is not the range of subjects, which a modern, science-oriented country should support, but the number of university institutions competing for limited resources.

Over the past 20 years, Austria has multiplied its universities rather than consolidating them, unlike the Scandinavian countries, he writes. He suggests that regional political leaders may have wanted their own university rather than fall behind their counterparts. That kind of institutional self-promotion would be harmless, he argues, if funding were unlimited.

Instead, dividing a finite pool of money among too many institutions can frustrate expectations and reduce their attractiveness and competitiveness in international competition. Austria also has a relatively small pool of potential private and third-party funders, even though outside funding has become indispensable for modern universities.

Zechner calls for concentration around fewer, stronger institutions. He says the state should focus on the traditional universities in Vienna, Linz, Graz and Innsbruck, the technical universities, the University of Leoben, and university institutes in the cultural sector. Private universities should in principle be funded privately, although state governments currently provide substantial support. He points to the Institute of Science and Technology Austria, whose funding is secured through 2036, as a model that allows long-term scientific planning.