https://rihe-journal.com/index.php/rihe <p> </p> <p><strong>The Journal of Research and Innovation in Higher Education (JRIHE)</strong> is an international peer-reviewed, open access journal (ISSN: 2960-4419) without a submission charge and a publishing fee. It has been relaunched in 2023 and had emerged from the <a href="https://rihe-journal.com/index.php/rihe/History_of_the_Journal">Working Papers in Higher Education Studies (WPHES)</a>.</p> <p>The journal is devoted to innovative higher education research from various disciplines and fields of study. Its uniqueness within the landscape of higher education journals lies in its particular focus on supporting early career scholars via an innovative peer-review process. JRIHE is associated with the Erasmus Mundus program <a href="http://www.marihe.eu/">“Master in Research and Innovation in Higher Education” (MARIHE)</a>.</p> <p>Read our <strong><a href="https://rihe-journal.com/index.php/rihe/Aims_and_Scope">Aims and</a><a href="https://rihe-journal.com/index.php/rihe/Aims_and_Scope"> Scope</a> </strong>here. </p> <p> </p> en-US Journal of Research and Innovation in Higher Education <p><strong>JRIHE</strong> is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal (ISSN: 2960-4419). All journal content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under the <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/at/">Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Austria (CC BY 3.0) License</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/at/"><img src="https://rihe-journal.com/public/site/images/kalberts/cc-by-1c928e33ef6d1c49a2d76f6197066a38.png" alt="" width="403" height="141" /></a></p> https://rihe-journal.com/index.php/rihe/article/view/69 <p>Private higher education (PHE) in Europe has experienced significant expansion in recent decades, making it an increasingly important player in tertiary education. This report offers a comprehensive analysis of PHE across Europe, with a particular focus on Germany. Utilizing data from the European Tertiary Education Register (ETER) and Eurostat, we examine the quantitative landscape of private institutions, their financial sustainability, and their role in expanding access to higher education.</p> <p>Germany presents an important country-level case study, with its growing private HE sector coexisting alongside its well-established public higher education system. The report explores key factors driving the expansion of private universities, including rising demand, demographic shifts, and the increasing cost pressures on public institutions. We introduce the concept of “marginal costs” to highlight the economic challenges of expanding access to tertiary education, particularly when it comes to first-generation students and those requiring additional academic support.</p> <p>We then look at how private institutions have increasingly adopted flexible learning models, leveraging digitalization and artificial intelligence to enhance efficiency and reduce growing marginal costs. Through case studies of four German private universities, we identify four business models, ranging from large-scale online providers to niche, high-tuition institutions.</p> <p>Our findings indicate that PHE is actively expanding in Europe. One means of this expansion is digitalization, which can reduce marginal costs and fuel expansion. The report concludes by outlining future research directions on the role of PHE in fostering educational access, efficiency, and innovation.&nbsp;</p> Alexander Kalgin Isak Frumin Yeliz Duskun Vicenso Drushku Zachary Reyna Copyright (c) 2026 Alexander Kalgin, Isak Frumin, Yeliz Duskun, Vicenso Drushku, Zachary Reyna https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/at/ 2026-05-31 2026-05-31 7 1 1 59