Are students changing their choices?! Private universities gain ground, enrollments increased by 18.3% in five years
In recent years, private universities in Albania have been attracting more and more students, marking a continuous increase in enrollments and gaining ground against public higher education institutions. Data published by the Institute of Statistics shows that a growing number of young people are choosing to pursue their studies in private institutions, a trend that seems to be consolidating year by year.
According to statistics, if we compare the academic year 2025-2026 with the academic year 2021-2022, the number of students enrolled in private higher education has increased by 18.3%. At the beginning of the analyzed period, private universities had about 29,400 thousand students, while in the most recent academic year this number has reached about 34,800 thousand students.
The growth has not been random, but has continued steadily over the past few years. The peak was reached in the 2024-2025 academic year, when private universities enrolled over 35,700 thousand students, the highest level recorded in the recent period. This development shows that private institutions are strengthening their positions in the higher education market, attracting an increasingly larger share of students.
The positive trend is not only reflected in enrollments, but also in graduations. Data shows that the number of students completing their studies at private universities has been increasing. During 2025, nearly 10 thousand graduations were registered, confirming that these institutions are playing an increasingly important role in preparing young professionals for the labor market.
On the other hand, public universities are facing an opposite trend. Compared to the academic year 2021-2022 and 2025-2026, the number of students enrolled in public higher education has decreased by 14.2%. The decrease has been continuous from year to year, reflecting changes in student preferences, but also the challenges facing the public higher education system.
This development can be attributed to several factors, including the flexibility of study programs, international collaborations, greater orientation towards the labor market, and investments in infrastructure made by private universities. At the same time, the decline in the number of young people in the country due to emigration and demographic changes has put pressure on public universities, which are seeing a shrinking student base.
Trends in recent years show that competition between public and private universities is becoming increasingly fierce. While the private sector is expanding its presence in higher education, public institutions face the challenge of maintaining their attractiveness and attracting new generations of students.
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