EUPHE

What EUPHE does

EUPHE (European Union of Private Higher Education) is an international non-profit association registered in Brussels, Belgium as an AISBL under Belgian law, founded in Paris on November 30, 2017 and formally constituted on June 26, 2018. It functions as the pan-European alliance of non-state higher education institutions, currently bringing together nine national member associations from Spain (AEEN), Portugal (APESP), Austria (ÖPUK), Slovenia (SSVZ), Poland (SWPS), Ireland (HECA), France (UGEI and UNFL), and Germany (VPH), collectively representing approximately 700 institutions and 1.4 million students.

The organization's core activities are policy advocacy, member convening, and research dissemination. It advocates for equal recognition of private higher education in EU policies, equitable access to public and European funding (including Erasmus+), fair regulatory frameworks, and protection of academic freedom and institutional autonomy. EUPHE produces authoritative publications such as 'The Alternative – Non-state Higher Education in Europe' and the Paris Declaration (adopted June 2026), and runs flagship events including the annual European Private Higher Education Conference and the EUPHE European Congress (Madrid 2025, Paris 2026). It is governed by a General Assembly and Board of Directors; Klaus Hekking (VPH Germany) has served as President since June 17, 2021, succeeding Jean-Michel Nicolle (UGEI France).

EUPHE operates on a membership-based revenue model funded through dues from its national association members and is supported by a lean staff of approximately five employees. Its go-to-market is event-driven, combining annual congresses, multilingual digital communications (English, German, French, Portuguese, Slovenian, Spanish), a research publications library, and direct advocacy toward European institutions and member-state governments. The organization has no technology product, app, or API; its value derives from collective representation and policy positioning rather than a commercial platform.

Name

EUPHE

Legal name

European Union Private Higher Education, ASBL

Website

https://euphe.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

EUPHE is a Brussels-based international non-profit association representing approximately 700 non-state higher education institutions and 1.4 million students across eight European countries through nine national member associations. It advocates for policy recognition, funding parity, and mobility access for private higher education at the EU level.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Association

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

International/Transnational Accreditation & Recognition Bodies (EDADACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

International/Transnational Education Authorities (e.g., cross-border recognition) (EDADAAAJ), Accreditation Coordination, Recognition & Meta-Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAH)

Keywords

• Higher education advocacy
• Non-profit association
• Private universities network
• Education policy lobbying
• Membership association

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: EUPHE operates as an international non-profit association (AISBL under Belgian law) funded through membership dues from national associations representing private higher education institutions across Europe. Revenue supports advocacy activities, events, publications, and operational costs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

EUPHE is an international non-profit association (AISBL/ASBL under Belgian law) that represents non-state higher education institutions across Europe. The organization serves approximately 700 institutions and 1.4 million students through 9 national member associations from 8 countries (Spain, Portugal, Austria, Slovenia, Poland, Ireland, France, and Germany). It provides advocacy toward European institutions and member state governments, organizes annual congresses and conferences (European Private Higher Education Conference, EUPHE European Congress), and produces research publications and position papers on private higher education in Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers9 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• AEEN (Asociación Española de Escuelas de Negocios)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 November 2017Spanish national association of private business schools and founding member of EUPHE. Represents 62 schools with approximately 63,000 students. Contributed to the initial establishment of the alliance in Paris on November 30, 2017.
• APESP (Associação Portuguesa do Ensino Superior Privado)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 November 2017Portuguese national association of non-state higher education institutions with approximately 60 members and 74,000 students. Founding member of EUPHE.
• UGEI (Union des Grandes Écoles Indépendantes)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 November 2017French national association of non-state higher education institutions with 37 member schools and approximately 81,000 students. One of the founding associations that initiated EUPHE creation.
• UNFL (Union des Nouvelles Facultés Libres)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 November 2017French national association of non-state higher education institutions with 5 members. Founding member of EUPHE.
• VPH (Verband Privater Hochschulen e.V.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 November 2017German national association of private higher education institutions with around 82 members and 263,000 students. One of the key founding associations that drove initial EUPHE establishment.
• ÖPUK (Österreichische Privatuniversitäten Konferenz)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 November 2017Austrian national conference of private universities with 16 members and more than 18,000 students. Founding member of EUPHE.
• SSVZ (Skupnost Samostojnih Visokošolskih Zavodov)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSlovenian national association of non-state higher education institutions with 35 members. Member association of EUPHE representing the Central European region.
• HECA (Higher Education Colleges Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIrish national association of independent private higher education providers with 12 member colleges and 27,000 students. Member representing Ireland in EUPHE.
• SWPS UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading Polish non-state university with 5 campuses and more than 17,000 students. Individual institutional member representing Poland in EUPHE.
• Paris School of BusinessflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for the EUPHE European Congress 2026 scheduled for June 18, 2026. Represents collaboration with a major French private business school for annual flagship event.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• EFMD (European Foundation for Management Development): Global membership organization for business schools and management education with EQUIS accreditation. Multiple EUPHE members (e.g., AEEN, UGEI) include business schools that are also EFMD members, making EFMD a comparable peer in the private higher education ecosystem.
• EURASHE: European Association of Institutions in Higher Education, representing Universities of Applied Sciences and professionally oriented higher education institutions across Europe. It is a fellow Brussels-based membership association advocating for non-university higher education at EU level, making it a directly comparable peer to EUPHE.
• European University Association (EUA): Represents more than 850 universities and national rectors' conferences across Europe. EUA is the most directly comparable counterpart to EUPHE, serving as the public/private umbrella for higher education institutions at the EU level, with the same Brussels-based advocacy model.
• European Students' Union (ESU): Umbrella organization for National Unions of Students in 40 European countries, representing the student voice in EU higher education policy. As a Brussels-based pan-European membership organization engaged in advocacy on Erasmus+ and EU funding, ESU is a closely comparable peer.
• ENQA (European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education): Serves as the principal European network for higher education quality assurance bodies, including agencies that accredit private and public institutions. Its focus on transnational quality and recognition frameworks for higher education overlaps materially with EUPHE's policy advocacy role.
• European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR): Registers and monitors European quality assurance agencies in higher education. As a Brussels-based EU-wide entity overseeing higher education standards and recognition, EQAR is closely comparable to EUPHE's role in cross-border higher education recognition and quality coordination.

Regional players

• European Federation of Education Employers (EFEE): Represents employers in the education sector at EU level. While focused on employment rather than educational policy, it shares EUPHE's Brussels-based association model and engagement with EU institutions on education matters.

Emerging players

• Education International (EI): Global federation of education unions with strong European presence, representing teachers and education support personnel. Comparable to EUPHE in its membership-based advocacy structure and engagement with supranational institutions on education policy.
• European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE): Represents education trade unions and teacher associations across Europe. It is a stakeholder in EU higher education policy debates alongside EUPHE, particularly on academic freedom and institutional autonomy, although representing employees rather than institutions.

Others

• EUR-Lex / European Commission DG EAC stakeholders: While not a peer organization, the European Commission's Directorate-General for Education and Culture is the principal EU policy counterpart that EUPHE engages with. It is listed as an adjacent ecosystem participant to contextualize EUPHE's policy environment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/euphe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about EUPHE