This paper provides a descriptive assessment and analysis on the role and function of private higher education in the world today. It draws on comparative research and analysis to document the variety of private sector providers and their funding mechanisms. It discusses issues of quality assurance related to questions about the capacity or willingness of private providers to deliver programs with academic integrity rather than just for the pursuit of profit. And it presents data on the faculty who teach at these institutions, both in the form of generalizations about their working conditions and qualifications, as well as in comparison to the public sector.