A report released by the National Tertiary Education Union found 27 per cent of all positions on university boards were corporate executives or consultants, who were appointed, rather than elected, to the role.
The report found of the 545 positions on public university governing bodies, 366 were appointees, and of those, 143 were from the corporate sector or for-profit organisations.
The analysis revealed only 137 of the positions were made of staff, students or graduates from universities in elected positions.
Ahead of a meeting of federal, state and territory education ministers on Friday, the union has urged for changes to the structure of how universities are governed, calling for a minimum number of elected representatives.
The union's national president Alison Barnes said the rise in corporate appointments to university boards had led to unfair practices at campuses.
"It's little surprise the rise of big business appointees on university boards has coincided with an explosion of insecure work, wage theft and poor governance," Dr Barnes said.
"We're seeing the very worst traits of big business infecting our public universities."
The University of New England, based in the regional NSW town of Armidale, had the highest levels of corporate appointments, making up 50 per cent of its board.
The University of Wollongong also had one-in-two of its board members from the corporate sector, while Macquarie University, 46 per cent, the University of Melbourne, 42 per cent, and La Trobe University, 40 per cent, had the next highest numbers of the appointments.
It comes as a review into the higher education sector, known as the university accords, said there had been issues with governance arrangements.
"In recent times, our regulatory and university governance arrangements have been too slow to recognise and respond to several important issues, especially in the areas of student wellbeing and staff employment," the accord's final report said.
The federal government is considering the recommendations to universities laid out in the accords.
Dr Barnes said changes to governance structure should be a top priority for education ministers ahead of Friday's meeting.
"No one is more committed to sustainable universities that deliver for Australian society than staff and students," she said.
"Yet we're now in a shocking situation where they are outnumbered by big business appointees with little to no experience in higher education."
12°C