Although later, in the Meiji period, the remark that Daigaku-besso were 'private schools' was published in Yasutsugu SHIGENO's 'Honpo Korai Kyoiku no Taigai' (Overview of the Education of Ancient Japan), this is not borne out by the facts, because there is no record that Daigaku-besso had specialist teachers to give lectures, and at that time there were kinds of 'shijuku' (private tutoring schools at teachers' homes) that corresponded to private schools, where teachers in the Daigaku-ryo or reputed scholars provided lectures (example: Kanke Roka School of the Sugawara clan).
後世、大学別曹を「私立学校」とする見解（重野安譯「本邦古来教育ノ大概」など）が出されたが、大学別曹に専門の教員が置かれて講義がなされたという記録はなく、また当時において私立学校に相当するものは、大学寮の教員や著名な学者が教員の自宅で講義を行った一種の「私塾」であったと想定できる（例菅原氏の菅家廊下）ために、この見解は成り立たない。