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The Council of Rectors unanimously accepted the request submitted by the Catholic University Silva Henríquez (UCSH) to join the Single Admission System (SUA), since it fully complies with the established basic criteria.
In session No. 573 held on April 28 at the Federico Santa María Technical University (USM) in Valparaíso, other relevant topics were also analyzed, such as the allocation of free tuition to approximately 125,000 students and the University Credit Solidarity Fund.
The full Council of Rectors unanimously approved the affiliation of the Catholic University Cardinal Silva Henríquez (UCSH) to the Unified Admission System (SUA), after evaluating the application submitted by the university and verifying that it met the three established basic criteria. Meanwhile, the applications from Bernardo O'Higgins University, the Autonomous University of Chile, and San Sebastián University were not accepted.
“We have analyzed the applications of four universities, and the Council, unanimously, has established that the Catholic University Cardinal Silva Henríquez fully complies with the non-profit requirements, in addition to the coherence of the aims and purposes of that institution with the principles and values of the Unified Admission System, which, in short, we define as institutions that respond in their admission system to the principles of impartiality, objectivity, and of course, recognition of merit, which, in the case of the Catholic University Silva Henríquez, we see as perfectly fulfilled, as well as the accreditation requirement that we requested,” stated the executive vice president of the Council of Rectors and rector of the University of Valparaíso, Aldo Valle, in the context of session No. 573 held on April 28 at the Federico Santa María Technical University in Valparaíso.
In the case of Bernardo O'Higgins University, it was verified that the institution did not meet the accreditation requirement. Rector Valle explained that "this university currently has three years of accreditation, and the CRUCH unanimously determined that it could not be admitted to the SUA for that very reason.".
Regarding the Universidad Autónoma de Chile and the Universidad San Sebastián, the Council plenary session determined that, based on the information submitted by these institutions, it was not possible to verify compliance with the requirement that the absence of profit as a fundamental condition. “In the case of both universities, the Council of Rectors unanimously determined that this condition for membership in the SUA was not met, nor was another of the established requirements, namely that these institutions' purposes must be coherent and consistent with the principles and values that inspire and underpin the SUA: impartiality, objectivity, transparency, recognition of merit, and, of course, equity and inclusion,” stated the executive vice president of CRUCH, adding that a formal communication will be sent during the first week of May to the four universities that submitted applications, outlining the decision adopted by the Council of Rectors in each case.
It is worth remembering that the criteria for applying to the Single Admission System, agreed upon by the CRUCH in its session at the end of March 2016, were three: that the institutions comply with the standard contemplated in law 20.890 regarding accreditation for a specific period since their controllers, as appropriate, are natural or legal persons without profit motives; that they commit to full compliance with the rules and procedures of the Single Admission System, as well as the agreements of the Council of Rectors related to the Admission Process; and that the institutions demonstrate compatibility of their mission and institutional vision with the principles of the CRUCH Single Admission System.
In this way, the Single Admission System would be made up of 36 universities: the 27 universities of the Council of Rectors, including the University of Aysén and the Bernardo O'Higgins University, the eight private universities affiliated since 2011 (Diego Portales University, Mayor University, Finis Terrae University, Andrés Bello University, Adolfo Ibáñez University, University of Los Andes, University of Development and Alberto Hurtado University) and, from this year, the Catholic University Cardinal Silva Henríquez.
On the other hand, regarding the legal action recently filed by Universidad Central against the Council of Rectors, arguing that the requirements for private universities to join the SUA (Unified System of University Accreditation) constitute arbitrary discrimination, the executive vice president of CRUCH (Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities) stated that he was unaware of the document on which the legal action is based. He further noted that “we understand that all individuals and legal entities have the right to appeal to the courts, but once we have the relevant information, we will evaluate its merits and determine the position that CRUCH will take.”.
Free tuition allocation
The CRUCH session included the participation of the head of the Higher Education Division (DIVESUP) of the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC), Francisco Martínez, who provided details on the recent process of assigning free tuition to approximately 125,000 students.
On this occasion, the university rectors made a series of observations aimed at clarifying the process and thus informing their respective student communities. In this regard, Rector Aldo Valle stated, “We have observed that the process is not yet complete; however, we have received assurances from the Director of DIVESUP that there is no policy change whatsoever. Consequently, students will retain the same benefits they had before the tuition-free policy was implemented. Therefore, students who do not ultimately qualify for tuition-free education will have access to other resources and benefits, such as a solidarity fund or scholarships.”.
According to the executive vice president of the Council of Rectors, the MINEDUC Financing Department will publish the results of scholarship applications on May 11th, and based on that information, the situation of students who have not been able to resolve the financing of their education or their fees through the benefits granted by the Ministry will be evaluated.
While tuition-free education is a benefit being implemented for the first time, and universities have received the resources committed specifically for the first semester, the rectors expressed to the head of DIVESUP during the meeting that the uncertainty and ambiguity of the information available so far creates an environment that is detrimental to the implementation of this policy. In this regard, Valle emphasized that “we want more certainty in the implementation of this policy, because from the institutions' point of view, we have received the corresponding resources for tuition-free education committed at the beginning of this policy, but many students and their families lack the clarity and confidence that we believe is essential for them to have, precisely so that this does not become a difficulty or a threat to the many families who trusted in the commitment of this public policy.”.
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