CRUCH Admission and Enrollment Commission met at UCN to address the challenges of the current admission process

25/04/2023
Share
  • With the participation of 28 representatives from the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH), the current scenario of the admission process for higher education was addressed, the new regulations in relation to the teaching careers and the novelties of the 2024 admission.
  • On this occasion, a new board was chosen, which was presided over by Ruth Candia (UFRO); Lorena Mora (UCT) in secretary; Iván Guzmán (UTA), as representative of the northern zone; Macarena Cárcamo (USACH), as representative of the metropolitan zone; Virginia Sánchez (UV), as representative of the coastal zone; and Cristian Cárdenas (UCSC), as representative of the southern zone.

During two days of work and reflection, which took place at the Catholic University of the North (UCN), the delegates of the Admission and Enrollment Commission of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH) addressed the current scenario of the admission process for higher education, along with the new regulations in relation to the teaching careers, the manuals of good practices of the teams that work in admission and also addressed the PAES phenomenon, with special emphasis on the M2 test.

On this occasion, Ruth Candia, president of the CRUCH Admissions and Enrollment Commission, along with Gabriela Llewellyn, UCN Admissions Coordinator for the Coquimbo Campus and Admissions Delegate, emphasized the importance of holding this session. “We are very pleased to create this space to contribute our knowledge and experiences and share the experiences of the different teams in the stages before, during, and after the admissions process, as these experiences serve as a reference for all institutions,” Llewellyn stated.

ANALYSIS

During the first day, an evaluation of the 2023 admissions process was conducted, considering the impact of regulatory changes, the scale change, the new PAES (University Entrance Exam), the evolution of successful applications, and the number of students selected in each preference category, among other factors. In addition, the results of the first winter exam were analyzed, including the number of participants and whether or not their scores improved.

One topic that garnered attention and was a recurring theme in the plenary session was the administration of the Mathematics 2 test. According to Fabián Abarza, Studies Analyst at CRUCH (Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities), the test revealed greater mathematical proficiency compared to the previous one. However, he noted that several relevant factors influenced the results and warrant further investigation. These factors included "the freedom of higher education institutions to determine the test's weighting, the uncertainty stemming from its novelty, the availability of information, students' lack of familiarity with the test, and other elements that likely impacted student performance and should be analyzed later," he explained.

PEDAGOGIES

Another surprise from the previous admissions process was the strong interest in teacher training programs. In this regard, the committee addressed the proposed changes to the law regarding selection criteria and requirements, among other things. “Within the framework of teacher training programs, we discussed the eligibility criteria, which for the 2023 admissions cycle was 502 points. It is necessary to determine the eligibility criteria for 2024 and inform students accordingly,” Candia commented.

ADMISSION 2024

Among the new features of the 2024 admissions process is that all programs requesting M2 will have a minimum weighting of 5%, a decision that universities must make regarding the percentage they will award to their programs.

Likewise, the minimum application score established is 458 points or being within the 10% best of the establishment.

“During the second day we addressed the challenges of the 2024 admissions process, how to work in terms of the information that must be available in a timely manner, in relation to some criteria, the change also in the teaching methods, but, above all, the importance of having clarity on how the potential applicant will be informed of these situations,” Candia commented.

Gabriela Llewellyn added that in May they will hold an Access Plenary session, where they can announce other updates. “The universities already have the Access and Demre information calendar, and in May we should be announcing new programs and the entrance exams required for each program, among other things.”.

Photo: Communications Department, Catholic University of the North.