Admission and Enrollment Commission
With the aim of ensuring a clear, safe and coordinated 2026 admissions process, the admissions delegates from the 30 CRUCH universities met to analyze progress, challenges and key guidelines of the access system.
On November 13, at the Santiago campus of the University of Los Lagos, a new in-person plenary session of the Admissions and Enrollment Committee of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH) was held. The meeting brought together representatives from the Council's 30 member institutions to strengthen collaborative efforts and review key aspects of the 2026 admissions and enrollment process.
Ruth Candia, the president of the Commission and director of Student Academic Registration at the University of La Frontera, highlighted the collaborative nature of the inter-university work and the commitment to accompany those who will take the PAES on December 1, 2 and 3.
“From the Admissions Committee, we want to highlight the collaborative work of the 30 universities in the CRUCH (Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities), which join forces each year to provide clear information, timely guidance, and comprehensive support to applicants,” she emphasized. Candia explained that this final stage of the process is the result of ongoing work that includes activities in schools, defining career paths, talks about the system and its regulations, as well as numerous internal and external support initiatives.
She also mentioned that the institutions are already preparing for application week. “This is a key event that we organize at our universities, with the purpose of guiding applicants so they can make informed decisions,” she said, encouraging active participation to apply correctly and in strict order of preference.
Critical issues for the 2026 process
Regarding the critical issues, Candia pointed out that the main challenges lie in the requirements of the Pedagogy degrees, the management of data consent and the implementation of the new Data Transfer Protocol with the Ministry of Education.
Regarding teacher training programs, she explained that the eligibility criteria remain complex. “While the current law is clear about the requirements applicants must meet, we are awaiting details from the proposed bill, which will directly impact the application, selection, and enrollment processes for these programs,” she stated.
Another key challenge concerns informed consent for the use of scores, requested during PAES registration and which each applicant can modify. “This consent is dynamic, and universities must implement specific protocols to safeguard and respect this decision. This implies significant adjustments to our data and record systems, within the framework of the updated Personal Data Protection Law,” he added.
Furthermore, he highlighted the importance of the Data Transfer Protocol signed this year between the Ministry of Education and each CRUCH institution, which establishes new responsibilities and safeguards for data processing during the admissions process.
Inter-university collaborative work
During the plenary session, the universities reviewed lessons learned from the previous process, criteria on reapplications, special admissions and the use of scores from previous years, along with exchanging best practices to ensure safe and responsible handling of information.
The day also included a presentation by the Higher Education Information Service (SIES) on compliance with admission requirements for Pedagogy programs, and a session of the Access Commission focused on institutional guidelines for admission in 2026.
Finally, Candia reaffirmed CRUCH's commitment to providing comprehensive and personalized guidance to those beginning their journey toward higher education. "For this 2026 enrollment process, we reaffirm our commitment to supporting each student in making the decisions that will mark the beginning of their university life, always putting at the service of the community the experience and spirit of solidarity that characterizes our institutions," she stated.
Text: CRUCH Communications.
Photographs: Courtesy of ULagos and CRUCH Communications.
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