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This initiative will focus on the regions of Arica and Parinacota and Tarapacá, in the north, and Aysén and Magallanes, in the south, and the U. de Tarapacá, U. Arturo Prat, U. de Aysén and U. of Magallanes.
The executive vice president of CRUCH, rector Aldo Valle, said that “we are fully aware that as we move away from the center of the country, deficits or disadvantages are reflected that are not the responsibility of the students or their families, but rather of the social asymmetries of the country ”.
"The great principle that motivates us is inclusion, because this initiative considers vulnerability factors that occur in the territories considered as extreme zones," said the executive vice president of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH), Aldo Valle, at the announce the new special admission for extreme areas.
Together with the director of the Single Admission System (SUA) and general secretary of CRUCH, María Elena González, Rector Valle explained that in this pilot plan, which will debut in the 2020 Admission Process, the University of Tarapacá and the Arturo Prat University - located in the regions of Arica and Parinacota and Tarapacá - will participate, along with the University of Aysén and the University of Magallanes, which will cover the regions of the same name in the far south.
Regarding the motivations of the Council of Rectors to implement this special admission, Valle said that through this mechanism the four institutions will be able to “select students based on their academic potential and correcting involuntary disadvantages. We are fully aware that as we move away from the center of the country and from the cities with the largest urban population, deficits or disadvantages are reflected that are not the responsibility of the students or their families, but of social asymmetries from the country".
The CRUCH authority also highlighted that this mechanism will give universities greater flexibility in student admissions. They also praised the alignment of this initiative with Law 21.091, which, in addition to creating the new Higher Education Access System, “establishes that universities may set specific instruments and requirements that address the conditions of their educational projects and the needs arising from the institutions' locations within the national territory.”.
Requirements for applicants
The four participating universities will define the programs and available places they will offer through this special admissions process. At these institutions, special admissions will increase by a maximum of 10%, in addition to the 15% established for all universities in the SUA (University System of Asunción), bringing the total special admissions percentage for these institutions to 25%.
The director of the SUA highlighted that this mechanism “is for students graduating from high school in those extreme areas” and added that “the Council of Rectors firmly believes that talents are distributed throughout the country and that this is a way to give an opportunity to those who cannot access higher education in any other way.”.
Along these lines, he explained that those who wish to apply through this special admission must have completed at least one year of their secondary education in an extreme zone region, a condition that will be exclusionary.
In addition, those who have graduated from 12th grade in the last 5 years, that is, graduates from 2015 to 2019, will be able to apply. Applicants will only be able to choose one career in this admission mechanism.
Extreme Zone Weighted Score
González explained that the application will be in charge of the four study houses, which will evaluate the students through the Weighted Extreme Zone Score (PPZE), which will contemplate 6 weighting criteria:
1) Complete secondary education in the region
2) Belong to the region
3) To be in the top percentage of High School Grades
4) Coming from an establishment with a high School Vulnerability Index (IVE)
5) Having participated in university extension activities
6) Exercise community leadership
The director of the SUA stated that “this special admission does not require taking the University Selection Tests (PSU); therefore, students apply based on criteria that evaluate their academic record in remote areas and their community involvement.” However, González cautioned that those wishing to apply through the regular 2020 Admission Process to universities within the CRUCH Unified Admission System must take the PSU.
The application period will run from November 11 to December 22 and will be handled directly by the four universities participating in the initiative. The admission results are scheduled to be announced on January 7, 2020.
Those applying for this special admission and wishing to access the Free Tuition and Student Benefits of the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) must complete the Single Socioeconomic Accreditation Form (FUAS) and identify which benefits they are requesting, having taken the PSU as an academic requirement.
In this link Details of the application and evaluation procedure for this special admission are available.
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