Accreditation is a process whereby the University provides a public guarantee of its quality through evaluation of the fulfilment of its purposes and the sustainability of its academic project. This is done through the evaluation of an external body (National Accreditation Commission or an Accreditation Agency). Accreditation is a component of the National Quality Assurance System, promoted by Law 20.129 enacted in 2007.
Accreditation can be institutional (accredited university) or undergraduate (accredited degree programs). The results are awarded for a maximum period of 7 years, during which time the university or degree program maintains its accreditation. There is also accreditation for postgraduate programs (master’s degrees, medical specializations, and doctorates), which are awarded for a maximum period of 10 years.
Institutional accreditation used to be a voluntary process in which all autonomous higher education institutions could participate and which considered institutional management and undergraduate teaching as minimum evaluation areas. However, in 2018, Law 21091 was published, which establishes that institutional accreditation will be mandatory for autonomous higher education institutions from 2020, along with the accreditation of teaching, medicine, and doctoral programs.
In addition, institutions may choose to be evaluated in the areas of postgraduate studies, research, and outreach. The process is carried out according to the rules defined by the CNA, including an internal evaluation, an external evaluation, and an accreditation pronouncement. The evaluation of each area is carried out according to the contents and parameters defined by the CNA.
The University of Santiago voluntarily joined this initiative in the second cycle of the pilot project, being accredited initially in 2005 in all areas for 3 years. The University has undergone a total of four Institutional Accreditation Processes.
Currently, the University of Santiago de Chile has Accreditation of Excellence, with 7 years of accreditation in all areas, a period that expires in March 2028.
- Undergraduate Programs Accreditation.
- PDF icon 12.11.21 Publicación Estados Acreditación.xlsx - Magíster (1).pdf
- PDF icon 12.11.21 Publicación Estados Acreditación.xlsx - Doctorado.pdf
- PDF icon Medidas COVID19-CNA.pdf