Improving quality at higher education institutions in Chile

24 Novembre 2016

IIEP’s research on internal quality assurance (IQA) informed discussions about the reform of higher education institutions in Chile.


The University of Talca, a public Chilean University with a strong regional focus was selected as one of the eight case universities to take part in the IIEP research on “Exploring effective and innovative options for internal quality assurance in higher education”. It has a strong and innovative quality management system which is well integrated within the strategic university management structure.

The University of Talca, together with the Consortium of Chilean State Universities and the Ministry of Education, organized a seminar for national higher education decision-makers (rectors, vice-rectors and heads of quality management departments). The seminar addressed the role of public policies and national accreditation systems in the development of quality management systems in universities, as well as international trends and institutional experiences in quality management. Called “Advancing quality management in Chilean higher education institutions”, the seminar brought together some 220 university managers from both public and private universities in Chile earlier this month.

Adaptable accreditation systems

IIEP’s Michaela Martin contributed an overview on international practices in quality management which emerged from the international survey conducted jointly by IIEP and the International Association of Universities (IAU), as well as good practices derived from the IIEP case study research. The case studies prepared by the University of Duisburg-Essen, the Vienna University of Economics and Business and the University of Talca were also presented during the seminar.

Several issues clearly emerged from the presentations and discussions. In a highly diversified higher education system, as is the case in Chile, it is important to put in place an accreditation system that is flexible enough to respect institutional diversity and specificities. Given continuing uneven levels of quality, accreditation standards must be ambitious, yet reachable.

While quality management should make sure that national standards are followed within institutions, it should also be responsive to institutional self-regulation and support management decisions. If quality management becomes the backbone to the regulation of quality, weaker higher education institutions (HEIs) will require financial and technical support from public authorities to develop an effective internal quality assurance system.

Higher education reform in Chile

Chile had a gross enrolment rate of 59.7% in 2014, and an increased enrolment of 1.2 million students in 2015. Its higher education system is highly diversified.

Since the 1980s Chile focused on developing its private sector, but it has the lowest level of public spending on higher education among OECD countries. A new higher education reform is currently under discussion in Congress. With a view to introducing “free higher education” for 50% of the country’s poorer students, the centre-left government plans to increase spending in higher education, and offer subsidized tuition fees to students attending technical schools and professional institutes.

In exchange the current bill seeks to strengthen regulation of the higher education sector. The national quality assurance system consists of a compulsory licensing scheme for private providers, but both programme and institutional accreditations are voluntary (with the exception of state-regulated study programmes in education and in medicine where accreditation is compulsory).

While institutional accreditation is already a condition for students to receive scholarships and loans, it is expected to become mandatory for all higher education institutions. The reform also aims to reinforce quality management of higher education institutions (HEIs). Finding the best linkages between national quality assurance and institutional quality management are therefore now under discussion.