Chile’s National Accreditation Commission (CNA) announced on December 10 that the
University of Chile has been awarded the maximum level of institutional accreditation
across all evaluated areas. The decision recognizes the strength of the university’s
academic project, the quality of its educational processes, and its sustained contribution
to the country through its public mission.
Following a two-year process involving thousands of members of the university
community, the CNA granted the University of Chile accreditation at the level of
excellence for seven years (2025–2032). The self-evaluation process, led by Vice-Rector
Alejandra Mizala, brought together diverse perspectives, enabled a critical review of
institutional progress, and helped define the challenges that will guide the university’s
next institutional cycle. With this outcome, the University of Chile secures the highest
level of accreditation for the fourth consecutive time.
“This result is the outcome of a collective effort by our entire community,” said Rector
Rosa Devés, emphasizing that “obtaining seven years of accreditation is not only a source
of pride, but also a responsibility.” She added that “at a time when the value of
knowledge, evidence, and academic freedom faces growing tensions, the University of
Chile reaffirms its duty to respond with rigor and autonomy, advancing knowledge and
educating within a framework of equity. This recognition confirms that we have a
community prepared to face present and future challenges, drawing on its talent,
imagination, and strength.”
The CNA’s decision reflects a trajectory of continuous improvement, evident in concrete
advances such as the comprehensive renewal of undergraduate curricula under new
standards of quality and gender equality; the strengthening of the academic staff and
increased participation of women, with 252 additional female academics between 2018
and 2025; the expansion of research and innovation with public impact; and the
consolidation of community engagement, with 17,000 activities carried out between 2018
and 2024, including the inauguration of the VM20 Complex and the Symphonic Hall. The
university has also developed a more robust and integrated quality assurance system that
now guides institution-wide strategic planning.
During the period under review, the University of Chile also stood out for its educational
impact and capacity to produce frontier knowledge. In 2025, it recorded the highest
number of new enrollments among universities accredited at the excellence level and
achieved significant improvements in student progression and graduation rates. In 2024, it
awarded 16% of all doctoral degrees conferred nationwide. In research, the university led
the country in ANID-funded projects and competitive R&D grants. Between 2018 and
2024, 51% of its scientific articles were published in high-impact indexed journals.
A Community Looking to the Future
“This accreditation reflects the rigorous and committed work of a community that
approaches its mission with honesty and public responsibility,” said Vice-Rector Alejandra
Mizala. “It confirms that the University of Chile is moving forward in a cohesive manner,
with a clear project and a strong conviction that its mission to the country will continue to
grow in the years ahead.”
Rector Devés echoed this view, noting that the accreditation “encourages us to move
forward with priorities we have already defined, such as comprehensive education for
citizenship, science and innovation with a public purpose, the ethical development and
use of new technologies, engagement that contributes to social well-being, and
management and infrastructure that ensure excellence, equity, and sustainability.”
This accreditation at the level of excellence marks the beginning of a new phase focused
on deepening transformations in key areas, including curricular flexibility, student
support, internationalization, gender equality, research strengthening, management
modernization, and the development of a new Institutional Development Plan.
Thomas Griggs, Executive Director of the accreditation process, highlighted the
participatory nature of the effort behind this milestone. “More than 15,000 people
contributed to this self-evaluation, including those who responded to our surveys. It is a
collective achievement that recognizes what we have built and, at the same time, opens a
new cycle of challenges to continue strengthening teaching, research, innovation, and
engagement with the country,” he said.
Vice-Rector Mizala concluded by noting that through this accreditation, “the University of
Chile reaffirms its commitment to the country’s well-being, its ability to navigate a
changing environment, and its determination to continue contributing, through
knowledge, culture, and education, to a more just and sustainable development for all.”