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Chile’s National Accreditation Commission has rejected the appeal of a university affiliated with the Baltimore-based for-profit education company, Laureate, after it was denied reaccreditation in October. The Universidad de Las Américas (UDLA) next plans to appeal the decision to the country’s Higher Education Council. As in the U.S., universities in Chile must be accredited in order for their students to access government-backed loans and grants.
In its report on its decision not to reaccredit UDLA, the accreditation commission cites the university’s rapid growth and unsatisfactory graduation rates. The commission’s report notes that the number of students grew by more than 36 percent in three years, from 25,272 to 34,436, while the growth in instructors has failed to keep pace: the number of full-time instructors increased only slightly, from 231 in 2010 to 235 in 2012, and the number of part-time instructors actually fell, from 177 to 164.
The accreditation report also raises concerns about the financial resources of the university, and finds that while spending on academic salaries was low, the amount spent on leases and educational and administrative services provided by companies related to Laureate was substantial. Under Chilean law, universities must be not-for-profit, but they can ally with for-profit entities like Laureate, which provide educational, administrative and real estate services at a price.
UDLA has posted various documents related to its appeal of the accreditor’s decision on its website. The university argues that the growth rate is somewhat misleading in that enrollments were temporarily depressed in 2010 (the base year used in the accreditor’s calculations) and it says that average class size has actually stayed relatively constant from 2009 (22.8 students per section) to 2013 (22.1 students per section). It also says that the amount spent on academic salaries is similar to that of peer universities in Chile.
“We remain confident that a clear and objective analysis of the facts will reveal that UDLA deserves to be reaccredited," a Laureate spokesman, Matthew Yale, said in a statement.
