Universities in Chile
Universidad Internacional SEK, Chile
Santiago de Chile, Chile
The Universidad Internacional SEK was founded in Madrid, more than 100 years ago. At the present time have been added other schools in different continents, like Europe, America, Africa and Asia. The SEK University in Santiago Chile started its activities in 1990. It has three campuses: Arrieta, Providencia and Santiago Centro. Its schools are: Health and Physical Activity Sciences, Humanities and Education, Legal and Social Sciences, Engineering and Management and Cultural Heritage Studies.
Universities in Chile by City:
ConcepcionLas CondesSantiago de ChileTemucoValdivia ValparaisoViña del MarAbout universities in Chile
Like much of its system of education, Chile’s colleges, universities, and post-graduate educational institutions are considered to be among the best in South America. There are over 600,000 college students in Chile today, representing almost 40% of youth aged between 18 and 24 – an impressively high rate for a South American country. Quality is assured by the government and standards for accreditation are fairly reliably adhered to by both private and public institutions. The public colleges, while not free, are offered at low tuition rates through the use of government subsidies and numerous scholarship opportunities for top-tier applicants.
Under the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, the universities and colleges were seen as a threat to the regime’s authoritative rule, and were gutted accordingly. Since 1990, Chile has been under the leadership of a democratically-elected representative government, and this has enabled its colleges and universities to flourish once again. Economic growth and the expansion of the Chilean education system more broadly have also helped bring about a steady growth in the numbers and quality of institutions of higher learning in Chile.
Much of this growth has been fueled by the introduction of new, modern private schools to the Chilean system, which previously only had what Chileans refer to as Universidades Tradicionales or “Traditional Universities.” The Traditional Universities are still considered to be superior in terms of academic quality, but it remains to be seen if new private schools can establish themselves and develop into full-fledged competitors with their historic counterparts. Today, it is still considered more prestigious to go to a Traditional University.
The growth of post-secondary education in Chile has not completely solved all of the country’s educational problems, of course. One of the challenges facing Chilean higher education is self-imposed: educational leaders in the country have set themselves to the considerable task of building their country’s domestic colleges and universities into world-class institutions of higher learning. Although Chile is well above average for a Latin American country, it does not meet the standards that would be typical of a country in North America or Western Europe. The Chilean government has ambitiously set its sights on changing that fact.
Rampant inequality among social classes in Chile also affects its education system. Despite efforts to make college more affordable, it remains largely an advantage enjoyed only by Chilean social elites. The rural poor seldom go to college, even though their education at the primary and secondary levels has been dramatically improved since 1990. In 2011, this class inequality sparked major protests among students at public schools who wanted to open the system to more working-class students. As Chile’s economy struggles to maintain its momentum through today’s difficult economic climate, students hope that low-cost, high quality higher education will remain a priority for their government.
Under the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, the universities and colleges were seen as a threat to the regime’s authoritative rule, and were gutted accordingly. Since 1990, Chile has been under the leadership of a democratically-elected representative government, and this has enabled its colleges and universities to flourish once again. Economic growth and the expansion of the Chilean education system more broadly have also helped bring about a steady growth in the numbers and quality of institutions of higher learning in Chile.
Much of this growth has been fueled by the introduction of new, modern private schools to the Chilean system, which previously only had what Chileans refer to as Universidades Tradicionales or “Traditional Universities.” The Traditional Universities are still considered to be superior in terms of academic quality, but it remains to be seen if new private schools can establish themselves and develop into full-fledged competitors with their historic counterparts. Today, it is still considered more prestigious to go to a Traditional University.
The growth of post-secondary education in Chile has not completely solved all of the country’s educational problems, of course. One of the challenges facing Chilean higher education is self-imposed: educational leaders in the country have set themselves to the considerable task of building their country’s domestic colleges and universities into world-class institutions of higher learning. Although Chile is well above average for a Latin American country, it does not meet the standards that would be typical of a country in North America or Western Europe. The Chilean government has ambitiously set its sights on changing that fact.
Rampant inequality among social classes in Chile also affects its education system. Despite efforts to make college more affordable, it remains largely an advantage enjoyed only by Chilean social elites. The rural poor seldom go to college, even though their education at the primary and secondary levels has been dramatically improved since 1990. In 2011, this class inequality sparked major protests among students at public schools who wanted to open the system to more working-class students. As Chile’s economy struggles to maintain its momentum through today’s difficult economic climate, students hope that low-cost, high quality higher education will remain a priority for their government.