Higher education

18 Nov 2010

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Short description of the higher education system

Nicaragua has fourteen higher education institutions representing four different categories:

  • public universities (Universidades Públicas)
  • private universities (Universidades Privadas)
  • higher technical centres (Centros Técnicos Superiores)
  • research centres (Centros de Investigación y de Capacitación).

The Consejo Nacional de Universidades (National Universities Council) represents member institutions as regards all higher education facilities. Education services and planning, both academic and administrative, as well as communication and academic freedom are coordinated and facilitated by the Asociación Nicaraguense de Instituciones de Educación Superior (Nicaraguan Association of Higher Education Institutions).

Tuition fees for public universities are only around US$ 80 per year, whilst tuition fees for private universities average US$ 1,000 per year.
 

Types of degrees

Students applying to a university need not only a secondary school diploma (Bachillerato) but also have to sit an entrance exam (Prueba de Ingreso). The first level of higher education lasts four or five years and results in the Licenciatura, which is a basic professional qualification.

However, both shorter and longer forms of these programmes exist, such as the two-year accountancy programme and six-year medical programme.

The second level of higher education leads to the Maestría (master’s) degree. These programmes normally take two years and include the writing and defence of a thesis. The grading scale runs from 0 to 100%, with 70% being the lowest passing grade. The language of instruction is Spanish, except at one English-language university.
 

Quality assurance and accreditation

Higher education institutions are autonomous and their management, including participation by professors, students and industry, is constitutionally delegated to the administration, though not defined by law.

In the 2002-2004 period, 33 higher education institutions each carried out a self-evaluation and an external evaluation with the aim of identifying areas for improvement, as part of the Project for Modernization and Accreditation of Tertiary education in Nicaragua (PMEAT).

Ultimately, this project led to a change in the General Law on Education in 2006, with a provision for the creation of a national advisory board on evaluation and accreditation, to be known as the CNAE (Consejo Nacional de Evaluación y Acreditación del Sistema Educativo Nacional).

Inaugurated in 2007, the CNAE is the only organization in Nicaragua allowed to accredit public and private higher education institutions. It is also tasked with evaluating the results of education policies set out by the Ministry of Education (MECD) and Inatec (Instituto nacional technologico).
 

Recent reforms

The national education plan for 2001-2015 lays down the following objectives:

  • Increase the quality of learning
  • Assure dignified conditions and professional development of educators
  • Emphasize innovation, science and technology
  • Promote increased relevance and diversification of education
  • Increase coverage, accessibility and equity in education
  • Strengthen institutional modernization and management of education

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