The National Ministry of Education (MEN) granted Universidad Icesi its High Quality Institutional Accreditation for the first time in 2010. With this recognition, Icesi became the first private university in southwestern Colombia to receive this distinction, an achievement that reaffirmed its commitment to excellence. Today, six years later, the National Ministry of Education grants, via resolution number 023652, the third High Quality Institutional Accreditation to the university for a period of 8 years.
"High Quality Accreditation is part of the National Accreditation System, SNA, whose fundamental purpose is to guarantee to society that higher education institutions, which are part of the system, meet the highest quality requirements. It has its origin in Law 30 of 1992," said José Hernando Bahamon, the academic director of Universidad Icesi.
In 2015 the MEN granted the renewal of our High Quality Institutional Accreditation until 2021, extending the one granted in 2010.
Today, the National Ministry of Education grants, via resolution Number 023652 of December 10th, 2021, the third High Quality Institutional Accreditation to Universidad Icesi for a period of 8 years. This new recognition highlights aspects such as: the excellence of graduates, the impact on society, innovation and entrepreneurship, international orientation and a state-of-the-art campus.
"For us, accreditations will continue to be not something we want to achieve, but rather a permanent process of improvement," said Dr. Bahamon, who also pointed out that one of the most important aspects of conducting a self-assessment process is that the institution or program identifies its strengths and aspects to improve, and commits to projects and actions to continuously improve its academic and administrative processes, in search of excellence.
“Some of the most important benefits of an institutional accreditation are better job opportunities at the national level for students and graduates; access to scholarships and national and international exchanges for students and professors; national or international alliances with programs and institutions for mobility, research or programs of social projection; inclusion of students from low income sectors of society through scholarships granted by the state; and ease of validation of degrees, based on the agreements that the National Ministry of Education makes with other governments and their accreditation agencies”, concluded the academic director of Icesi.
The National Ministry of Education, through the National Accreditation Council (CNA), evaluated various aspects of our institution, which reaffirm the commitment to excellence in the comprehensive training of its students, through: academic programs of the highest quality, effectiveness and continuous improvement of investigation processes, social equity, and efficient administrative management.
Strengths of Universidad Icesi that the MEN highlighted
- The trajectory of the university.
- A clearly formulated mission and a purposeful vision.
- Undergraduate and graduate academic programs with High Quality Accreditation recognized by the Ministry of Education.
- Coherence among the Institutional Educational Project (PEI), policies, plans and the Institutional Development Plan (PDI).
- An increase in the number of undergraduate and graduate students, as well as an increase in the population of students from socioeconomic strata 1, 2 and 3, and in the number of scholarships awarded, thereby promoting social inclusion.
- The annual student dropout rate, according to the information system SPADIES (System for the Prevention of Dropout from Higher Education), was lower than the national average.
- An increase in the teaching staff.
- An increase in post-graduate training of teachers; significantly with a Ph.D.
- An adequate relationship between the number of full-time teachers and the number of students.
- A growth in the number of seedbed research initiatives and a significant increase in the number of students participating in them.
- High student performance in the SABER PRO tests (much higher than the national reference group in all generic competences).
- An increase in the offer of undergraduate and graduate academic programs in recent years.
- Comprehensive training supported by Learning Support Centers (LEO Center for communicative skills in Spanish, E.L. Center for communicative skills in English and CAMBAS for math skills).
- Significant progress in the national and international mobility of students, supported by agreements with highly recognized universities, investment in mobility grants and financial support for student exchanges.
- An increase in the number of researchers recognized by MinCiencias.
- An increase in the number of research groups and their classification in the National Science, Technology and Innovation System.
- A significant increase in the production of articles in indexed journals.
- A great impact on society with more than 1,500 extension projects (consultancies, seminars, diplomas, training and other developments).
- The certification of best practices by INVIMA for the Chemical Instrumentation Laboratory.
- The consolidation of internal quality assurance systems.
- The implementation of university wellbeing programs and strategies to contribute to the solution of students’ academic needs in favour of student retention.
- The process of quality assurance and the continuous improvement of learning through a pedagogical model of curricular management, which allows for the evaluation of results and the achievement of the competences of the graduates.
- The continuous growth of the physical infrastructure.
- The constant growth of the operating budget and the amount allocated to investments in infrastructure and equipment.
About Universidad Icesi
Universidad Icesi, based in Santiago de Cali, Colombia, and with a trajectory of 42 years in higher educational management, has five faculties and a School of Educational Sciences, through which it offers 30 undergraduate programs, 35 master's programs, 2 doctorate degrees and 23 medical-
surgical specialties. In addition, thanks to its solid links with companies from all fields of the economy, customized diplomas and programs are designed to help organizations keep up with knowledge trends, and advice and consultancy are offered. Currently, Icesi has about 6,800 students and is considered one of the best universities in Colombia (according to the SABER PRO test results of recent years, Icesi ranks first at the regional level and within the first four positions at the national level).
