{"id":62,"date":"2026-07-23T13:49:27","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T18:49:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lacisreview.lacis.wisc.edu\/?p=62"},"modified":"2026-08-20T14:20:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T19:20:08","slug":"selling-degrees-an-analysis-of-the-higher-education-system-crisis-in-peru-during-the-last-decades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lacisreview.lacis.wisc.edu\/?p=62","title":{"rendered":"Selling Degrees: An analysis of the higher education system crisis in Peru during the last decades"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Selling Degrees: An analysis of the higher education system crisis in Peru during the last decades<\/h1>\n\n\n

Fidel Revilla<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Aerial
False Facade of Telesup University, an institution that was closed in Peru due to the lower educational standards and lack of adequate infrastructure. Author: ANDINA: Agencia Peruana de Noticias (06\/05\/2019) link: https:\/\/andina.pe\/agencia\/noticia-telesup-levanto-falsa-pared-simulaba-edificio-7-pisos-video-dron-754559.aspx<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Neoliberal policies and the deregulation of higher education in Peru have caused a severe educational crisis in the last few years. New private institutions prioritize profit over quality of education; indeed, these institutions deceive thousands of young Peruvian students who see the university as a way to generate social mobility (Benavides and Haag 2024). Also, these universities continue promoting mediocrity and fail in creating new epistemological knowledge and solutions for society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, in 2010, the National Superintendence of Customs and Tax Administration of Peru reported that Luis Cervantes Li\u00f1\u00e1, chancellor of the University Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, earned 4.7 million dollars (Corresponsales.pe 2014). That situation is scandalous because he earned more than other chancellors in prestigious institutions, such as Drew Gilpin Faust, former president of Harvard University, who earned $875,000 in 2010, the chancellors of Stanford ($ 1’033,557), Massachusetts Institute of Technology ($ 1’006,969), or Yale ($ 1’616,066). The university that Luis led is known in Peru for its low academic performance and mismanagement. This is not an isolated case: in Peru, other universities were created to serve entrepreneurial interests at the expense of the hopes of thousands of youths who were looking to insert themselves into the labor world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It should be noted that the issues facing Peruvian universities in recent decades extend beyond a lack of regulation or the commercialization of higher education. In 2014 the University Law 30220 was approved, creating the SUNEDU, an institution responsible for licensing universities that meet the minimum standards of quality, and denying educational licenses to other universities that do not accomplish these standards. Consequently, 46 private universities were forced to close due to the low-quality standards; these institutions are commonly known as \u201cuniversidades bamba\u201d (\u201cfake universities\u201d) or \u201cgarage universities\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This law was necessary to improve the academic quality of public and private universities. During this time, some universities failed to develop academic goals, and became immersed in excessive commercialization, and in administrative and academic corruption, resulting in profit-driven practices that compromised quality, and an increase in the number of professional degrees offered without proper intellectual rigor. These issues have caused the discredit of the university system in public opinion (Magui\u00f1a and Dore 2022). Some private universities had zero investments in academic and scientific research, but they financed beauty pageants, paid for expensive propaganda in frivolous reality television and showbiz programs, and sponsored soccer teams and political parties. As a result, the investment in research, innovation, and infrastructure was minimal or nonexistent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of those institutions continue to have a great influence on the political system of Peru, even though their owners have a presence in the Congress and attempt to promote a university contra-reform. Some investigators settled the origin of this educational and political crisis in 2016, when the Peruvian Congress censured Education Minister Jaime Saavedra. He was opposed to the mercantilism interests of the parties in Congress, besides their strong influence in the higher education system. The crisis continues with the constant attempts of political parties such as Fuerza Popular, Telesup, or Alianza Para el Progreso, which wanted to take control of the SUNEDU and perpetuate the low-quality education in the universities. Besides, the massification of education in the region has not been accompanied by a growth in the quality of education or the generation of new epistemological projects (Bal\u00e1n 2013). Neoliberalism has perverted the education system and these contra-reforms of education had serious consequences for the political and economic stability of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 1990s, for-profit universities in Peru were promoted due to a lack of regulation and the encouragement of private investment. While some universities followed a successful business model and gained academic prestige, many others were solely focused on making a profit or laundering money (Mora 2015). One of the most representative cases was the Alas Peruanas University, which became the largest private institution in Peru (by student population). This institution was known for its low educational standards, for being a cheap place to study, and for \u201cselling an easy and fast academic degree\u201d. One of the investors of that university was Joaquin Ramirez, who, through fraudulent acts using his own companies with the Alas Peruanas University, embezzled $ 183,066,914 in funds (Berr\u00edos, Amancio, and C\u00e1rdenas 2023).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another famous incident was mentioned at the beginning of this essay, where the Chancellor of the University Inca Garcilaso de la Vega became a millionaire by exploiting that institution. However, the most mediated case is that of Cesar Vallejo University (UCV in Spanish), whose founder participated actively in politics, ran for president twice, and served as the governor of the third most important region of Peru; thus, Cesar Acu\u00f1a amassed a great fortune through education (Acosta 2021). Unfortunately, the academic level of those institutions was mediocre; for example, Patricia Benavides (who was the General Prosecutor of Peru during the last years) obtained her doctorate in Alas Peruanas, but her thesis mysteriously disappeared, and she obtained her degree in just one year. Another concerning case is that of Pedro Castillo, who served as the president of Peru from 2021-2022. He was a rural professor who obtained his master\u2019s degree from UCV; nevertheless, Castillo\u2019s thesis presented 54% plagiarism. In another bizarre incident, American researcher Gavin Jones denounced that two students from Cesar Vallejo University had plagiarized and translated his entire work to obtain the degree of environmental engineer (Olivera 2022). Thus, these examples clearly demonstrate the low standards of these universities and how they become a factory of degrees to the detriment of the dreams and goals of thousands of youths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, the issues related to the quality and corruption of the universities also extend to public institutions. National universities are characterized by endogenous relationships, where the hiring of new professors and administrative staff is controlled by political groups or relationships of clientelism (Murgu\u00eda 2022). Additionally, in July 2024, the Peruvian Congress approved permanent licensing for universities; as a result, universities are no longer obligated to follow minimal quality standards after obtaining their operating license. This means they will not invest more in improving research, innovation, or infrastructure and will continue to scam thousands of Peruvians with the endorsement of Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, the threat of the return of low-fee (and quality) institutions is real: they could continue reproducing the higher education crisis in Peru, taking advantage of their easy accessibility and the continued growth of an emerging class (Ch\u00e1vez 2016), who see higher education as the main way for social mobility and recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Outdoor<\/figure>
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About the Author<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fidel Revilla<\/strong> is a historian of the Universidad Nacional de San Agust\u00edn, dedicated to studying the development and crisis of higher education in Peru through the LACIS program where he is pursuing his master’s degree. Likewise, he has been dedicated to teaching for almost seven years, teaching in schools, pre-college centers, and the Universidad Nacional Jorge Basadre Grohmann. Previously, he traveled throughout Latin America as an exchange student and participated in many academic events.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Works Cited<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acosta, Christopher. 2021. Plata Como Cancha. Secretos, Impunidad y Fortuna de C\u00e9sar Acu\u00f1a-Aguilar (2021)<\/em>. Lima: Penguin Random House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benavides, Mart\u00edn, and Frida Haag. 2024. \u201cDeregulation of Higher Education, Diversification of Private Universities and University Experiences of Inequality in Peru.\u201d In Private Higher Education and Inequalities in the Global South<\/em>, edited by Etienne Gerard, Karthala. Springer Nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Berr\u00edos, Milagros, Nelly Amancio, and Abel C\u00e1rdenas. 2023. \u201cDe Alas Peruanas a Fuerza Popular: Las Evidencias Del Lavado En El Millonario Patrimonio de Joaqu\u00edn Ram\u00edrez.\u201d Ojo P\u00fablico. April 16, 2023. https:\/\/ojo-publico.com\/4387\/evidencias-del-lavado-el-millonario-patrimonio-joaquin-ramirez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ch\u00e1vez, Carmela. 2016. \u201cFree Market and Higher Education: The Case of Low-Fee Universities in Peru.\u201d In Rethinking Private Higher Education\u202f: Ethnographic Perspectives<\/em>, edited by Daniel Cantini. Leiden: Brill. http:\/\/www.expreso.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corresponsales.pe. 2014. \u201cNoticia: Rectores de Harvard, MIT y Stanford Ganan Menos Que Rector de Garcilaso.\u201d April 29, 2014. https:\/\/corresponsalespe.lamula.pe\/2014\/04\/29\/rectores-de-harvard-mit-y-stanford-ganan-menos-que-rector-de-garcilaso\/corresponsales.pe\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Magui\u00f1a, Juan Arturo, and Rosemary Dore. 2022. \u201cCambios En El Concepto de Universidad En El Per\u00fa Durante El XX: De La Universidad Human\u00edstica a La Universidad.\u201d Education Policy Analysis Archives<\/em> 30 (37). https:\/\/doi.org\/10.14507\/epaa.30.6638<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mora, Daniel. 2015. Los Desaf\u00edos de la Universidad Peruana<\/em>. Lima: Congreso del Per\u00fa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Murgu\u00eda, Luis. 2022. Corrupci\u00f3n en la Universidad P\u00fablica: Camino al Poder<\/em>. Lima: Horizonte.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Olivera, Gino. 2022. \u201cInvestigador Denuncia Que Plagiaron Un Trabajo Suyo En Tesis de La Universidad C\u00e9sar Vallejo.\u201d El Comercio<\/em>. September 4, 2022. https:\/\/elcomercio.pe\/lima\/ucv-investigador-denuncia-que-plagiaron-un-trabajo-suyo-en-tesis-de-la-universidad-cesar-vallejo-plagio-noticia\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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agriculture<\/a>\nAndean studies<\/a>\nAndes<\/a>\nArgentina<\/a>\nbody<\/a>\nborder<\/a>\nBrazil<\/a>\ncare<\/a>\nChile<\/a>\nclimate change<\/a>\ncollaboration<\/a>\ncommunity<\/a>\nCuba<\/a>\neconomy<\/a>\nenvironment<\/a>\nfilm<\/a>\ngender<\/a>\ngrief<\/a>\nGuatemala<\/a>\nhealing<\/a>\nhistory<\/a>\nindigeneity<\/a>\nindigenous studies<\/a>\ninternational<\/a>\nintroduction<\/a>\nliterature<\/a>\nloss<\/a>\nmemory<\/a>\nMexico<\/a>\nmigration<\/a>\nperformance<\/a>\nPeru<\/a>\npoetry<\/a>\npsychedelics<\/a>\npsychoanalysis<\/a>\nscience<\/a>\nSpain<\/a>\ntechnology<\/a>\ntextiles<\/a>\ntransdisciplinarity<\/a>\ntranslation<\/a>\ntrauma<\/a>\nviolence<\/a>\nvisual studies<\/a>\nwater<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fidel Revilla Neoliberal policies and the deregulation of higher education in Peru have caused a severe educational crisis in the last few years. New private institutions prioritize profit over quality of education; indeed, these institutions deceive thousands of young Peruvian students who see the university as a way to generate social mobility (Benavides and Haag …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3819,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uw_seo_meta_title":"","_uw_seo_meta_description":"","_uw_seo_twitter_card_type":"summary_large_image","_uw_seo_meta_image":"","_uw_seo_meta_image_url":"","_uw_seo_meta_image_sizes":[],"_uw_seo_custom_meta_tags":[],"uw_external_link":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[22,20,21,19],"class_list":["post-62","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-issue-3-fall-winter-2024","tag-educational-reform","tag-for-profit-colleges","tag-peru","tag-universities"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lacisreview.lacis.wisc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lacisreview.lacis.wisc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lacisreview.lacis.wisc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lacisreview.lacis.wisc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3819"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lacisreview.lacis.wisc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=62"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lacisreview.lacis.wisc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":837,"href":"https:\/\/lacisreview.lacis.wisc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62\/revisions\/837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lacisreview.lacis.wisc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=62"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lacisreview.lacis.wisc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=62"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lacisreview.lacis.wisc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=62"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}