The scandal involving fake university degrees in Paraguay, with over 250 confirmed frauds and suspicions surrounding 1,500 more, has exposed a structural crisis in higher education that has led to government intervention in universities and triggered investigations by Congress and the Public Prosecutor's Office.
Agencia Nacional de Evaluación y Acreditación de la Educación Superior
Pytagua coverage mentioning Agencia Nacional de Evaluación y Acreditación de la Educación Superior.
The Segundo Foro Internacional de la Ingeniería (FIING) 2026 will be held on July 23 in Asunción, organized by the Centro Paraguayo de Ingenieros to discuss national development challenges. The program will cover topics such as the Bioceanic Route bridge, the Plan Paraguay 2X, renewable energy, and the quality of higher education in engineering.
The Ministry of Education and Sciences (MEC) reported 145 fake teaching degrees to the Public Prosecutor's Office following an internal audit that identified around 1,500 diplomas of questionable authenticity, while experts suggest the scheme could be much larger and attribute the problem to credentialism and the lack of oversight by the National Council of Higher Education (Cones).
The Senate of Paraguay has set up a special commission to investigate an alleged scheme involving approximately 100,000 irregular university degrees issued between 2023 and 2025, of which roughly 60% correspond to programs lacking quality accreditation. The first institution under investigation is Universidad Sudamericana, the alma mater of former senator Hernán Rivas.
The Senate postponed the creation of Smartum University due to the absence of a binding opinion from the National Council of Higher Education (CONES), as required by law.
Aneaes reported that out of 53 Pharmacy and Chemistry degree programs authorized by CONES in Paraguay, only 4 currently hold accreditation (7.5%), and that of the 1,364 diplomas issued by the MEC between 2023 and May 2026, 76.3% correspond to programs that have not completed the accreditation process.
Paraguayan scientists sent a letter to President Santiago Peña and the National Congress warning about the proliferation of low-quality doctoral programs in Paraguay, highlighting issues such as conflicts of interest within the National Council of Higher Education (Cones), lack of academic rigor, and shortcomings in the evaluation and accreditation of these programs by the National Agency for the Evaluation and Accreditation of Higher Education (Aneaes).
An ANEAES report reveals that while only 19.5% of the 118 Psychology programs in Paraguay have current accreditation, 59.2% of diplomas issued between 2023 and 2026 come from certified courses. The study indicates that 40.8% of new professionals (1,683) graduated from unaccredited programs, with the multicampus model being the main source of unaccredited degrees.
The National Agency for Evaluation and Accreditation of Higher Education (Aneaes) requested the Ministry of Education and the National Council for Higher Education (Cones) to intervene in more than 100 law courses that have never undergone mandatory accreditation. The request, made on May 4, has been ignored so far, while the scandal involving former senator Hernán Rivas exposes weaknesses in the diploma registration system.
The Paraguayan Medical Circle (CPM) warns that the disorderly increase in medical schools, with over 45,000 students in the country, overwhelms the services of the Social Security Institute (IPS), causing overcrowding and compromising the quality of care for beneficiaries. The union demands an urgent review of university agreements.
President Santiago Peña called for judicial cases involving legislators to be treated with the same criteria, regardless of party, while commenting on the situations of former senators Erico Galeano and Hernán Rivas. He also supported the work of ANEAES in reviewing university degrees.
President Santiago Peña stated that at the end of his term in 2028, he will be a senator for life, contradicting the bill that allows former presidents to run for elective office. He also commented on the fake diploma scandal of Hernán Rivas and the case of former senator Erico Galeano.
President Santiago Peña, during an event in San Lorenzo, asked the media to treat corruption cases involving opposition members and those of fellow Colorado Party members, such as Erico Galeano and Hernán Rivas, with the same rigor. Peña avoided detailing the proceedings and highlighted the role of ANEAES in controlling university degrees.