Amid growing demand for mental health services, only 23 of the 118 authorized Psychology programs in Paraguay have current accreditation, representing 19.5% of academic offerings, according to data from the National Agency for Evaluation and Accreditation of Higher Education (ANEAES). The survey, covering records from the Ministry of Education and Sciences (MEC) between 2023 and May 2026, shows that despite the low percentage of accredited programs, they are responsible for training the majority of professionals.
During the period analyzed, 4,129 undergraduate Psychology degrees were issued. Of these, 2,446 (59.2%) came from accredited programs, while 1,683 (40.8%) were issued by programs without current accreditation. The report highlights that "although accredited programs represent less than 20% of the total authorized, they concentrate the largest output of graduates," mainly in public universities and large private institutions located in the Asunción-Central axis.
One of the points of concern identified by ANEAES is the situation of multi-campus programs — those offered across multiple campuses of the same university. The report points to "a significant concentration of degrees issued by multi-campus programs that do not yet have current accreditation," which "together account for 70% of unaccredited degrees recorded in the period analyzed."
Despite the situation, the agency notes progress in incorporating new institutions into the evaluation system. According to the document, "the progressive incorporation of new institutions into the quality assurance system through the 2025 and 2026 calls constitutes an important advance," with the aim of expanding coverage of evaluation and accreditation processes in the Psychology program. ANEAES further maintains that "strengthening quality in psychological training is strategic" given the sustained increase in challenges related to mental health, emotional well-being, and clinical and community care in Paraguay.