The CES regulates micro-credentials in Ecuadorian higher education

The Higher Education Council (CES) issued the Regulation for the Offering, Issuance, and Registration of Micro-credentials in the Higher Education System, through resolution RPC-SE-14-No.038-2026. The regulation was adopted on September 24, 2026, during the Fourteenth Extraordinary Session of the CES Plenary, and was published in the Official Registry, Second Supplement No. 393, on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, with the summary entry on page 18.

The instrument is based on Article 169, literal g, of the Organic Law of Higher Education (LOES), which empowers the CES to issue regulatory norms for the exercise of its competencies, and Article 4 of the Organic Law for Economic Reactivation through the Strengthening of the Linkage between the Productive Economic Sector and Education. The text consists of 23 articles distributed across six chapters, one general provision, two transitory provisions, and one final provision, and was signed by Fidel Márquez Sánchez, president of the CES, and Andrés Jaramillo Paredes, general secretary.

The prior process included the regulatory report from the Regulatory Coordination (CES-CN-2026-0218-M, dated September 11, 2026), the legal report from the CES Attorney General’s Office (CES-PRO-2026-0379-M, dated September 14, 2026), and the agreement of the Permanent Commission for Postgraduate Studies ACU-CPP-SO-33-No.382-2026. The recitals cite UNESCO IESALC, which noted that micro-credentials represent a relevant innovation for Latin America and the Caribbean.

What they certify and who can issue them

The regulation defines micro-credentials as certifications that accredit learning outcomes, knowledge, skills, abilities, or specific competencies obtained in a short-term, structured, documented, and evaluated training experience. They shall have their own educational value and must be issued in a verifiable, portable, and interoperable digital format.

The following may act as authorized issuers:

• Legally recognized and accredited higher education institutions.
• Recently created institutions that do not have “accredited” status and possess the endorsement of the Council for the Assurance of Quality of Higher Education (CACES).

Three modalities are recognized: updating, improvement, or continuing education; those articulable with degrees or programs; and the recognition of competencies achieved by students or former students who did not complete the training itinerary. None shall independently generate credits, admission, academic promotion, professional licensing, or the right to a degree. In the health field, only institutions with an approved and current offering in that area may provide them.

Hours, evaluation, and digital certification

The learning volume will be expressed in total hours and, as a reference, micro-credentials will comprise between 25 and 100 hours, without prejudice to it being higher if the learning outcomes justify it. At least 80% of the total volume must correspond to direct interaction, teaching support, tutoring, practical-experimental activities, or guided evaluation.

Evaluation shall be mandatory and verifiable, with prior criteria and rubrics, and in no case may it be based solely on attendance. When artificial intelligence or automation systems are used, issuers must guarantee identity verification, algorithmic transparency, and the absence of discriminatory biases.

Issuance will be digital, via certificate or digital badge, using open standards such as Open Badges or W3C Verifiable Credentials, and distributed ledger technologies or blockchain may be employed. The validity of the offer must be reviewed within a maximum period of three years in areas of rapid obsolescence and five years in other cases.

Academic recognition and informative registry

Academic recognition, homologation, or validation of knowledge remains at the discretion of the receiving institution, in the exercise of its responsible autonomy, and may not exceed 15% of the total credits of the degree or program. It shall also not proceed when it compromises the public interest or puts at risk the life, health, or integrity of individuals.

The CES will maintain an updated registry of the offer. Institutions must notify their micro-credentials before the start of execution; the notification is declarative and does not constitute prior authorization. Incorporation into the registry will be done within a maximum period of 15 days from the receipt of the complete notification.

Implementation deadlines

• Institutions that already offer micro-credentials must notify the CES within 60 days from the issuance of the resolution.
• The Permanent Commission for Postgraduate Studies will develop a technical implementation guide and present it to the Plenary within 60 days.
• CACES may incorporate criteria on micro-credentials into its evaluation and accreditation processes.

The regulation organizes a market of short certifications that until now operated without a specific framework and establishes a clear ceiling: micro-credentials complement training, but they do not replace degrees nor enable professional practice. For universities and technical institutes, this implies adapting their design, evaluation, and digital issuance processes within a limited timeframe; for students, the key is that only micro-credentials registered in the CES registry may be considered in academic recognition processes.

Source: Official Registry, Second Supplement No. 393, October 20, 2026, pág. 18 (official reference: RPC-SE-14-No.038-2026).