Santo Tomás

What Santo Tomás does

Santo Tomás (Instituto Profesional Santo Tomás) is a Chilean technical-professional higher education institution incorporated in Chile and operating as the IP-tier entity of the broader Santo Tomás educational network, which also includes Universidad Santo Tomás (UST), Centro de Formación Técnica Santo Tomás (CFT) and Postgrados UST. Founded in 1982 and operating for more than 40 years, the institution holds Acreditación Nivel Avanzado (Advanced Level Institutional Accreditation) granted by Chile's Comisión Nacional de Acreditación. It is headquartered in Concepción and delivers educational services through 20 physical campuses spanning Chile from Arica to Punta Arenas, complemented by a national Sede Online for 100% asynchronous online programs.

The institution's core product is more than 35 undergraduate technical-professional programs organized across eight academic areas: Administración, Ciencias Sociales, Comunicación y Diseño, Educación, Informática, Ingeniería, Recursos Naturales, and Turismo y Gastronomía. Program delivery is supported by a Centro de Servicios Online comprising a tutoring platform (academic, administrative, technological and orientation support), a complete online bibliographic catalog, virtual classrooms and workshops, and a student-support system with socio-emotional and extracurricular components. The student experience is unified through "Experiencia Tomasina," an 8-stage journey from vocational orientation to labor insertion offering over 100 curricular and extracurricular services, plus a digital learning platform that provides 24/7 access to teaching materials, evaluations, forums, and professor consultations.

The business model is B2C tuition-driven, supplemented by recurring government education subsidies (CAE loans, BECAS scholarships) accessed via articulation pathways. Auxiliary revenue streams include continuing education (Capacitación - Educación Continua), corporate training, and international mobility programs (Becas Santander Movilidad Internacional Pregrado) under the Santander Open Academy partnership. The institution has raised approximately US$43.5 million from the International Finance Corporation in 2023, and maintains strategic alignments with ChileValora, the Marco de Cualificaciones Técnico Profesional and the Marco de Cualificaciones Minero y Mantenimiento 4.0 to ensure programs align with national occupational competency standards. Distribution runs through a centralized national admissions platform (tupuedes.cl), direct enrollment at each of the 20 campuses, articulation agreements with technical high schools (Convenio EMTP), and the nationwide online channel.

Name

Santo Tomás

Legal name

Instituciones Santo Tomás

Website

https://ipsantotomas.cl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Instituto Profesional Santo Tomás is a Chilean technical-professional higher education institution operating 20 physical campuses from Arica to Punta Arenas plus a national online campus, delivering 35+ undergraduate programs across 8 academic areas to high school graduates, working adults, and technical high school graduates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Technical-Professional Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Community Colleges (Applied/CTE-Focused) (EDAHADAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Online For-Profit Career Universities (EDAHALAJ)

Keywords

• Technical-professional higher education
• Undergraduate career programs
• Online asynchronous education
• Continuing professional education
• Student support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Concepcion

HQ country

Chile

HQ region

Latin America

Offices21 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tuition Revenue: Revenue generated from student tuition payments for technical professional programs. Programs offered include day and evening schedules across more than 35 undergraduate careers.
2. Government Education Subsidies: Public funding through government student aid programs including scholarships and student loan access (CAE, BECAS).
3. Continuing Education Services: Revenue from Capacitación - Educación Continua programs including short courses, certifications, and corporate training services.
4. International Exchange Programs: Revenue from international mobility programs including Santander Open Academy partnerships for semester abroad opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Instituto Profesional Santo Tomás is a private technical-professional higher education institution that delivers more than 35 undergraduate career programs across 8 academic areas (Administration, Social Sciences, Communication and Design, Education, Computing, Engineering, Natural Resources, and Tourism and Gastronomy) through 20 physical campuses spanning Chile from Arica to Punta Arenas and a nationwide online campus. The core offering bundles face-to-face and asynchronous instruction, the proprietary Experiencia Tomasina student support journey, career services, and articulation pathways with technical secondary schools.

Product overview

Instituto Profesional Santo Tomás is a technical-professional higher education institution offering over 35 undergraduate programs across 8 academic areas (Administración, Ciencias Sociales, Comunicación y Diseño, Educación, Informática, Ingeniería, Recursos Naturales, and Turismo y Gastronomía). The institution operates through physical campuses from Arica to Punta Arenas and a dedicated Online Education Platform (Sede Online) providing 100% asynchronous online programs. The student experience is unified through Experiencia Tomasina, a comprehensive support program offering over 100 services across 8 stages from enrollment through job placement. Supporting services include Centro de Aprendizaje for academic tutoring, DAE for student welfare, Innovation and Entrepreneurship programs, Community Engagement (Vinculación con el Medio), Continuing Education, and the Confucius Institute. The institution holds advanced-level accreditation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Experiencia Tomasina: Student journey and support program offering services across 8 stages from vocational orientation to labor insertion, providing over 100 curricular and extracurricular services
• Instituto Confucio
• Tu Puedes

Products and services

• Instituto Profesional Santo Tomás Technical-Professional Career Programs More than 35 undergraduate technical-professional career programs across 8 academic areas (Administration, Social Sciences, Communication and Design, Education, Computing, Engineering, Natural Resources, and Tourism and Gastronomy), delivered across 20 physical campuses and an online campus to Chilean high school graduates, working adults, and EMTP graduates.
• Santo Tomás Online Campus (Sede Online) Online campus delivering 100% asynchronous Santo Tomás career programs to nationwide students unable to attend on-campus classes, with tutor support Monday-Friday 08:30-18:30 and 24/7 technical platform assistance.
• Educación Continua (Capacitación) Continuing education and corporate training portal offering short courses, certifications, and professional development services for individuals and companies, including ChileValora-aligned competency certification pathways.
• Instituto Confucio Santo Tomás Mandarin Chinese language courses and HSK certification examinations offered through the Confucius Institute partnership, providing international language skills and cultural competencies to students and the broader community.

Quantifiable outcome

• Graduate employment and career advancement support through Crea Empleo program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Santander Open AcademyminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026International mobility partnership providing Becas Santander Movilidad Internacional Pregrado scholarships for students to study abroad for one semester at partner institutions internationally.
• Instituto ConfuciocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Chinese language education and cultural programs. The Instituto Confucio at Santo Tomás offers Mandarin Chinese courses and HSK certification examinations, providing students with international language skills and cultural competencies.
• ChileValoracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic alignment with ChileValora (Comisión del Sistema Nacional de Certificación de Competencias Laborales) for skills certification. Programs are articulated with ChileValora occupational profiles, allowing graduates to obtain official competency certifications and course exemptions.
• Marco de Cualificaciones Técnico ProfesionalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrograms designed under the Technical Professional Higher Education Qualifications Framework, ensuring alignment with national competency standards and labor market requirements across different productive sectors.
• Marco de Cualificaciones Minero y Mantenimiento 4.0coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialized qualifications framework for mining and maintenance sectors informing automation and instrumentation programs, aligned with industry 4.0 requirements and mining sector skill standards.
• Regional Municipalities and Public InstitutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with regional municipalities and public organizations for student internships, community programs, and workforce development initiatives across various regions of Chile.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Universidad Tecmilenio (Mexico): Tecmilenio is a Mexican for-profit university system focused on career-oriented and online education. Although geographically separate, its model (multi-campus career university, employer-aligned programs, continuing education) closely parallels Santo Tomás's positioning.

Direct peers

• INACAP: INACAP is Chile's largest technical-professional higher education institution, operating campuses nationwide with a strong corporate and government partnership model. It is the most direct competitor to Instituto Profesional Santo Tomás in scale, mission, and target student segment.
• Duoc UC: Duoc UC is the technical-professional education arm of Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, offering technical careers and professional programs across multiple campuses. It competes directly with Santo Tomás for technical-professional students and benefits from a stronger university brand backing.
• AIEP (Laureate/adventis group): AIEP is a Chilean technical-professional institute offering career-focused programs nationwide, now part of broader education networks. It is a direct competitor in the IP/CFT segment with similar geographic reach and program mix to Santo Tomás.
• Centro de Formación Técnica (CFT) state institutions: Public CFTs (e.g., CFT de la Región de Tarapacá, CFT Estatal de Arica y Parinacota) offer subsidized technical training and compete on price with private IPs. They are direct comparables for Santo Tomás's CFT sibling entity and an indirect threat to IP enrollment.

Broad incumbents

• Universidad Andrés Bello (UNAB): UNAB is a large private university in Chile with technical and professional programs across multiple campuses. While a broader university, its career-oriented programs overlap with Santo Tomás's portfolio and compete for similar students.
• Universidad de Las Américas (UDLA): UDLA is a large Chilean private university offering technical and professional degrees with nationwide campuses. It is a broader incumbent competing for the same career-oriented student base as Santo Tomás.
• Universidad del Desarrollo (UDD): UDD is a higher-tier private Chilean university with strong industry linkages and selective admissions. While more selective than Santo Tomás, it competes for top technical-professional students who might otherwise choose an IP.
• Laureate International Universities: Laureate operated a portfolio of for-profit universities across Latin America (including Chile). It is a global incumbent in the for-profit higher education space, sharing business model similarities with Santo Tomás despite different scale and focus.

Others

• Universidad Santo Tomás (UST): UST is the sister university entity within the same Santo Tomás network, offering undergraduate and graduate programs. While not a competitor (same ownership), it is highly relevant as an internal benchmark for the IP's upward student migration funnel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/santotomas_st
• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=1WCTcixdss4
• Facebookfacebook.com/SantoTomasST
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/santo-tomas-online
• Instagraminstagram.com/santotomas_st

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Santo Tomás