Universidad Nacional de Quilmes

What Universidad Nacional de Quilmes does

Universidad Nacional de Quilmes (UNQ), founded in 1989 in Bernal, Buenos Aires Province, is a public national university owned and funded by the Argentine state under the Ley de Educación Superior 24.521 and the Ley de Financiamiento Universitario. It delivers tuition-free education across four academic departments (Ciencias Sociales, Ciencia y Tecnología, Economía y Administración, and Escuela Universitaria de Artes) plus a secondary technical school (ESET) in Ezpeleta, serving undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students. UNQ pioneered distance learning in Argentina in 1999 and operates the proprietary Qoodle virtual campus, the SIED-validated distance education system (CONEAU-approved, SPU Resolution 207/19), and a network of nationwide examination centers, alongside complementary assets including UNQ Radio, UNQtv, Editorial UNQ, RIDAA repository, and the UNQ Sustentable and PIIDISA programs.

Revenue is derived entirely from national government appropriations; there is no tuition or fee income from students. Distribution is direct: in-person enrollment at the Bernal and Ezpeleta campuses, and self-serve online enrollment via the Qoodle platform and the postgraduate portal. Recruitment runs through the institutional website, EXPO UNQ events, and a broad social media footprint. Leadership is exercised through a Consejo Superior and Rector, with recent 2025 elections installing new department-level directors for the 2025–2029 term.

Strategically, UNQ is currently operating under fiscal stress, having declared economic and salary emergency and publicly mobilized alongside other national universities to demand government compliance with the financing law. Its near-term offensive initiatives center on AI literacy (student-facing generative AI guide) and sustainability (UNQ Sustentable), while defensive activity focuses on funding defense and institutional continuity.

Name

Universidad Nacional de Quilmes

Legal name

Universidad Nacional de Quilmes

Website

https://unq.edu.ar

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Universidad Nacional de Quilmes is a public, tuition-free Argentine national university founded in 1989, offering in-person and distance undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate programs across four academic departments to students in Argentina.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Online Divisions of Traditional Universities (Hybrid/Extension) (EDAHALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

University/College Continuing Education (Extension) Programs (EDAAAEAA), Public Virtual & Blended Learning Programs (District-Run) (EDAJAAAI)

Keywords

• Public higher education
• Distance learning programs
• University degree programs
• Continuing education courses
• Academic research services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bernal

HQ country

Argentina

HQ region

Latin America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public University Funding: As a public national university governed by Argentina's Ley de Educación Superior 24521, UNQ provides tuition-free education. Its operating revenue is derived entirely from national government funding under the Ley de Financiamiento Universitario, with no direct tuition or fee revenue from students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Universidad Nacional de Quilmes (UNQ) is a public national university that offers tuition-free higher education in Argentina, delivering undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate degree programs both on its Bernal campus in Buenos Aires Province and online through its Universidad Virtual de Quilmes (UVQ). It also provides teacher training (Profesorado), technical short-courses (Tecnicaturas), and extension/continuing-education courses. The university's virtual learning is operated on its proprietary Qoodle platform, which has served as the backbone of its online education since its inception as a pioneer of distance education in Argentina in 1999.

Product overview

Universidad Nacional de Quilmes (UNQ) is a public Argentine university offering a comprehensive portfolio of educational products and services. The institution provides face-to-face and virtual degree programs across four academic departments: Ciencias Sociales, Ciencia y Tecnología, Economía y Administración, and Escuela Universitaria de Artes. Its core educational offerings include undergraduate degrees (licenciaturas), technical programs (tecnicaturas), graduate degrees (maestrías, doctorados, specializations), and continuing education courses. The university's technology-enabled products include the virtual campus platform Qoodle for distance learning, Mi UNQ student portal, UNQ Radio and UNQtv media channels, Editorial UNQ publishing house, and the institutional repository RIDAA. The institution also operates specialized programs including UNQ Sustentable for sustainability initiatives, PIIDISA for environmental interventions, and maintains SIED (Sistema Institucional de Educación a Distancia) accreditation for its distance education operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Universidad Virtual Quilmes (UVQ): The distance education program of UNQ, which pioneered virtual learning in Argentina starting in 1999, offering technical degrees and bachelor's programs.
• Campus Virtual Qoodle
• UNQ Radio
• UNQ TV
• Agencia de Noticias Científicas
• Editorial UNQ
• RIDAA
• UNQ Sustentable

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programs (Licenciaturas) Public tuition-free undergraduate degree programs (licenciaturas) covering Science & Technology, Social Sciences, Economics & Law, designed for prospective and current undergraduate students in Argentina, delivered both in-person at the Bernal campus and online.
• Technical Programs (Tecnicaturas) Short-cycle technical programs (tecnicaturas) providing practical, vocational training and certification for prospective students and working professionals in Argentina.
• Postgraduate Programs (Posgrados) Tuition-supported postgraduate programs including master's degrees, doctorates, and specializations across Science & Technology, Social Sciences, and Economics & Law, designed for working professionals and graduates seeking advanced academic credentials.
• Universidad Virtual de Quilmes (UVQ) Online Degrees Fully online undergraduate and graduate degree programs delivered through the Universidad Virtual de Quilmes (UVQ) portal and Qoodle virtual campus, enabling remote learners across Argentina to earn accredited university degrees without on-campus attendance.
• Extension and Continuing-Education Courses Non-degree extension courses aimed at the broader community, adult learners, teachers, and professionals, designed to provide short, practical upskilling and continuing-education programming outside the formal degree track.
• Teacher Training Programs (Profesorado) Profesorado programs providing initial teacher certification and pedagogical training for prospective and in-service K-12 and post-secondary teachers in Argentina.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos (OEI)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025UNQ partnered with the Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos (OEI) to co-organize a public policy event on Artificial Intelligence, with participation from provincial specialists and OEI representatives.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento (UNGS): Smaller public national university in Greater Buenos Aires with focus on social sciences, science, and technology. Comparable peer as a younger public university established in a similar timeframe with similar academic scope.
• Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP): Another major Argentine public national university with broad academic departments, graduate programs, and significant research output. Directly comparable as a peer institution under the same public-university funding framework and national accreditation system.
• Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA): Argentina's largest public national university, offering similar undergraduate, graduate, and distance programs in social sciences, science, economics, and arts. Most directly comparable public university peer in Argentina, with overlapping academic scope and government funding model.
• Universidad Nacional de Rosario (UNR): Major public national university in Argentina's interior with broad academic departments and distance learning programs. Comparable in scale and public funding model to UNQ, serving a similar student demographic.
• Universidad Nacional de San Mart\u00edn (UNSAM): Public national university in Greater Buenos Aires with strong research focus and growing online offerings. Closely comparable to UNQ as a mid-sized public university with modern academic programming and geographic proximity.
• Universidad Nacional de C\u00f3rdoba (UNC): One of Argentina's oldest and largest public national universities, offering similar undergraduate and postgraduate programs across multiple disciplines. Directly comparable peer serving as a flagship public university in a different region.
• Universidad Nacional del Litoral (UNL): Public national university in Santa Fe with strong distance learning tradition and technical programs. Comparable peer as a public university with established virtual education programs and similar institutional profile.

Broad incumbents

• Universidad Austral: Major Argentine private university offering undergraduate, graduate, and research programs. Comparable as an established higher education competitor in Argentina, though operating under a private tuition-based model rather than public funding.
• Pontificia Universidad Cat\u00f3lica Argentina (UCA): One of Argentina's largest private universities offering programs across social sciences, engineering, health, and economics. Comparable as a comprehensive higher education peer competing for the same student pool, though with a tuition-based revenue model.

Regional players

• Universidad de la Rep\u00fablica (UDELAR): Uruguay's main public university with similar academic departments and public funding structure. Comparable as a regional peer public university in the Southern Cone operating under similar higher education policy frameworks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/unqoficial
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@UNQtv
• Facebookfacebook.com/42
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/universidad-nacional-de-quilmes
• Instagraminstagram.com/unq_oficial

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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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 Universidad Nacional de Quilmes