Universidade de Brasília

What Universidade de Brasília does

Universidade de Brasília (UnB) is a Brazilian federal public university founded in 1962, funded primarily through the Brazilian Ministry of Education and other federal research agencies (CNPq, CAPES, FAPDF), and operating four campuses across the Federal District — Darcy Ribeiro (main), Ceilândia, Gama, and Planaltina. It serves approximately 40,000+ undergraduate and graduate students through 138 academic programs, supported by nearly 2,800 faculty members and approximately 3,200 technical-administrative staff, with over 60,000 people circulating daily across its campuses.

The institution runs a comprehensive digital ecosystem anchored by SIGAA (academic management), SIGRH (human resources), SIPAC (asset/administrative management), SEI (electronic document management), the Moodle-based Aprender 3 learning platform, a pioneering digital diploma service, and an electronic petitioning system that reduced graduate processing time from 30 to 12 days. Research infrastructure includes the Biblioteca Central with 30+ scientific databases, the CDT technology development center, PCTec science park, and the PLic scientific initiation platform. UnB produces 1,291 research projects annually with 1,095 active scholarships.

UnB's business model is non-commercial: as a federal public university, it provides tuition-free higher education and extension services (university hospital via EBSERH, veterinary hospitals, university restaurant, cultural programs) funded through constitutional federal budget allocations and research grants. It generated R$2.5 million of own funding for its 2026-2027 scientific initiation cycle, ranked 831st globally in CWUR 2026 (11th in Brazil, 19th in Latin America), and is expanding policy impact through a 2025 cooperation agreement with the Câmara Legislativa do Distrito Federal.

Name

Universidade de Brasília

Legal name

Universidade de Brasília

Website

https://unb.br

Company type

Public

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Universidade de Brasília is a Brazilian federal public university founded in 1962, operating four campuses in the Federal District and serving over 40,000 students through 138 tuition-free undergraduate and graduate programs, funded primarily by the Ministry of Education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Multi-Campus Systems (EDAHAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Research Universities with Comprehensive Graduate & Professional Schools (EDAHAAAF), University/College Continuing Education (Extension) Programs (EDAAAEAA)

Keywords

• Public higher education
• Undergraduate programs
• Graduate research
• Distance learning
• Scientific research

Headquarters

HQ city

Brasília

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Government Funding: As a federal public university, UnB is funded primarily through the Brazilian Ministry of Education (MEC) and federal budget allocations. Revenue comes from taxpayer funds allocated through the Plano Plurianual, Lei de Diretrizes Orçamentárias, and Lei Orçamentária Anual.
2. Research Grants and Funding: Research activities funded through CNPq, CAPES, FAPDF, and internal institutional funding. Programs like PIBIC, PIBITI, and scientific initiation scholarships are funded through these agencies and university resources.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Universidade de Brasília (UnB) is a Brazilian federal public university offering tuition-free undergraduate, graduate (master's and doctoral), and distance education programs across 138 courses spanning sciences, humanities, technology, health, and arts. The institution also delivers scientific research programs (PIBIC, PIBITI), community extension services, public healthcare through its university hospital, and veterinary services across four campuses in the Federal District.

Product overview

Universidade de Brasília operates a comprehensive digital ecosystem of educational and administrative platforms. The core academic infrastructure is built around SIGAA (academic management) and Aprender 3 (virtual learning environment), supported by SIGRH (human resources) and SIPAC (administrative management). The university offers digital credential services through Diploma Digital, electronic document management via SEI, and administrative petitioning through the Peticionamento Eletrônico system. Research infrastructure is served by the Biblioteca Central's scientific databases and the PLic platform for scientific initiation. Institutional planning and evaluation are supported by the DPO platform, while the CDT coordinates technology transfer and entrepreneurship. UnB Agenda manages institutional events and calendars. Together, these platforms provide integrated services for over 40,000 students, nearly 2,800 faculty members, and approximately 3,200 technical-administrative staff across four campuses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programs (Graduação)

Quantifiable outcome

• 831st place globally in CWUR 2026 ranking (Top 4% worldwide)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Câmara Legislativa do Distrito Federal (CLDF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 September 2025Acordo de Cooperação Técnica signed on September 30, 2025, to bring UnB's scientific production closer to legislative activity in the Federal District. Initiative aims to select at least 20 academic papers during the 24-month agreement term, conduct two public hearings annually, and publish all selected studies. Goal: at least 10 papers to directly support legislative propositions.
• Centro de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Tecnológico (CDT/UnB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for PIBITI (Technological Development and Innovation) program facilitating student access to innovation and research projects, particularly in partnership with the Parque Científico e Tecnológico (PCTec/UnB) and Diretoria Técnico-Científica da Polícia Federal (Ditec/PF).
• Diretoria Técnico-Científica da Polícia Federal (Ditec/PF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with PIBITI program to facilitate student access to innovation and research projects in collaboration with federal police technical-scientific activities.
• Ebserh (Empresa Brasileira de Serviços Hospitalares)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal company managing the University Hospital (Hospital Universitário de Brasília) which operates as the main public healthcare facility affiliated with UnB.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE): Northeast region's leading federal public research university with comparable structure, research intensity, and federally-funded academic programs.
• Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ): Major Brazilian federal public university with similar structure (multi-campus, comprehensive graduate programs, funded through MEC). One of UnB's closest structural peers in the federal university system.
• Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR): Oldest Brazilian federal university with comparable academic structure, public funding model, and comprehensive undergraduate/graduate programs across multiple campuses.
• Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS): Major Brazilian federal university in the south region with similar size, research intensity, and public funding model. Comparable in graduate programs, research output, and multi-campus operations.
• Universidade de São Paulo (USP): Brazil's largest and highest-ranked public research university. Directly comparable as a federal/state public research university with comprehensive programs, strong research output, and similar constitutional free-tuition model.
• Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP): Top-ranked Brazilian public research university (state-level rather than federal, but operationally comparable). Strong research focus, comprehensive programs, and similar academic management systems.
• Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG): Leading Brazilian federal public research university with comparable scale (large faculty, multiple campuses, strong research output). Similar funding model and governance under MEC oversight.
• Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC): Brazilian federal university with similar scale, research output, and public university governance. Comparable in technology programs, graduate schools, and student services infrastructure.

Regional players

• Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM): Latin America's largest public research university, comparable in scale (300,000+ students), public funding model, research output, and continental academic ranking position. Serves as a Latin American regional peer.

Broad incumbents

• Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio): Major Brazilian private research university with comparable academic reputation and research output, though operates under a tuition-funded model. Relevant for benchmarking research quality and graduate program ratings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/unb_oficial
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCUUU5zBnxg55vaXymuFJDPw
• Facebookfacebook.com/universidadebsb
• Instagraminstagram.com/unb_oficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/universidade-de-bras-lia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Universidade de Brasília