Universidad Mayor de San Simon

What Universidad Mayor de San Simon does

Universidad Mayor de San Simón (UMSS) is a public state-run university headquartered in Cochabamba, Bolivia, founded in 1832 and operating continuously for over 186 years. It is one of Bolivia's oldest and largest higher-education institutions, organized across 14+ faculties spanning architecture, pharmacy, agricultural sciences, economics, law, social sciences, science and technology, rural development, nursing, humanities, medicine, dentistry, veterinary sciences, and forestry, with additional campuses in Quillacollo and Valle de Alto. The institution serves prospective undergraduate students, transfer students, international applicants, and continuing education seekers through in-person programs and a digital extension called Universidad Virtual Inteligente for distance learning.

UMSS's technology footprint consists of internal administrative and academic platforms rather than externally marketed technology products. Core systems include WEBSISS (a web-based portal for student information management, online registration, and academic administration), the Sistema de Admisión Facultativa (SAF) for undergraduate application and enrollment, and SISPO for applicant tracking and documentation. These platforms support the university's core service of higher education delivery across its physical and virtual modalities.

The university's revenue model is anchored in annual tuition and academic fees, with national students paying 300-800 Bs and international students approximately 1,000 Bs, plus program-specific add-ons. As a government state entity under Bolivia's Ministry of Higher Education, UMSS is primarily funded by public resources rather than commercial revenue, and its go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer via entrance exams, admission processes, and social media-driven recruitment. UMSS maintains strategic international cooperation partnerships (Belgian and Swedish development agencies) and a specialized public-sector partnership with SERNAP for park ranger professionalization delivered through its ESFOR training arm.

Name

Universidad Mayor de San Simon

Legal name

Universidad Mayor de San Simón

Website

https://umss.edu.bo

Company type

Private

Founded year

1832

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Universidad Mayor de San Simón is a public state-run university in Cochabamba, Bolivia, founded in 1832, delivering undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education across 14+ faculties and a virtual learning platform to national and international students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Comprehensive Graduate & Professional Schools (EDAHAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Research Universities with Major Extension & Outreach Missions (EDAHAAAG), Applied Research & Innovation Universities (EDAHAEAE)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate postgraduate studies
• Distance learning programs
• Scientific technological research

Headquarters

HQ city

Cochabamba

HQ country

Bolivia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Academic Fees: Revenue generated from tuition and fees charged to both national and international students for undergraduate and graduate programs. National students pay 300-800 Bs while foreign students pay approximately 1,000 Bs, with additional fees for specific programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Universidad Mayor de San Simón (UMSS) is a public university offering higher education services across 14+ faculties, including undergraduate (Pregrado), graduate (Posgrado), and continuing education (Formación Continua) programs in fields such as medicine, engineering, law, agriculture, and economics. The university delivers academic instruction through in-person campus modalities and through its Universidad Virtual Inteligente distance learning platform, supported by digital administrative systems such as WEBSISS, SAF, and SISPO. The institution also conducts scientific and technological research and engages in international cooperation partnerships.

Product overview

Universidad Mayor de San Simón operates as a traditional university with a digital extension through its Universidad Virtual Inteligente platform for online learning. The institution's core offerings include undergraduate programs (Pregrado), graduate degrees (Posgrado), and continuing education (Formación Continua), supported by internal administrative systems including WEBSISS for institutional management, SAF for faculty admissions, and SISPO for applicant tracking. The university provides academic services across 14+ faculties through a combination of in-person and virtual modalities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Universidad Virtual Inteligente: Virtual and distance education division of Universidad Mayor de San Simón offering online learning programs.
• Escuela de Posgrado

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programs (Pregrado) Undergraduate degree programs (Pregrado) offered across 14+ faculties covering medicine, engineering, law, economics, agricultural sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Designed for high school graduates pursuing higher education degrees in Bolivia.
• Escuela de Posgrado (Graduate School)
• Universidad Virtual Inteligente (Distance Learning Platform) Online virtual education platform offering distance learning programs, induction courses, and digital academic services for students seeking flexible remote enrollment and course access.
• Formación Continua (Continuing Education) Continuing education programs providing professional development, specialized training, certifications, and skill development courses for working professionals and graduates.
• Escuela de Formación (ESFOR) School focused on forestry sciences and environmental studies, offering graduate-level training in park ranger professionalization in cooperation with SERNAP.
• Scientific and Technological Research Programs Scientific and technological research programs conducted across research centers and thematic research axes, producing projects and publications that contribute to the national research and development capacity.

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SERNAP (Servicio Nacional de Áreas Protegidas)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership for professionalization of park rangers. UMSS provides academic programs and training through ESFOR (Escuela de Formación) for graduate programs in park ranger professionalization.
• ESFOR (Escuela de Formación)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGraduate programs in park ranger training in cooperation with SERNAP. ESFOR serves as the training arm for specialized professional development programs.
• Belgian CooperationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational cooperation partner supporting postgraduate programs at UMSS through development assistance and academic collaboration.
• Swedish CooperationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational cooperation partner supporting postgraduate programs at UMSS through development assistance and academic collaboration.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Universidad Privada Boliviana (UPB): Private Bolivian university headquartered in Cochabamba, directly competing with UMSS in the same city for the same student segments, providing a localized competitive benchmark.

Broad incumbents

• Universidad Nacional de Colombia: Large Latin American public research university with similar multi-faculty, multi-campus, online education extension model, providing a regional benchmark for UMSS's scale and program breadth.
• Universidad de Chile: Chilean public research university with comparable comprehensive faculty structure, postgraduate programs, and continuing education offerings, providing a regional scale and quality benchmark.
• Universidad de la República (UdelaR): Uruguayan public research university with a comparable model of public funding, low/no tuition, and comprehensive disciplinary coverage, relevant as a structural peer for a public Latin American university.
• Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA): Largest public university in Argentina with free tuition, comprehensive research output, and graduate programs — a structural comparable for UMSS as a public, low-tuition, research-active institution in the Southern Cone.
• Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC): Guatemala's primary public university with analogous historical founding, multi-faculty structure, and Central American public higher education mission, providing a peer in a similar developing-country public university context.
• Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM): Latin America's largest public research university, offering a model of large-scale subsidized higher education with extension programs and online learning that parallels UMSS's institutional logic.

Direct peers

• Universidad Católica Boliviana San Pablo: Bolivia's leading private university, competing directly with UMSS for Cochabamba and national students across multiple disciplines but with market-rate tuition and a different funding model.
• Universidad Mayor de San Andrés (UMSA): Bolivia's other major public research university, located in La Paz. Closest domestic comparable as a public, multi-faculty, research-oriented institution serving the national student market with similar governance and funding structure.
• Universidad Pública de El Alto (UPEA): Bolivian public university competing for the same national undergraduate pool as UMSS, with similar state funding model, multi-faculty structure, and tuition pricing in the same low range.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UmssBolOficial
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/UniversidadMayordeSanSimonOficial
• Facebookfacebook.com/UmssBolOficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/universidad-mayor-de-san-simon
• Instagraminstagram.com/umssboloficial

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 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 Mayor de San Simon