Universidad Nacional de Colombia

What Universidad Nacional de Colombia does

Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL) is Colombia's flagship public national university, established on September 22, 1867 by Law 66 under the administration of President Santos Acosta. It operates as a state-funded higher education institution headquartered in Bogotá (Carrera 45 No. 26-85, Edificio Uriel Gutiérrez) and serves undergraduate aspirants, graduate students, faculty, administrative staff, alumni, and external government and enterprise clients through nine regional campuses: Bogotá, Medellín, Manizales, Palmira, Amazonia (Leticia), Orinoquía (Arauca), Caribe (San Andrés Isla), Tumaco, and La Paz, plus specialized research stations such as CECIMAR, Marengo, the Roberto Franco tropical biology station, and the Villa de Leyva paleontological museum.

The university's core products are its pregrado (undergraduate) and posgrado (graduate, including master's and doctoral) academic programs, delivered both physically across its campuses and virtually through the Mi Campus DNIA online learning platform. It operates a portfolio of in-house information systems to support these functions: DINARA-SIA for academic administration, the Hermes research information system, SIBU for student well-being, and SIE for alumni services including a job board. Supporting services include laboratory infrastructure, the Editorial UNAL publishing house, library systems, and an owned media ecosystem (Agencia UNAL, Periódico UNAL, Radio UNAL, Televisión UNAL).

Revenue is generated primarily through government subsidies from national and regional budgets, supplemented by tuition and registration fees (subsidized by government funding), competitive research grants from agencies such as COLCIENCIAS and international funders, fee-based extension services to the state, enterprises, and communities (Servicios al Estado, Servicios a empresas, Servicios a la comunidad), and continuing-education programs through the Educación Continua y Permanente platform. The go-to-market is a sales-led model structured around formal academic admissions cycles and centralized enrollment portals (admisiones.unal.edu.co), with stakeholder-specific subportals for prospective students, current students, alumni, faculty, and administrative staff, supported by a broad owned-media presence across major social networks.

Name

Universidad Nacional de Colombia

Legal name

Universidad Nacional de Colombia

Website

https://unal.edu.co

Company type

Public

Founded year

1867

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Universidad Nacional de Colombia is Colombia's flagship public national university, founded in 1867, operating nine campuses nationwide to deliver subsidized undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral education, research, extension services, and continuing education to students, faculty, and external clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bogotá

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: As Colombia's flagship public university, the institution receives substantial government funding from national and regional budgets. This constitutes the primary revenue stream supporting operations, research, and academic programs.
2. Tuition and Registration Fees: Students pay tuition and registration fees for academic programs. As a public university, tuition is subsidized by government funding, making education more accessible.
3. Research Grants and Contracts: The university generates revenue through competitive research grants from government agencies (COLCIENCIAS) and international funding bodies for scientific research projects.
4. Extension Services: Services provided to the state, enterprises, and the community generate revenue through consulting, training, and specialized services (Servicios al Estado, Servicios a empresas, Servicios a la comunidad).
5. Continuing Education: Revenue from continuing education programs, professional development courses, and specialized training through the Educación Continua y Permanente platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels13 records

Core offering

Universidad Nacional de Colombia is a public national university that delivers undergraduate and graduate degree programs across nine campuses in Colombia, supported by virtual education through the Mi Campus DNIA platform. It also provides government- and enterprise-funded research, continuing and permanent education, extension services to the state and private sector, library and museum services, a university press, and a suite of university-owned media outlets.

Product overview

Universidad Nacional de Colombia is a public national university offering a comprehensive portfolio of academic and administrative services. The institution provides undergraduate and graduate degree programs across nine regional campuses (Bogotá, Medellín, Manizales, Palmira, Amazonia, Orinoquía, Caribe, Tumaco, and La Paz). Supporting core academic functions, UNAL operates multiple digital platforms including DINARA-SIA for academic administration, the Hermes Research Information System, Mi Campus for virtual education, and SIBU for student welfare. Research infrastructure is supported through laboratory facilities, the CECIMAR marine research institute, and specialized research stations. The university also maintains an ecosystem of media services including Agencia UNAL (news agency), Periódico UNAL (newspaper), Radio UNAL, and Televisión UNAL. Additional services include the Editorial publishing house, library systems, alumni services (SIE) with employment exchange, continuing education programs, and extension services for government, enterprises, and communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Instituto Amazónico de Investigaciones Imani: First academic unit of the Amazonia campus, established in 1995, focused on research and conservation of biodiversity in the Colombian Amazon region.
• Instituto de Estudios en Ciencias del Mar – CECIMAR
• Centro Agropecuario Marengo-CAM
• Museo Paleontológico Villa de Leyva
• Estación de Biología Tropical Roberto Franco
• Mi Campus - DNIA

Products and services

• Pregrado (Undergraduate Programs) Undergraduate degree programs offered across nine campuses in Colombia, covering multiple disciplines including sciences, engineering, humanities, and arts. Intended for high school graduates and transfer students entering through the centralized admissions process.
• Posgrado (Graduate Programs)

Segments6 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

One partnership is on record.

• INVEMAR (Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1996Partnership established in 1996 for the operation of CECIMAR (Instituto de Estudios en Ciencias del Mar). This followed a previous 1977 agreement between the university and COLCIENCIAS. CECIMAR operates within INVEMAR facilities in Santa Marta, developing academic programs and research projects in marine sciences.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves15 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UNColombia
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCnE6Zj2llVxcvL5I38B0Ceg
• Facebookfacebook.com/UNColombia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/universidad-nacional-de-colombia
• Instagraminstagram.com/unaloficial

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Universidad Nacional de Colombia