Universidade de Santa Cruz do Sul

What Universidade de Santa Cruz do Sul does

Universidade de Santa Cruz do Sul (UNISC) is a Brazilian communitary (community) private non-profit university founded in 1993 and maintained by APESC (Associação Pró-Ensino em Santa Cruz do Sul). Headquartered in Santa Cruz do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, it operates five campuses across the state — Santa Cruz do Sul, Capão da Canoa, Montenegro, Sobradinho, and Venâncio Aires — and reports between 1,001 and 5,000 employees. The institution holds CEBAS certification under Law 12.101/2009, enabling Prouni scholarship partnerships and favorable tax treatment.

UNISC's core product is multi-tiered higher education: 40+ on-campus undergraduate programs spanning Medicine, Law, Engineering, Health Sciences, Business, and Humanities; nine stricto sensu graduate programs (master's and doctoral) in Regional Development, Law, Education, Letters, Health Promotion, Industrial Systems, Environmental Technology, and Administration; and lato sensu MBAs and specializations distributed via a dedicated postgraduate portal. Delivery is split between presencial on-campus instruction and a Moodle-based EAD platform at ead.unisc.br that serves distance learners nationally. Adjacent product lines include CEPRU (Centro de Educação Profissional da Unisc), a wholly-owned technical and vocational subsidiary offering courses in nursing, agriculture, IT, radiology, and work safety; UNISC Idiomas language schools (English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, plus the Programa Tempo for adults 50+); and community-facing services (physiotherapy, dental, legal aid, pharmacy school, and aesthetic clinics). The technology stack is conventional education-sector IT — a Moodle LMS, multimedia production infrastructure for EAD content, and campus computer labs — with no disclosed AI or proprietary-model capability.

Revenue is generated primarily through tuition and academic fees paid monthly, with scholarship and financing options including CREDICEPRU (a student-financing product covering up to 50% of tuition, INPC-indexed) and Prouni subsidies for income-eligible students. Continuing education, language programs, technical courses, and community clinics constitute secondary recurring revenue streams. The go-to-market is a sales-led traditional university admissions motion supplemented by vestibular and ENEM/SISU channels, regional partnerships (DETRAN/RS for traffic instructor certification, SESCOOP/RS for cooperativism, CEISC for tax advocacy), and consortium membership in COMUNG, ABRUC, and FAUBAI for internationalization and cross-institutional exchange. Hospital Santa Cruz operates as a subsidiary, and governance rests with the APESC non-profit parent.

Name

Universidade de Santa Cruz do Sul

Legal name

Universidade de Santa Cruz do Sul

Website

https://unisc.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Universidade de Santa Cruz do Sul (UNISC) is a Brazilian community non-profit university operating five regional campuses in Rio Grande do Sul plus a national EAD platform, delivering 40+ undergraduate, nine graduate, technical, language, and continuing-education programs to individual students, government partners, and regional employers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Transfer/University-Parallel Community Colleges (EDAHADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

University/College Continuing Education (Extension) Programs (EDAAAEAA), Faculty-Led & Custom Group Study Abroad Programs (EDAIAAAA), Short-Term Exchange & Visiting Student Programs (EDAIABAG)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Distance learning courses
• Technical vocational training
• Community university programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Cruz Do Sul

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Academic Fees: Revenue from undergraduate and graduate tuition, technical courses, and short-term programs. Students pay monthly fees or annual tuition; financial aid options include Prouni scholarships and CREDICEPRU financing
2. Continuing Education and Language Courses: UNISC Idiomas language programs and continuing education courses generate revenue from course fees. Programa Tempo for seniors (50+) priced at R$1,110.00 (6x R$185)
3. Technical Education (CEPRU): Technical and vocational courses under Centro de Educação Profissional, maintained by APESC with CEBAS certification, offering scholarships and financing through CREDICEPRU

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Universidade de Santa Cruz do Sul (UNISC) is a community (universidade comunitária) non-profit university that delivers higher education, technical/vocational training, and continuing education programs to individual students across five campuses in Rio Grande do Sul and via an online EAD platform. The institution offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs, technical courses through CEPRU, language courses through UNISC Idiomas, short-duration professional courses, and community health and legal aid services operated as academic extension.

Product overview

Universidade de Santa Cruz do Sul (UNISC) operates as a comprehensive higher education institution offering a multi-tiered educational portfolio. The core offering consists of undergraduate programs (Graduação) across traditional on-campus delivery, supplemented by distance learning through the EAD UNISC platform. The institution provides vocational training through CEPRU (Centro de Educação Profissional), postgraduate specializations including MBAs, and research-focused master's and doctoral programs (Mestrado e Doutorado). Additional offerings include short-duration professional courses (Cursos de Curta Duração), language instruction via UNISC Idiomas, and community health services. Financial support is available through CREDICEPRU student financing. The institution serves students across multiple campus locations in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CEPRU - Centro de Educação Profissional da Unisc: Professional education center offering technical and vocational courses at medium and basic levels

Products and services

• Graduação (Undergraduate Programs)

Quantifiable outcome

• 9 stricto sensu graduate programs (master's and doctoral)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ABRUC (Associação Brasileira das Instituições Comunitárias de Educação Superior)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNISC is an active member of ABRUC, the Brazilian Association of Community Higher Education Institutions. ABRUC represents community universities nationally and provides networking, advocacy, and shared resources among its 60+ member institutions across Brazil.
• COMUNG (Consórcio das Universidades Comunitárias Gaúchas)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNISC participates in COMUNG, the Consortium of Community Universities of Rio Grande do Sul, which represents the largest higher education system operating in the state. The consortium facilitates international exchange programs including medical exchange in Toronto, Canada, and coordinates PAIUNG (Program of Academic Integration of Community Universities).
• APESC (Associação Pró-Ensino em Santa Cruz do Sul)coreOthersAPESC maintains CEPRU (Centro de Educação Profissional da Unisc) and holds CEBAS certification (Certificado de Entidade Beneficente de Assistência Social) from the Ministry of Education under Law 12.101/2009. APESC enables scholarship programs and Prouni partnerships for eligible students.
• DETRAN/RS (Departamento de Trânsito do Rio Grande do Sul)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for traffic instructor certification programs, psychological evaluation training, and traffic education courses offered through CEPRU at multiple campuses
• SESCOOP/RS (Serviço Nacional de Aprendizagem do Cooperativismo no Rio Grande do Sul)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Cooperativismo de Crédito specialization program and related cooperative management education offerings
• FAUBAI (Associação Brasileira de Relações Internacionais Universitárias)minorOthersFAUBAI membership supports internationalization activities including student exchange, faculty mobility, and institutional partnerships abroad
• Educar-seminorOthersAffiliated educational platform for additional distance learning content and student services
• CEISC (Centro de Estudos Isaac Newton)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Advocacia Tributária with emphasis on Tax Reform continuing education course

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• UNISINOS - Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos: Brazilian community (universidade comunitária) university in Rio Grande do Sul, also maintained by a Jesuit non-profit association. Direct peer in mission, governance structure, regional reach, and academic portfolio including undergraduate, graduate, and distance learning programs.
• Universidade de Caxias do Sul (UCS): Community university serving Rio Grande do Sul with multiple campuses and a comparable mix of undergraduate, graduate, technical, and extension programs. Closely matches UNISC's regional community-university positioning and student segments.
• Universidade Feevale: Community university in Rio Grande do Sul (Novo Hamburgo) with strong focus on regional development, undergraduate through graduate education, and extension services. Directly comparable in mission, governance, and regional student base.
• UNIVATES - Universidade do Vale do Taquari: Community university in Rio Grande do Sul interior offering undergraduate, graduate, technical, and distance learning. Similar geographic positioning and CEBAS-enabled non-profit model, competing for the same regional student pool.
• URI - Universidade Regional Integrada do Alto Uruguai e das Missões: Community university serving multiple campuses across Rio Grande do Sul interior. Comparable in regional model, multi-campus structure, and mix of undergraduate, technical, and graduate programs targeting similar regional students.

Broad incumbents

• PUCRS - Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul: Larger established private university in Rio Grande do Sul with broader program portfolio, research output, and brand recognition. Overlaps with UNISC on undergraduate and graduate offerings but at significantly larger scale and with broader geographic reach.
• UFRGS - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul: Brazil's largest public federal university, located in Porto Alegre. Competes for top regional students through free tuition and strong research reputation, indirectly constraining UNISC's recruitment and pricing in select programs.
• Estácio: One of Brazil's largest for-profit higher education groups with extensive EAD and presencial footprints nationally. Competes with UNISC primarily on online/distance learning programs and on price-sensitive segments in regional markets.

Regional players

• Unesc - Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense: Community university serving southern Brazil (Santa Catarina) with comparable academic portfolio and community-university mission. Operates in an adjacent state, providing a useful comparable for UNISC's positioning even though geographically separate.
• Universidade Anhembi Morumbi: Large Brazilian private university with strong distance learning and professional programs. Relevant as a competitive reference for EAD scale and curriculum breadth, though primarily operating in São Paulo rather than overlapping geographically with UNISC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=100011173682690
• Xx.com/unisc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unisc---universidade-de-santa-cruz-do-sul

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 records

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 Universidade de Santa Cruz do Sul