Universidad de San Buenaventura

What Universidad de San Buenaventura does

Universidad de San Buenaventura is a private, non-profit Catholic higher education institution owned and governed by the Comunidad Franciscana Provincia de la Santa Fe de Colombia. It operates a national network with principal headquarters in Bogotá and seccionales (branch campuses) in Cartagena, Cali, and Medellín, delivering undergraduate (pregrado), graduate (posgrado), technical-laboral, and continuing education programs across seven faculties spanning education, health sciences, engineering, law, business administration, architecture, and human/social sciences. The Cartagena seccional, founded November 26, 1992, enrolls approximately 600 new students per induction cycle across 40+ academic programs, and the institution employs 501–1,000 staff.

The institution's educational delivery runs on a Moodle-based learning management ecosystem split across four specialized platforms — USB Virtual (undergraduate), Campus de Posgrado (graduate), Eco Campus Técnico Laboral (vocational), and Eco Campus Educación Continua (continuing education) — coordinated by the Centro de Educación Virtual (CEV) under the PACIE pedagogical model. Authentication is unified through Microsoft Office365 OAuth2 SSO, plagiarism detection uses Compilatio, and library services integrate EBSCO Discovery, Cambridge Core, Springer Nature, ScienceDirect, Scopus, eLibro, and OverDrive. On-campus support infrastructure includes the Fray Antonio de Marchena central library, the Consultorio Jurídico y Centro de Conciliación, and the CAPSI psychological care center.

Revenue is generated primarily through tuition and academic fees across four enrollment channels — physical campus, APEX online portal, Google Forms for graduate applicants, and an ICETEX government-financing partnership — supported by a multi-tier discount stack (merit, alumni, geographic, and corporate). The institution is currently undergoing institutional reaccreditation, maintains ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, and ISO 45001:2018 certifications, holds the ICONTEC Sello de No Discriminación Nivel 4, and in 2026 launched its first doctoral program (Doctorado en Ciencias de la Educación) in Cartagena alongside a photovoltaic energy project with Greendipity.

Name

Universidad de San Buenaventura

Legal name

Universidad de San Buenaventura

Website

https://usbcartagena.edu.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Universidad de San Buenaventura is a private, non-profit Franciscan Catholic university in Colombia operating four campuses (Bogotá, Cartagena, Cali, Medellín), offering undergraduate, graduate, technical, and continuing education programs across seven faculties to roughly 600 new students annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHALAG

Online Teacher Education Universities (Licensure & M.Ed.)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Distance & Online Universities

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate education programs
• Vocational training certificates
• Continuing professional education

Headquarters

HQ city

Cartagena

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Academic Fees: Revenue from tuition fees for undergraduate (pregrado), graduate (posgrado), and technical (técnico laboral) programs. Additional fees for continuing education courses, seminars, and diplomados.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Universidad de San Buenaventura delivers accredited higher education services including undergraduate degrees (pregrado) across seven faculties, graduate specializations and master's degrees, a doctorate in Education Sciences, short-cycle técnico laboral vocational certificates, and continuing education diplomados/courses. Delivery occurs through four physical campuses (Bogotá, Cartagena, Cali, Medellín) and a Moodle-based virtual learning ecosystem with dedicated LMS platforms per educational tier. Auxiliary student support services include the Fray Antonio de Marchena Central Library, Consultorio Jurídico y Centro de Conciliación, and CAPSI Psychological Care Center.

Product overview

Universidad de San Buenaventura operates a multi-platform virtual learning ecosystem built on Moodle infrastructure, comprising four distinct virtual campuses serving different educational segments: USB Virtual for undergraduate programs, Campus de Posgrado for graduate education (specializations and master's degrees), Eco Campus for continuing education and professional development, and Eco Campus for technical-vocational training. The university also provides physical support services including the Fray Antonio de Marchena Central Library, a Legal Consultation and Mediation Center, and a Psychological Care Center. The Centro de Educación Virtual (CEV) manages digital transformation and platform support across all virtual learning environments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CEV USB: Centro de Educación Virtual de la Universidad de San Buenaventura, providing virtual education platforms for technical, undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education programs.
• USB Virtual
• Eco Campus
• Campus de Posgrado
• Eco Campus Técnico Laboral

Products and services

• USB Virtual - Pregrado (Undergraduate Virtual Campus)
• Campus de Posgrado USB (Graduate Virtual Campus)
• Eco Campus - Técnico Laboral (Vocational Training Platform)
• Eco Campus - Educación Continua (Continuing Education Platform)
• Centro de Educación Virtual (CEV)
• Doctorado en Ciencias de la Educación (Doctorate in Education Sciences)
• Proyecto de Transformación Energética (Photovoltaic Energy Initiative)
• Biblioteca Central Fray Antonio de Marchena (Central Library)
• Consultorio Jurídico y Centro de Conciliación (Legal Consultation and Mediation Center)
• CAPSI (Centro de Atención Psicológica)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 70% survival rate for childhood cancer with early detection - as emphasized by university-led awareness programs

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• GreendipitycoreTechnology or Integration · 6 October 2025Strategic partnership for renewable energy transformation project implementing photovoltaic (solar) energy system to generate electricity from renewable sources. Project aims to reduce conventional energy consumption, lower operational costs, and demonstrate commitment to sustainability and SDGs.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pontificia Universidad Javeriana: Colombia's other major Catholic-affiliated private university with multi-campus presence (Bogotá, Cali) and a similar blend of undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education offerings. Most directly comparable to USB given shared religious heritage, accreditation posture, and tier of program mix.
• Universidad de los Andes: Top-tier Colombian private non-profit university offering undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs across engineering, law, medicine, and social sciences. Directly comparable in operating model and Colombian higher-education competitive set, though at a higher selectivity and research tier.
• Universidad EAFIT: Private Colombian university in Medellín with a comparable program mix in engineering, business, law, and humanities, plus strong virtual learning infrastructure. Directly comparable as a peer private university competing for the same Colombian student pool.
• Universidad Sergio Arboleda: Colombian private university with multiple Bogotá-area campuses and undergraduate through master's offerings in law, business, and social sciences. Directly comparable in scale, program tier, and target student demographic.
• Universidad Libre: Colombian private non-profit university with multi-city presence (Bogotá, Cali, Barranquilla, Cartagena) operating undergraduate and graduate programs in law, health, engineering, and education. Directly comparable in geographic footprint and Colombian private-tier competition.
• Universidad del Norte (Uninorte): Major Colombian private university based in Barranquilla (Caribbean region) with broad program portfolio including engineering, health, law, and education. Directly comparable as a Caribbean-Coast private competitor; USB already has a Convenio Uninorte partnership on the Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo specialization.
• Universidad Militar Nueva Granada: Colombian private university in Bogotá with engineering, law, business, and health programs at undergraduate and graduate levels. Directly comparable in tier and program mix; USB has an active Convenio UMNG for the Administración de la Seguridad specialization.
• UNAD (Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia): Colombia's largest public distance-learning university, operating a Moodle-based nationwide virtual model similar to USB's USB Virtual platform. Directly comparable as a competitor in the Colombian online undergraduate and técnico laboral segments where USB's Eco Campus competes.

Broad incumbents

• Tecnológico de Monterrey: Mexico-based private non-profit university operating multi-campus and online programs across Latin America. Comparable as a regional incumbent demonstrating the scale ceiling and online-platform model that Latin American private universities can achieve, though at materially larger scale than USB.
• Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile: Latin America's leading Catholic-affiliated private research university with a full undergraduate-through-doctoral portfolio. Comparable in religious heritage and operating model and serves as a benchmark for what a fully developed Catholic university economics stack looks like.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/usbcartagena
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/SanBuenaventuraCartagenaU
• Facebookfacebook.com/usbcartagena
• LinkedInco.linkedin.com/company/usbcartagena-de-indias
• Instagraminstagram.com/usbcartagena

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Universidad de San Buenaventura