Universidad Santo Tomás

What Universidad Santo Tomás does

Universidad Santo Tomás is a private, non-profit Catholic higher education institution of national order in Colombia, operated under the Dominican Order (Orden de Predicadores) and recognized officially on August 6, 1965 via Resolution 3645. It delivers education across three primary modalities — in-person (presencial), distance (a distancia), and virtual (virtualidad) — and at multiple levels including technical programs, undergraduate (pregrados), specializations, master's, and doctoral degrees. Its multicampus footprint comprises five cities (Bogotá with four sub-campuses, Medellín, Bucaramanga, Tunja, and Villavicencio) and 23 Centros de Atención Universitaria (CAU) extending open and distance education across Colombia.

The institution is subject to inspection and surveillance by the Ministerio de Educación Nacional (SNIES 1704) and operates a technology portfolio anchored by a Moodle-based Campus Virtual (serving Bogotá, Tunja, Bucaramanga, and Villavicencio), the Sistema Académico SAC for academic management, the Sistema Integral de Operaciones (SIO) for administrative management, and Santoto Services as an integrated platform for spaces, laboratories, the institutional store, and continuing education. The technology stack is industry-standard LMS and ERP rather than proprietary, and the platform's primary value is integration and reach across the multicampus network rather than differentiated features.

The business model is tuition-recurring with program-specific monthly billing, supplemented by continuing education revenue (Santoto SUMMA), institutional merchandise sales through the Santoto Store (including the 1580 collection), consulting services via the Centro de Proyección Social, and clinical revenue from dental and optometry services. Customer segments span individual undergraduate and graduate learners, technical-program students, continuing-education professionals, virtual/distance students, and institutional partners (government agencies, security forces, and corporate clients) with whom strategic alliances provide pipeline access. Marketing and demand generation combine educational fairs across Colombian municipalities, the Tomás Noticias news portal, Santoto Vibes lifestyle content, social media, email, events (International Week, FILBo, Expoempleo), and a dedicated Admissions and Marketing direction.

Name

Universidad Santo Tomás

Legal name

Universidad Santo Tomás

Website

https://usta.edu.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Universidad Santo Tomás is a private, non-profit Catholic university in Colombia, operated by the Dominican Order, delivering undergraduate, graduate, technical, distance, and virtual education across five multicampus cities and 23 distance-learning centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Affiliated Private Research Universities (EDAHABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private/Independent Community & Junior Colleges (EDAHADAB), National/Institutional Accreditors (Career, Faith-Based, Distance, etc.) (EDADACAB), Institutional Planning, Performance Management & Accreditation Liaison (EDADAKAM)

Keywords

• Higher education
• University programs
• Distance learning
• Continuing education
• Graduate studies

Headquarters

HQ city

Bogotá

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and enrollment fees: Primary revenue from tuition payments for undergraduate, graduate, and distance education programs across all campuses
2. Continuing Education (Santoto SUMMA): Continuing education courses, seminars, and professional development programs generate additional revenue
3. Santoto Store: Sale of institutional merchandise including clothing collection 1580 through physical stores and online channels
4. Laboratory and consulting services: Revenue from specialized services including dental and optometry clinics, and professional consulting through Centro de Proyección Social

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Universidad Santo Tomás is a private, non-profit Catholic higher education institution operated by the Dominican Order. It delivers undergraduate, graduate, technical, and continuing education programs across three modalities—in-person, distance, and virtual—through five main campuses in Bogotá, Medellín, Bucaramanga, Tunja, and Villavicencio, plus 23 Centros de Atención Universitaria (CAU) for distance learners across Colombia.

Product overview

Universidad Santo Tomás operates as a multi-campus Catholic university offering education through three primary modalities: in-person (presencial), distance (a distancia), and virtual (virtualidad). The institution's technology portfolio centers on its Campus Virtual platform for online learning, supported by Santoto SUMMA for continuing education, Santoto Services for institutional operations, and CRAI for research and learning resources. The university uses Moodle-based virtual classrooms across its various campus locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Programs (Pregrados) Bachelor's degree programs delivered in-person, hybrid, and distance modalities across multiple disciplines and campuses for prospective undergraduate students.
• Graduate Programs (Posgrados) Specializations, master's, and doctoral degree programs offered across multiple disciplines for students seeking advanced education.
• Technical Professional Programs (Técnicos Profesionales) Technical and professional education programs for career-oriented students seeking shorter, skill-focused credentials.
• Santoto SUMMA Continuing Education Continuing education courses, workshops, seminars, language programs, and professional development offerings for lifelong learners and working professionals.
• Campus Virtual (Virtual Education) Online learning platform providing fully virtual undergraduate and graduate programs with virtual classrooms accessible across Colombia and beyond.
• Distance Education Programs (A Distancia) Undergraduate and graduate programs delivered through the open and distance modality, accessed via the network of 23 CAU centers across Colombia.
• Santoto Services Institutional services platform aggregating access to campus spaces, laboratories, the Santoto Store, and continuing education offerings for the university community.
• Santoto Store Institutional merchandise retail operation selling university apparel and accessories including the 1580 collection through physical stores and online channels.
• CRAI (Centro de Recursos para el Aprendizaje y la Investigación) Learning and research resource center offering academic support services, digital resources, and research assistance to students and faculty.

Quantifiable outcome

• 35 years as university publishing reference
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Marywood UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2026Marywood University, a private Catholic institution based in Pennsylvania, USA, opened partnership with Universidad Santo Tomás. Delegation led by President Lisa A. Lori met with university leadership to establish academic exchange and international collaboration between both institutions.
• Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz (JEP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2025Strategic alliance participant in breakfast meeting with strategic allies of Universidad Santo Tomás Bogotá. JEP collaborated on educational benefits for collaborators and families.
• Unidad Nacional de Protección (UNP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2025Government institution partner in strategic alliance providing educational access to UNP collaborators and families.
• Gobernación de CundinamarcacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2025Regional government partner in strategic alliance for educational development in Cundinamarca department.
• CONACED BogotáminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2025Educational consortium partner participating in strategic alliance meetings.
• Personería de BogotáminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2025Government entity partner providing educational benefits to staff and families.
• Policía NacionalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2025National police partner in strategic alliance offering educational benefits to officers and their families.
• Vidamedical IPSminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2025Healthcare IPS partner in alliance providing healthcare-related educational opportunities.
• Universidad Peruana de Ciencias AplicadascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 September 2025Peruvian university partnered for international mission hosting 14 MBA students in Social Security Management course. Joint academic, research, social, and cultural activities between both institutions.
• Red ProdepazcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 August 2025Red Prodepaz integrates 24 regions of Colombia in development and peace programs. Universidad Santo Tomás met with Red Prodepaz direction to offer support for development dynamics and peace initiatives.
• Universidad Científica del PerúcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 July 2025Hosted International Seminar on Sustainability and Women's Entrepreneurship in Lima. Colombian universities including Santo Tomás collaborated with this institution.
• Universidad de La SabanaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 July 2025Partner in collaborative international seminar on sustainability and women's entrepreneurship.
• Universidad Tecnológica de BolívarminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 July 2025Partner in collaborative international seminar on sustainability and women's entrepreneurship.
• Instituto de Justicia y Paz Pablo VI de la Santoto TunjacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2025Justice and Peace institute working with Dominican friars on community development and women's empowerment in Catatumbo region.
• ICETEXcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 November 2023ICETEX program Expertes Internacionales collaboration bringing air quality research to Spain. ICETEX supported International Seminar on Sustainability and Women's Entrepreneurship in Peru.
• Ministerio del DeporteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 September 2023Government ministry partner in First International Congress of Physical Culture and Sports Sciences.
• Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 September 2023Academic collaboration with Faculty of Sports including international congress participation and administrative academic exchange.
• Under ArmourminorOthers · 19 September 2023Sponsor of 5K Race '25 años transformando la Cultura Física del país' organized by Faculty of Physical Culture.
• ICONTECcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICONITEC renewed certification for Centro de Conciliación and conducted quality management audit for USTA-ICONITEC agreement.
• Armada de ColombiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerColombian Navy signed framework agreement for cooperation with Universidad Santo Tomás.
• Ejército Nacional de ColombiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerColombian Army signed cooperation agreement with Universidad Santo Tomás.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pontificia Universidad Javeriana: Colombia's leading Catholic private university, run by the Jesuit order. Directly comparable to USTA as a faith-affiliated, multi-campus, non-profit private university offering undergraduate through doctoral programs in Bogotá and Cali.
• Universidad del Rosario: Historic Bogotá-based private university with similar prestige positioning to USTA in health sciences, law and social sciences. Comparable as a non-profit private university competing for the same Colombian student demographic.
• Universidad de La Sabana: Private university near Bogotá that has partnered with USTA on international seminars. Comparable as a Colombian private university with strong research and continuing education programs targeting similar student segments.
• Pontificia Universidad Bolivariana: Catholic private university with multi-city presence in Medellín, Bucaramanga, Pereira and Montería. Directly comparable to USTA in mission, multi-campus model and Colombian private higher education market.
• Universidad Externado de Colombia: Bogotá-based private university strong in social sciences, law and government — directly competing with USTA's Facultad de Gobierno y Relaciones Internacionales for students in the capital.

Broad incumbents

• Universidad de los Andes: Colombia's top-ranked private university and a broader incumbent in the same market; competes for high-achieving students and faculty with USTA across multiple disciplines.
• Universidad Nacional de Colombia: Colombia's largest public research university; competes broadly with USTA for top students and faculty, especially in research-intensive areas, but with significant public funding advantages.
• EAFIT: Prominent private university in Medellín with strong engineering, business and innovation focus; broader incumbent competing for students in Antioquia and nationally through online programs.

Regional players

• ICESI: Private university based in Cali with strong programs in business, engineering and health. Regional player that does not directly compete in Bogotá but competes for national private-university market share and online learners.
• Universidad del Norte: Private university in Barranquilla serving the Caribbean region of Colombia. Comparable as a high-quality private institution but primarily competing in a different geography than USTA's core central Colombia footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/USTA_COLOMBIA
• Facebookfacebook.com/UNIVERSIDADSANTOTOMASCOLOMBIA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/universidad-santo-tom-s-de-aquino

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Santo Tomás