Universidad Externado de Colombia

What Universidad Externado de Colombia does

Universidad Externado de Colombia is a private, independent, secular nonprofit university founded in Bogotá in 1886 and ranked among the top six universities in Colombia. It offers undergraduate, master's, doctoral, and continuing-education programs across 13 academic units spanning law, economics, business administration, tourism, communication, social sciences, education, and cultural heritage studies, serving primarily Colombian students across 20+ regional cities alongside a smaller international cohort.

The institution operates a digital education ecosystem anchored by a Moodle-based Campus Virtual UEC with Intelliboard analytics, supplemented by Microsoft Teams for synchronous classes, Ellucian Recruit for admissions, and WhatsApp-based advisory. Its research footprint includes 12 journals indexed in Publindex 2026 (1 A2, 2 B, 6 C, 2 recognized) and three UNESCO Chairs (Human Rights, Futures Studies for Development and Competitiveness, Non-Violent Social Intervention). Regulatory and quality credentials include 8-year High Quality Institutional Accreditation from the Colombian Ministry of Education (Resolution 006538, April 2021), ISO 9001:2015 from ICONTEC and IQNET through 2025-2027, and NTC5906 service quality certification.

Revenue is tuition-driven: annual subscription pricing for degree programs across face-to-face, hybrid, and virtual modalities, supplemented by one-time fees for diplomados and continuing-education certificates (32-96 hour programs starting at $2,810,000 COP), research and publication services, and auxiliary campus services (parking, museum access, cafeteria). Distribution combines direct on-campus enrollment, a 20+ city regional campus network, a virtual learning platform with international reach, and joint master's programs with Universidad de Barcelona and Universidad Pompeu Fabra. The institution is marking its 140th anniversary in 2026 alongside its role as host of the World Constitutional Law Congress 2026.

Name

Universidad Externado de Colombia

Legal name

Universidad Externado de Colombia

Website

https://uexternado.edu.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

1886

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Universidad Externado de Colombia is a private, independent nonprofit university founded in 1886 in Bogotá, Colombia, serving undergraduate, graduate, and continuing-education students across 13 academic units with regional presence in 20+ Colombian cities.

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

Arts, Humanities & Creative Research Universities (EDAHABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Online Nonprofit Universities (EDAHALAK), University-Affiliated Pathway & Foundation Programs (EDAIAJAA)

Keywords

• Higher education
• Undergraduate programs
• Graduate programs
• Continuing education
• Social sciences research

Headquarters

HQ city

Bogotá

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Academic Fees: Revenue from undergraduate and graduate program tuition, including registration fees, academic fees, and continuation charges. Programs include face-to-face, hybrid, and virtual modalities.
2. Continuing Education Programs: Revenue from diploma programs, specialization courses, workshops, and certification programs offered through the Journey platform. Programs range from 32 to 96 hours with pricing from $2,810,000 COP.
3. Research and Publication Services: Revenue from scientific journal publications, research consulting services, and academic partnerships
4. Campus Services and Facilities: Revenue from parking, event venues, museum access, cafeteria services, and other auxiliary services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Universidad Externado de Colombia is a private, independent, secular higher education institution in Bogotá, Colombia, offering undergraduate, graduate (master's and doctoral), and continuing education programs across 13 academic units in law, social sciences, economics, business administration, tourism and hospitality, communication, finance, public accounting, cultural heritage, and education. Programs are delivered through face-to-face, hybrid, and fully virtual modalities supported by a Moodle-based Campus Virtual UEC, with regional presence across more than 20 Colombian cities.

Product overview

Universidad Externado de Colombia is a higher education institution offering a comprehensive portfolio of academic products and services across multiple modalities. The core offering includes traditional on-campus undergraduate and graduate programs across 13 academic units (Facultades and Departments) spanning law, business, economics, social sciences, and tourism. The institution's digital education ecosystem is anchored by Campus Virtual UEC (Moodle-based LMS) and the Dirección de Innovación Educativa Digital (DirInnova), which collectively provide e-learning platforms, the E-Learning Externado event series, digital journals, and the Incubadora de Programas Académicos for virtual program development. The Journey Experience Education Design micro-credentials platform extends continuing education offerings including the Diplomado en Organización Integral de Eventos. Supporting services include CISE (information center), Centro de Emprendimiento Externadista (entrepreneurship), Delfos (data analysis), institutional radio, and podcasting. The university maintains regional presence across 21 Colombian cities and holds institutional accreditation for high quality (8 years) from the Ministry of National Education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Academic Programs (Pregrado) Bachelor's degree programs in social sciences, law, economics, business administration, tourism, communication, finance, public accounting, cultural heritage, and humanities for high school graduates seeking professional careers, delivered in face-to-face, hybrid, and virtual modalities.
• Graduate Academic Programs (Posgrado) Master's degrees, doctoral programs, and specializations for professionals seeking advanced academic credentials and research capabilities in law, social sciences, economics, business, and public policy, including a joint Master's in Criminal Law with Universidad de Barcelona and Universidad Pompeu Fabra.
• Continuing Education Programs (Educación Continuada) Short-term diploma programs, specializations, workshops, and certification courses (32-96 hours) for working professionals seeking skill updates and professional development, with pricing starting from $2,810,000 COP and delivery via Microsoft Teams and Campus Virtual UEC.
• Campus Virtual UEC - Virtual Education Platform Moodle-based learning management system providing virtual and blended learning environments with live classes, forums, assignments, grade evaluation, and Intelliboard analytics for students and faculty across all programs.
• Journey Experience Education Design - Micro-credentials Micro-credentials platform offering short-term professional development programs with digital badges and competency recognition, including the Diplomado en Organización Integral de Eventos, focusing on skills development in event management, tourism, and other strategic areas.
• Diplomado en Organización Integral de Eventos 96-hour diploma program in comprehensive event organization covering digital strategies for intelligent events, territorial strategy, financial administration, and legal aspects, priced at $2,810,000 COP, delivered synchronously via Microsoft Teams.
• ANATO Capacita - Tourism Professional Training Continuing education programs for tourism professionals addressing digital platforms transformation, AI in management processes, and informed travelers, developed in partnership with ANATO (Asociación Nacional de Agencias Turísticas de Colombia).
• Curso Virtual en Protección de Datos Personales First virtual course on personal data protection for the university community, 2 hours duration, 100% virtual and self-paced, hosted on Campus Virtual UEC, raising awareness about proper handling of personal data.
• MOOC - Maestros que enseñan, maestros que aprenden First MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) launched by the Faculty of Education, providing open access to educational content on teaching practices and pedagogy.
• Research and Publication Services Scientific journal publications, research consulting services, and academic partnerships supporting institutional research, including 12 journals recognized in Publindex 2026 (1 Category A2, 2 Category B, 6 Category C, 2 Recognized).

Quantifiable outcome

• 8-year institutional accreditation from Colombian Ministry of Education
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Banco de Desarrollo de América Latina – CAFcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Strategic alliance for the Diplomado en Gobernabilidad e Innovación Pública program. CAF supports the mission of building citizens capable of addressing regional needs through public innovation education.
• Universidad Católica de Ávila (España)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021XXV Seminar virtual de E-Learning para profesores universitarios - international collaboration for faculty development in digital education
• Instituto Colombiano de Antropología e Historia (ICANH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Alliance for Open Documentation Days of Heritage Sites through the Faculty of Cultural Heritage Studies. Joint research and documentation projects.
• Escuela de Conservación y Restauración de Occidente (México)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018International academic exchange coordinated by Faculty of Cultural Heritage Studies and Internationalization Office.
• ANATO (Asociación Nacional de Agencias Turísticas de Colombia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerANATO Capacita partnership providing continuing education programs for tourism professionals. The collaboration addresses new challenges in the tourism industry through specialized training and professional development.
• Universidad de Barcelona y Universidad Pompeu FabraflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint Master's program in Criminal Law and Criminal Sciences. International academic collaboration providing students with dual credentials from prestigious Spanish universities.
• DaviviendaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBanking partnership providing financial services to the university community including on-campus banking services and preferential financial products.
• Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación (MinCiencias)coreOthersGovernment partner for scientific research indexing and journal publication recognition through the Publindex system.
• UNESCOflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThree UNESCO Chairs: Human Rights and Violence; Futures Studies for Development and Competitiveness; and Non-Violent Social Intervention (ISNoV). Flagship international academic partnerships.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Universidad del Rosario: Historic Bogotá-based private university with strengths in law, social sciences, and medicine, overlapping directly with Externado's core faculties and target student segments.
• Universidad Nacional de Colombia: Colombia's largest public research university, providing low-cost competition across the same social sciences, law, and economics disciplines, anchoring the price-sensitive end of the market.
• Universidad de los Andes (Colombia): Colombia's top-ranked private university with strong offerings in law, economics, and social sciences, directly competing for the same student and faculty talent pool in Bogotá and across Colombia.
• EAFIT University: Leading private Colombian university with strong programs in business, economics, and law, competing for graduate and continuing-education students nationally.
• Pontificia Universidad Javeriana: Major private Jesuit university in Colombia with parallel programs in law, social sciences, economics, and business, competing head-to-head in the premium private higher-education segment.

Regional players

• Universidad de São Paulo (USP): Latin America's largest research university, providing a regional benchmark for research output, indexed journals, and public-policy influence in social sciences.
• Universidad de Chile: Top public research university in Chile with deep research output in social sciences and law, serving as a regional comparable in scale, accreditation, and journal publishing.

Broad incumbents

• Universidad de Barcelona: Major European public research university and active joint-degree partner with Externado in criminal law; comparable as a host of international social-science and law programs.
• Tecnológico de Monterrey: Mexico's leading private university with strong digital and continuing-education offerings, comparable as a Latin American private university scaling online and professional programs.

Others

• Universitat Pompeu Fabra: Active joint-degree partner with Externado in criminal law; comparable as a European institution specializing in social sciences, law, and communication.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/uexternado
• Facebookfacebook.com/uexternado

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries8 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 Externado de Colombia