Escuela Superiore de Administración Pública

What Escuela Superiore de Administración Pública does

Escuela Superior de Administración Pública (ESAP) is a Colombian public higher education institution established by Law 19 of 1958 and operated under the Departamento Administrativo de la Función Pública within the national executive branch. Its exclusive mandate is the education and professionalization of public servants and government officials. ESAP offers tuition-free undergraduate programs in Public Administration, Territorial Public Administration, and Public Economics, alongside tuition-based graduate programs spanning specializations, master's degrees (including Public Administration, Human Rights/Transition Management), and doctoral-level study, as well as executive education through the Escuela de Alto Gobierno targeting elected officials and senior state authorities. The institution delivers services through a Bogotá headquarters, 16 territorial directorates covering all Colombian departments, and a Virtual Campus for distance learning.

ESAP's technology stack centers on academic and administrative platforms: SIRECEC (training/capacitation registration), Academusoft (student information system), SIRAEC/SINU and Campus Virtual (academic and learning management), the Isolucion Integrated Management System, and a Microsoft SharePoint-based IntraESAP intranet. Supporting platforms include the Aulas Híbridas (hybrid classrooms), Carnet Digital (digital student ID), Certificados de Egresados (digital degree verification), Radio ESAP, and the CITER territorial research data platform, complemented by ESAPlab's Biblioteca Viva knowledge-sharing space and a Centro de Datos y Analítica para la Innovación. Research output is organized across 30+ registered research groups.

ESAP's revenue model is hybrid and government-anchored. The institution receives an annual operational and investment budget allocation from the Colombian national government executed through the Oficina de Planeación, complemented by graduate program tuition (undergraduate is free per national policy), fees from the Capacitación Division and Escuela de Alto Gobierno for training, diplomas, conferences, and workshops delivered to public entities, and fee-for-service technical assistance contracts with national and territorial government bodies. Customer segments are entirely governmental: career public servants, elected officials, territorial and municipal governments, and oversight bodies such as the Contraloría General de la República, JEP, and UBPD. Distribution relies on direct enrollment via the institutional website, in-person services at 16 territorial offices, the virtual campus, and the national Gov.co portal.

Name

Escuela Superiore de Administración Pública

Legal name

Escuela Superior de Administración Pública

Website

https://esap.edu.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Short description

ESAP is Colombia's national public university for public administration, founded 1958, providing tuition-free undergraduate and tuition-based graduate degrees plus executive training to public servants and elected officials across 16 territorial directorates nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Administration Higher Education and Government Training

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic Affairs Administration (Curriculum, Scheduling, Academic Policy) (EDADAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

National/Institutional Accreditors (Career, Faith-Based, Distance, etc.) (EDADACAB)

Keywords

• Public administration education
• Government training programs
• Higher education services
• Technical assistance consulting
• Public servant certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Bogotá

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Enrollment Fees: Graduate programs (specializations, master's, doctoral) generate tuition revenue through enrollment and periodic tuition payments. Undergraduate programs are offered tuition-free for admitted students under national education policy.
2. Government Budget Allocation: As a public university establishment under the Función Pública sector, ESAP receives annual operational and investment budget allocations from the Colombian national government, executed through the Oficina de Planeación.
3. Training and Capacitation Services: Revenue is generated through paid training programs, conferences, diploma courses, and specialized workshops delivered by the School of High Government and Capacitación Division, targeting authorities, elected officials, and public servants.
4. Technical Assistance Contracts: ESAP provides fee-for-service technical and consulting assistance to national and territorial entities, strengthening public management capacity, as reflected in ongoing technical assistance programs across multiple departments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ESAP is Colombia's national public university dedicated to public administration education, offering tuition-free undergraduate programs (Administración Pública, Administración Pública Territorial, Economía Pública), graduate programs (specializations and master's degrees), and specialized training through the Escuela de Alto Gobierno for elected officials and senior state executives. The institution also delivers paid technical assistance and consulting services to national and territorial government entities, supported by a nationwide network of 16 territorial directorates and digital learning platforms.

Product overview

Escuela Superior de Administración Pública (ESAP) is Colombia's premier public administration educational institution offering a unified platform of academic and training services. The core offering consists of undergraduate programs (Administración Pública, Administración Pública Territorial, Economía Pública) and graduate programs (specializations and master's degrees in public administration, finance, and governance), supplemented by the specialized Escuela de Alto Gobierno for senior public officials. The institution provides technology-enabled educational services including a Virtual Campus, hybrid classrooms, digital ID (Carnet Digital), academic verification (Certificados de Egresados), and library services. ESAP's digital infrastructure includes SIRECEC for academic registration, Academusoft for student management, and the Isolucion integrated management system. Research and innovation capabilities are supported through ESAPlab's Biblioteca Viva and Centro de Datos y Analítica. The institution also operates Radio ESAP for educational broadcasting and maintains 16 territorial offices across Colombia for nationwide service delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pregrado - Undergraduate Programs in Public Administration Tuition-free undergraduate degree programs in Public Administration (Administración Pública), Territorial Public Administration (Administración Pública Territorial), and Public Economics (Economía Pública). Programs are offered under national education policy for admitted students at no tuition cost, available through ESAP's nationwide network of territorial directorates.
• Posgrados - Graduate Programs (Specializations and Master's Degrees) Graduate-level programs including specializations in Public Finance, State Management, Social Management, Public Management, Urban Planning, Development Projects, and Master's degrees in Public Administration and Human Rights, Transition Management and Post-Conflict. Programs are tuition-based with periodic enrollment fees.
• Escuela de Alto Gobierno (School of High Government)

Quantifiable outcome

• Institutional accreditation by CNA for ongoing quality assurance
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Departamento Administrativo de la Función PúblicacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESAP operates under the administrative umbrella of the Department of Public Administration (Función Pública), which is part of the 24 sectors of the National Executive Branch. Función Pública oversees the sector that includes ESAP as a public university establishment, providing institutional governance and policy alignment.
• CLAD (Centro Latinoamericano de Administración para el Desarrollo)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnership through which ESAP participates in the Latin American Network of Public Administration, contributing to comparative public administration research and knowledge exchange across Latin American nations.
• INPAE (Red Interamericana de Educación en Administración Pública)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInter-American Network for Education in Public Administration connecting ESAP with universities and institutions across the Americas for collaborative research, academic exchange, and professional development in public administration.
• Red de Radio Universitaria de Colombia (RRUC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerESAP participates in the University Radio Network of Colombia, a collaborative alliance of Colombian university radio stations. The XXIII Encounter of the RRUC will be hosted by ESAP in July 2026, themed 'Digital Ecosystems and University Radio: Challenges and Opportunities.'
• Contraloría General de la RepúblicacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Colombia's Supreme Audit Institution for joint training programs including the student contralor program, which trains students in social control, citizen oversight, and public integrity. The partnership involves 9-session virtual training cycles with support from multiple oversight bodies.
• Contraloría Estudiantil Program Partners (PGN, MEN, Secretaría de Transparencia)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative student contralor training program with the Fiscalía General de la Nación, Ministry of National Education, Transparency Secretariat of the Presidency, District Comptroller, and the Department of Public Administration, providing comprehensive social control and transparency training.
• Secretaría de Transparencia de la Presidencia de la RepúblicacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the Presidential Transparency Secretariat for implementing the Public Ethics and Transparency Plan, delivering integrity training programs to public servants and contractors, and promoting transparency in public management.
• USAID (Agencia de los Estados Unidos para el Desarrollo Internacional)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with USAID on territorial planning programs, including a diploma course in Territorial Planning with Gender Focus delivered through ESAP's Cauca regional office, supporting governance strengthening in Colombian territories.
• APC Colombia (Agencia Presidencial de Cooperación Internacional)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with APC Colombia supporting the 'Young Builders of Change' (Escuela de Jóvenes Constructores del Cambio) program, contributing to youth civic education and public administration capacity building.
• JEP (Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the Master's in Human Rights, Transition Management and Post-Conflict, with JEP participating in academic events and commemorations of the program's 10-year anniversary in Chocó, supporting peace building through education.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Universidad Nacional de Colombia: Colombia's largest public university, also federally funded and offering public administration and policy programs at undergraduate and graduate levels; competes with ESAP for graduate students in governance and policy.
• Escuela Nacional de Administración Pública (ENAP) - Brazil: Brazil's national public administration school providing graduate education and training for federal, state, and municipal public servants; structurally identical to ESAP as a government-mandated public administration training institution.
• Instituto Nacional de la Administración Pública (INAP) - Argentina: Argentina's national institute for public administration training, offering capacitation, career development, and graduate-level training for federal public servants; closest regional analog to ESAP's mandate and operating model.

Broad incumbents

• Universidad de los Andes (Colombia): Top Colombian private university with prominent public administration, policy, and government graduate programs; competes for graduate tuition-paying students with stronger commercial brand reputation than ESAP.
• EAFIT Universidad: Major Colombian private university offering public administration and governance programs at graduate level; competes with ESAP in executive education and master's degree markets.
• Pontificia Universidad Javeriana: Prestigious Colombian private university with a public administration and political science faculty; competes with ESAP for top graduate students and offers alternative credentialing paths in governance.
• Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (SENA): Colombia's national vocational training institution offering free technical and technology programs to the general public, including governance-adjacent offerings; overlaps with ESAP's capacitation function for entry-level public servants.

Others

• CLAD (Centro Latinoamericano de Administración para el Desarrollo): Regional public administration network that includes ESAP as a member; an institutional peer and strategic partner for cross-border governance research and training in Latin America.
• INPAE (Red Interamericana de Educación en Administración Pública): Inter-American network of public administration schools in which ESAP participates; peer and partner network for collaborative research and academic exchange across the Americas.

Regional players

• Universidad Colegio Mayor de Cundinamarca: Colombian public university offering public administration programs primarily in the Cundinamarca/Bogotá region; competes with ESAP's Cundinamarca territorial directorate for undergraduate students in the metropolitan area.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ESAPOficial
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCsDXXFW16Dxe7QqXHz6_Yhg
• Facebookfacebook.com/esapoficial
• Instagraminstagram.com/esapoficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/escuela-superior-de-administracin-pblica

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Escuela Superiore de Administración Pública