Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala

What Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala does

Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC) is the oldest and only public university in Guatemala, founded in 1676 and constitutionally mandated to direct the country's state higher education system. Headquartered at the Ciudad Universitaria campus in Guatemala City, USAC serves 216,783 enrolled students as of 2025 across 14 faculties, 9 schools, and a network of 17 to 20 regional Centros Universitarios distributed across Guatemala. The institution is led by Rector M.A. Walter Mazariegos and governed by the Consejo Superior Universitario (CSU), with academic, research, and extension functions delegated to directorates DIGED, DIGI, and DIGEU respectively.

USAC's core product is higher education delivery, supplemented by a substantial technology stack that includes the SABIC library administration system, the SIIF integrated financial information system, the CIP public information coordinator under Guatemala's Decreto 57-2008 transparency law, and the DEDEV distance-learning platform. It operates cultural and extension services (MUSAC, Coro, Ballet, Editorial Universitaria, FILUSAC book fair) and runs the annual INFOUSAC recruitment program that channels prospective students into the admissions pipeline. Partnerships with EBSCO (academic databases), Matterport (3D virtual tours of campus facilities), and Open Journal Systems (open-access publishing) extend the digital service envelope.

Revenue mechanics are dominated by Guatemala's constitutional budget allocation to the university, with supplementary income from student fees for certifications, admission tests, vocational orientation exams, and continuing-education programs such as CALUSAC and ICAF. USAC's customer base is primarily Guatemalan high-school graduates seeking affordable undergraduate degrees, with secondary segments in postgraduate professionals (10,679 students), international exchange students (767), and the broader public engaging through extension and cultural programs. Distribution relies on the central campus plus regional centers, distance-learning channels, and cultural venues, while go-to-market is executed through direct-to-consumer outreach via the institutional portal, social media, and the annual INFOUSAC event.

Name

Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala

Legal name

Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala

Website

https://usac.edu.gt

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala is Guatemala's only public university, founded in 1676, serving 216,783 students across 14 faculties, 9 schools, and 17-20 regional centers. It delivers constitutionally funded higher education, research, and extension services to domestic and international students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Guatemala City

HQ country

Guatemala

HQ region

Latin America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Higher Education Services: As Guatemala's only public university, USAC receives government funding through constitutional budget allocations. Additional revenue comes from student fees, continuing education programs, and extension services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala delivers comprehensive higher-education services including undergraduate degree programs across 14 faculties, graduate and postgraduate studies through the Sistema de Estudios de Postgrado, vocational orientation and admission testing (INFOUSAC), distance-learning courses via DEDEV, scientific research through DIGI and its research institutes, and university extension services spanning cultural programs, museums, sports, and community outreach. It also offers library services through its Biblioteca Central system (SABIC), continuing-education and computing courses, virtual book clubs, and scholarship support.

Product overview

Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala operates a comprehensive web-based service ecosystem consisting of a main institutional portal (Portal USAC) serving as the central hub, integrated with specialized systems for distance learning (DIGED Virtual), library services (SABIC), public information (CIP), student enrollment (INFOUSAC), and university extension (DIGEU). The ecosystem includes 20 regional university centers, a network of research institutes, and cultural facilities. Digital services span student registration, vocational guidance testing, computing courses, virtual book clubs, academic conferences, and scholarship management. The university also maintains partnerships with external platforms including EBSCO for research databases and Matterport for virtual facility tours.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• INFOUSAC: Annual enrollment and career information program for prospective students
• FILUSAC
• ICAF
• SABIC
• DIGED
• DIGEU
• DIGI

Products and services

• Portal USAC Official web portal of the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala providing access to academic units, administrative services, news, enrollment information, and institutional resources for students, faculty, and the public.
• DIGED Virtual - Dirección General de Docencia Virtual Virtual learning management system and distance-education platform operated by DIGED, offering ICAF continuous training courses, MOOC programs, and pedagogical resources for USAC students and faculty.
• SABIC - Sistema de Administración de Biblioteca Central Library management system providing online book-club registration, cubicle reservation, and activity management for the Biblioteca Central at USAC.
• CIP - Coordinadora de Información Pública Public Information Coordinator system that manages access to public-information requests, directories, and transparency compliance under Guatemala's Access to Public Information Law (Decreto 57-2008).
• INFOUSAC Annual Recruitment and Orientation Program Annual enrollment and orientation program that welcomes thousands of Guatemalan secondary-school students to learn about career options, examination dates, and registration procedures at USAC.
• Sistema de Orientación Vocacional Psychometric testing platform that evaluates study interests and guides career selection for prospective USAC students, including simulator access for Pruebas de Conocimientos Básicos (PCB).
• Red de Centros Universitarios Regionales Decentralized network of regional university centers (CUNOR, CUNOC, CUNORI, CUDEP, CUSAM, CUNTOTO, CUNREU, CUNZAC, and others) providing local access to USAC higher-education programs across Guatemala.
• Cursos de Computación - Biblioteca Central Technology training courses offered by the Biblioteca Central in partnership with faculties, schools, and regional centers, covering Windows, Microsoft 365, internet skills, and general digital competencies in morning, afternoon, and Saturday formats.
• Club de Lectura Virtual Virtual book-club program offering monthly literary discussions covering classic and contemporary works with both virtual and hybrid participation options for the USAC community.
• Conferencias Biblioteca Central Academic conference series covering topics in cultural heritage, research methodology, and university history, hosted by the Biblioteca Central.
• Editorial Universitaria USAC University publishing house producing textbooks, academic works, and the university journal for the USAC community and broader Guatemalan readership.
• Beca Estudiantil (Student Scholarship Program) Student scholarship management system providing financial support and educational grants to qualified USAC students.
• Catálogo Electrónico Biblioteca Central (biblos.usac.edu.gt) Electronic library catalog providing searchable access to the Biblioteca Central's physical and digital collections at biblos.usac.edu.gt.

Quantifiable outcome

• 216,783 enrolled students demonstrating scale of educational access provided

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Consejo Superior Universitario Centroamericano (CSUCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSAC is a member of CSUCA, the Central American Superior University Council, which unites public universities across Central America. This partnership facilitates academic mobility, joint research initiatives, and the publication of regional academic journals such as 'Conexión Académica'.
• Universidad Autónoma de México (UNAM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership for academic programs including bibliometric indicator training courses taught by UNAM faculty members Patricia Garrido Villegas and Ricardo Távira Sánchez.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM): Mexico's flagship public autonomous university with ~360,000 students and a constitutional mandate. Direct peer along size, public autonomous governance, multi-campus model, and CSUCA-adjacent Latin American public research university positioning.
• Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA): Argentina's largest public university with ~300,000 students, free tuition, and a strong research mandate. Highly comparable in scale, public funding model, regional center structure, and Latin American flagship positioning.
• Universidad Nacional de Colombia: Colombia's flagship public university with national multi-campus presence, public funding, and broad discipline coverage. Comparable scale, governance model, and Latin American public research university role.
• Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV): Venezuela's flagship public autonomous university. Comparable in Latin American public flagship role, large enrollment base, multi-faculty structure, and historical institutional heritage.
• Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC): Chile's leading research university with broad disciplinary coverage and a comprehensive graduate program portfolio. Comparable as a large multi-faculty university competing for top students in Latin America, though privately governed.

Direct peers

• Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR): Costa Rica's main public university and fellow CSUCA member with comparable faculty size, regional sede model, and graduate program portfolio. Most direct geographic and structural peer within the Central American public university system.
• Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (UNAH): Honduras's only public autonomous university and fellow CSUCA member. Closest comparable peer by Central American geography, constitutional status, single-public-university mandate, and regional center network structure.
• Universidad de El Salvador (UES): El Salvador's only public university and CSUCA peer. Comparable in Central American regional scope, public university mandate, multi-faculty structure, and extension service model.
• Universidad de Panamá (UP): Panama's main public university and CSUCA member. Comparable in regional Central American scope, public funding structure, multi-disciplinary faculty model, and undergraduate/postgraduate offering breadth.

Regional players

• Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería (UNI) - Guatemala: Private Guatemalan university focused on engineering and technical disciplines. Comparable as a domestic competitor for technical and engineering students within Guatemala, complementing USAC's Faculty of Engineering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/usacguatemala
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCMCQZIWAKFoRRX1KMWHzUqw
• Facebookfacebook.com/usacenlinea
• Instagraminstagram.com/usactricentenaria
• TikToktiktok.com/@usac_oficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/universidad-de-san-carlos-de-guatemala

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala