Universidad Santa María (Caracas)

What Universidad Santa María (Caracas) does

Universidad Santa María (USM) is a private higher education institution headquartered in Caracas, Venezuela, founded circa 1953 and operating for approximately 70 years. The university serves undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing-education students through five physical campuses across Venezuela: El Paraíso (Caracas headquarters), La Florencia, Oriente, Barinas, and Amazonas. Its academic portfolio spans 13 undergraduate degree programs across five faculties (Engineering, Economics and Social Sciences, Law, Odontology, and Pharmacy), approximately 40 postgraduate offerings including specializations, master's degrees, and doctoral programs, plus extension courses and a postdoctoral program in postmodern organizational management.

USM generates revenue primarily through tuition and academic fees charged across its undergraduate, graduate, and extension programs, supplemented by administrative fees for enrollment, reincorporation, and degree processing. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and prospective students are directed to the admissions office (Admisiones). The go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer: students enroll through campus visits, the official website (usm.edu.ve), and the university's social media channels (Twitter/X and Instagram, @usm_vzla), with supporting earned media from news coverage of campus events and sports achievements. Scholarship and agreement programs (Becas y Convenios) are also part of the recruitment and retention toolkit.

The institution's core technology asset is USM-TernaNet, a proprietary digital student portal that handles registration, enrollment, reincorporation, grade management, and academic record-keeping. Students use their national ID (cédula) as their student record number. Supporting infrastructure includes a Centro de Investigación Documental (documentary research center), a Dirección de Control de Estudios (academic records and enrollment management), and a Dirección de Investigación (research management). Recent strategic activity has focused on government and municipal partnerships — including a 2024 cooperation agreement with the Tribunal Supremo de Justicia and an alliance with the Alcaldía de Baruta — alongside continued participation in the Liga UNIMET collegiate sports league as a brand-building channel.

Name

Universidad Santa María (Caracas)

Legal name

Universidad Santa María

Website

https://usm.edu.ve

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Universidad Santa María is a private Venezuelan university founded circa 1953, operating five campuses across Venezuela and offering undergraduate, graduate, and continuing-education programs to individual students. It generates revenue through tuition and academic fees and runs the proprietary USM-TernaNet student portal for academic administration.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Caracas

HQ country

Venezuela

HQ region

Latin America

Offices5 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 Academic Fees: Universidad Santa María generates revenue primarily through tuition and academic fees charged for undergraduate (pregrado), graduate (postgrado), and extension programs. The institution also collects administrative fees for enrollment, reincorporation, and degree processing.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Universidad Santa María is a private Venezuelan university delivering higher education services through five faculties. It offers 13 undergraduate (Pregrado) degree programs in Engineering, Economics and Social Sciences, Law, Odontology, and Pharmacy, alongside approximately 40 postgraduate (Postgrado) programs including specializations, master's degrees, and doctoral programs, as well as continuing education extension courses. Course delivery occurs across five physical campuses in Venezuela and is supported by the USM-TernaNet digital student portal for registration and academic management.

Product overview

Universidad Santa María is a Venezuelan higher education institution offering a comprehensive academic portfolio through five faculties. Its core educational offerings include Pregrado (undergraduate) programs across Engineering, Economics and Social Sciences, Law, Odontology, and Pharmacy. The graduate division (Postgrado) provides Especializaciones, Maestrías, and Doctorados in areas including law, education sciences, economics, business administration, and technology management. A PostDoctorado program in postmodern management is also available. Supporting infrastructure includes the Centro de Investigación Documental (research library), Dirección de Control de Estudios (academic records), and Dirección de Investigación (research management). The USM-TernaNet digital platform serves as the student portal for registration, enrollment, and academic management. The institution operates across five campuses (La Florencia, El Paraíso, Oriente, Barinas, Amazonas) serving over 150,000 graduates with 13 careers, 40 postgraduate courses, 70 years of experience, and 900 faculty members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• USM-TernaNet: Student portal platform for registration and academic management
• USM-Terna

Products and services

• Pregrado (Undergraduate Programs) Undergraduate degree programs across five faculties at Universidad Santa María: Engineering (Systems, Architecture, Industrial, Civil, Telecommunications), Economics and Social Sciences (Communication, Administration, Economics, Public Accounting), Law (including International Studies), Odontology, and Pharmacy. Targeted at Venezuelan high school graduates seeking professional undergraduate degrees.
• Postgrado (Graduate Programs) Graduate programs at Universidad Santa María covering especializaciones (specializations), maestrías (master's degrees), and doctorados (doctoral programs) across legal sciences, education sciences, and economic-administrative fields. Targeted at working professionals seeking advanced credentials.
• Especializaciones (Specializations) Postgraduate specialization programs including Derecho Penal, Derecho Mercantil, Derecho Privado, Derecho Laboral, Derecho Administrativo, Derecho Procesal Civil, Auditoria Forense, Planificación y Evaluación, Gerencia Educativa, Educación Inicial, Docencia Universitaria, Gerencia de Ventas, Recursos Humanos, Finanzas, Gerencia en Tecnología de Información Empresarial, Gerencia Empresarial, Publicidad y Mercadeo, Imagen Corporativa, and Relaciones Industriales. Targeted at professionals seeking field-specific credentials.
• Maestrías (Master's Degrees) Master's degree programs including Maestrías en Finanzas, Gerencia Empresarial, Gerencia en Tecnología de la Información, Gerencia de Recursos Humanos, Publicidad y Mercadeo, Ciencias de la Educación, Derecho Tributario, and Derecho Penal. Targeted at professionals pursuing advanced academic credentials.
• Doctorados (Doctoral Programs) Doctoral programs including Doctorado en Derecho Penal, Doctorado en Derecho Constitucional, Doctorado en Ciencias de la Educación, and Doctorado en Ciencias Económicas y Administrativas. Targeted at researchers and senior professionals pursuing terminal academic degrees.
• PostDoctorado en Gerencia Postmoderna en las Organizaciones Postdoctoral program focused on postmodern management in organizations, covering postmodern management and research, complexity and transdisciplinarity, quantum management and emotional intelligence, positive psychology contributions, resilience, ontological coaching, neuro-linguistic programming, creative leadership, organizational conflict, and organizational constellations. Targeted at senior scholars and executives.
• Centro de Investigación Documental Documentary research center providing professors and postgraduate students with access to specialized information, knowledge resources, and documentary services to support postgraduate research activities.
• Dirección de Control de Estudios Academic records and enrollment management department handling program updates, transcript reviews, degree applications, personalized student attention, certificate preparation, and ministry submission processes for postgraduate students.
• Dirección de Investigación University research direction that promotes research culture, forms and consolidates research groups, establishes institutional research lines, and promotes participation of faculty and students in research projects impacting curricular and social projection processes.
• USM-TernaNet Proprietary digital student portal platform used by Universidad Santa María students for registration, enrollment, reincorporation, grade management, and academic record-keeping. Students use their national ID (cédula) as their student record number.
• Cursos de Extensión (Extension Courses) Continuing education and extension courses offered through the university's extensión division for professionals and community members seeking non-degree short-form learning and professional development.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Tribunal Supremo de Justicia (TSJ)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 July 2024Universidad Santa María signed a cooperation agreement (convenio) with the Tribunal Supremo de Justicia (TSJ) de Venezuela. The Faculty of Law's Instituto de Ciencias Penales also conducted its annual Criminal Law Conference in tribute to Dr. José Ceballos Gamardo, Rector Emérito of the institution.
• Alcaldía de BarutaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 June 2024Universidad Santa María signed an alliance (alianza) with the Alcaldía de Baruta, a municipality in Caracas, to support community and educational initiatives.
• Liga UNIMETminorOthersUniversidad Santa María participates in the Liga UNIMET collegiate sports league, competing in baseball and soccer. The university's baseball team competes against teams from other universities including Los Guaros Béisbol Club, Leones BBC, Royals, and UCV. The soccer (fútbol campo) team also competes in the Liga U.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Universidad Metropolitana (UNIMET): Private university in Caracas offering undergraduate and graduate programs across engineering, business, law, and social sciences. Directly comparable to USM as a leading private higher-education competitor in the same Venezuelan market.
• Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (UCAB): Major Jesuit private university in Caracas offering a comprehensive portfolio of undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Comparable to USM in scale, faculty size, and multi-program offering within the Venezuelan private higher-education segment.
• Universidad Simón Bolívar (USB): Public research university in Caracas with strong engineering and sciences programs. Comparable to USM as a Venezuelan university competing for the same pool of students, particularly in engineering and applied sciences.
• Universidad Yacambú: Private Venezuelan university offering undergraduate and graduate programs including law, engineering, and business. Comparable to USM as a private competitor in the Venezuelan higher-education market with overlapping program offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV): The largest public university in Venezuela, offering comprehensive undergraduate and graduate programs across all major disciplines. Comparable to USM as a comprehensive Venezuelan higher-education institution, though as the dominant public incumbent.

Regional players

• Universidad Rafael Urdaneta (URU): Private university based in Maracaibo, Venezuela, offering undergraduate and graduate programs. Comparable to USM as another regional private university serving a different Venezuelan geography.
• Universidad del Zulia (LUZ): Large public university in Maracaibo with comprehensive undergraduate and graduate offerings. Comparable to USM as a Venezuelan university serving a different regional market.
• Universidad de los Andes (ULA): Major public university in Mérida, Venezuela, with a broad portfolio of undergraduate and graduate programs. Comparable to USM as a comprehensive Venezuelan higher-education institution in a different regional market.
• Universidad Centroccidental Lisandro Alvarado (UCLA): Public university in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, with a wide range of faculties. Comparable to USM as a Venezuelan university serving a different regional market with overlapping undergraduate and graduate programs.
• Universidad Rafael Belloso Chacín (URBE): Private university in Maracaibo, Venezuela, offering undergraduate and postgraduate programs across multiple disciplines. Comparable to USM as a regional private higher-education competitor in a different Venezuelan geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/usm_vzla
• Instagraminstagram.com/usm_vzla
• Facebookfacebook.com/usm.vzla

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Santa María (Caracas)