Universidad Nacional de Educación

What Universidad Nacional de Educación does

Universidad Nacional de Educación (UNAE) is a public university in Ecuador, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Azogues, Cañar Province, established under the Ley Orgánica de Educación Superior (LOES) as the country's national university dedicated to teacher education. UNAE delivers undergraduate degrees (Grado), graduate programs (Maestría), doctoral programs (Doctorado en Educación), and a broad continuing-education portfolio aimed at Ecuadorian educators, with secondary audiences including educational organizations and language learners. Its core technology stack is a Moodle-based learning management system, extended into four distinct digital platforms: Campus Virtual UNAE for degree-program delivery, MOOC UNAE for freely accessible open courses (34 courses, 2,032 active users), EduCon for virtual tutorized and blended continuing-education programs, and the Sistema de Gestión Académica (SGA) for back-office academic administration, enrollment, and certification. In parallel, UNAE operates a distributed physical footprint comprising a main campus in Azogues and six regional Support Centers (Centros de Apoyo) in Macas, Tena, Lago Agrio, Puyo, Francisco de Orellana, and San Vicente.

UNAE's business model combines state funding under Ecuadorian higher-education law with revenue from degree tuition, per-course continuing-education fees ranging from $20 to $145, freemium MOOC enrollment, and a paid Aval de Cursos academic-endorsement service that certifies external training programs for a fee. Distribution is multi-channel: direct enrollment on the Azogues campus, regional Support Centers for in-person and blended delivery, self-serve virtual platforms, and a wide social-media presence (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, X, WhatsApp, Telegram, TikTok) supporting top-of-funnel acquisition. Select partnerships such as the GAD Municipal de Azogues agreement have produced free cohort-based courses, and the institution hosts international academic events including the VI Congreso Internacional de Educación UNAE. Pricing for Aval de Cursos services, payment via BCE UNAE EP or BanEcuador bank transfers, and self-directed virtual modalities indicate a multi-tier commercial approach beyond core tuition.

Name

Universidad Nacional de Educación

Legal name

Universidad Nacional de Educación

Website

https://unae.edu.ec

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Universidad Nacional de Educación (UNAE) is Ecuador's public national university dedicated to teacher education, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Azogues. It delivers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees alongside a Moodle-based continuing-education ecosystem (MOOC UNAE, EduCon, Campus Virtual) across a main campus and six regional Support Centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Educational Support Services (611710), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHALAG

Online Teacher Education Universities (Licensure & M.Ed.)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Distance & Online Universities

SECONDARYEDADABAC

Regional Education Service Agencies (ESAs/BOCES/Intermediate Units)

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/School Districts, Local Education Authorities & Boards

SECONDARYEDAFAKAI

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) & Inclusive Classroom Support Platforms

Education/Education Technology (EdTech) & Digital Learning/Accessibility, Assistive Technology & Special Needs EdTech

SECONDARYEDACAIAB

In-Service Professional Development (Workshops/Institutes/Short Courses)

Education/Early Childhood Education/Early Childhood Teacher Training & Professional Development

Keywords

• Teacher education
• Higher education
• Continuing education
• Professional development
• Distance learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Azogues

HQ country

Ecuador

HQ region

Latin America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Degree Program Tuition: Revenue from undergraduate and graduate degree programs including doctoral, master's, and undergraduate degrees in education
2. Continuing Education Courses: Fees from professional development courses and certifications, ranging from $20 to $145 per course, with some free offerings
3. MOOC Courses: Free and paid MOOC offerings for teacher professional development, some with official certifications
4. Course Endorsement Services (Aval): Academic endorsement of external training courses for a fee, granting official university certification to external programs

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Universidad Nacional de Educación (UNAE) is Ecuador's national teacher education university that delivers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in education, alongside a portfolio of continuing professional development courses (diplomas, MOOCs, workshops) for in-service teachers. Programs are delivered in-person at the Azogues main campus, through five regional Support Centers in Amazonian provinces, and via Moodle-based virtual platforms (MOOC UNAE, EduCon, Campus Virtual). UNAE also offers an academic endorsement service (Aval de Cursos) that certifies external training programs with university-backed quality assurance.

Product overview

UNAE operates as a multi-platform educational institution offering a unified portfolio of programs and digital services. The core academic portfolio spans undergraduate (Grado), graduate (Posgrado), and doctoral programs in education, supported by a blended continuing education ecosystem comprising three distinct digital platforms: MOOC UNAE (freely accessible open courses), EduCon (virtual tutorized and blended courses with formal enrollment), and the Campus Virtual UNAE (degree program delivery). A fourth platform, the Sistema de Gestión Académica (SGA), provides back-office academic administration including enrollment, grading, and certificate issuance. The continuing education offering includes short courses (e.g., active teaching strategies, multimodal education), diploma programs (Diplomado en Investigación Educativa), and MOOCs on research methodology, early childhood education, and educational technology. A course endorsement service (Aval de Cursos) extends UNAE's academic quality standards to external institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MOOC UNAE: Massive Open Online Course platform offering free and paid online courses for educator professional development
• EduCon

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programs (Grado) Undergraduate degree programs in education preparing pre-service teachers, delivered at UNAE's main campus in Azogues and at regional Support Centers across Ecuador.
• Doctorado en Educación Doctoral program in education offered by UNAE for advanced specialization and research training, advertised as part of current academic offerings.
• Maestría en Educación (II Cohorte) Master's program in education offered with second cohort enrollment available, designed for working teachers and education professionals seeking advanced degrees.
• Maestría en Gestión de la Calidad y Liderazgo Educativo (Cohorte II) Master's program in educational quality management and leadership, second cohort, targeting education administrators and leaders.
• Diplomado en Investigación Educativa Diploma program in educational research for practicing teachers covering research methodology and scientific writing, offered as part of continuing education.
• MOOC UNAE Platform Massive Open Online Course platform offering freely accessible and paid professional development courses for educators across research methodology, educational technology, early childhood education, and arts pedagogy, with academic endorsement options.
• EduCon (Educación Continua Virtual) Virtual campus for continuing education offering semipresencial (blended), virtual tutorized, and self-directed courses with formal enrollment, live sessions, and certification.
• Aval de Cursos (Course Endorsement Service) Academic endorsement service granting official university certification to external training courses following specialized faculty review, extending UNAE quality standards to other institutions.
• Centro de Idiomas UNAE Language learning center offering foreign language courses for diverse audiences, part of the university's continuing education portfolio.
• Cursos en Centros de Apoyo UNAE Courses delivered at regional Support Centers across Ecuador, including Neurociencia para Educadores, Didáctica de la Matemática, Gestión Educativa, and active teaching strategies, providing geographic access to professional development.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• GAD Municipal de AzoguescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2022Partnership between UNAE and GAD Municipal de Azogues for the development and delivery of the 'La escuela de las ideas en innovación' course, showcasing the UNAE School of Innovation educational model. The course was provided free of charge to teachers and administrators of educational institutions in the Azogues canton.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Platzi: Leading LATAM online education platform with professional courses including teacher and digital skills training; comparable as a regional digital learning brand targeting Spanish-speaking professionals.
• Coursera: Global MOOC platform partnering with universities to deliver teacher professional development courses; competes with UNAE's MOOC platform for Spanish-speaking teacher audiences and offers a much larger course catalog and learner base.

Broad incumbents

• Tecnológico de Monterrey: Large Mexican university with extensive online degree and continuing education offerings (including teacher training via edX alliances); broader portfolio than UNAE but directly competes for LATAM online education market share.
• Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED) - España: Spain's national distance education university offering online degrees and continuing education at scale; comparable as a public, online-first teacher education institution but with global Spanish-speaking reach.

Direct peers

• Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL): Ecuadorian private university with a strong distance-learning and continuing education model; comparable to UNAE in offering virtual undergraduate and graduate programs plus MOOCs through its own platform, serving a similar Ecuadorian student base.
• FLACSO (Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales): Latin American graduate education institution focused on social sciences and education research with online and hybrid programs; comparable as a regional specialist university offering master's and continuing education to education professionals across LATAM.
• Universidad Estatal de Milagro: Another Ecuadorian public university competing for the same domestic student pool, with online programs and teacher education offerings; shares UNAE's public-institution economics and Ecuadorian focus.

Regional players

• Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE): Major Ecuadorian private university with education programs and online offerings; directly competes for Ecuadorian teacher education students and faculty talent, though with broader portfolio beyond education.
• Universidad Estatal Amazónica (UEA): Ecuadorian public university serving the Amazon region with similar geographic focus to UNAE's Centros de Apoyo; competing for teacher training demand in Morona Santiago, Napo, Pastaza, Sucumbíos, and Orellana.

Others

• edX: Global MOOC and credentialing platform used by universities to distribute teacher professional development content; adjacent to UNAE as infrastructure that could either complement (white-label distribution) or compete with its MOOC platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/unaecuador
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/unaecuador
• Facebookfacebook.com/UNAEec
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unae-ec
• Instagraminstagram.com/unae.ec
• TikToktiktok.com/@unaecuador

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries6 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 Nacional de Educación