Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana

What Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana does

Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana (UNILA) is a Brazilian federal public university established in 2010 and headquartered in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, at the tri-border with Argentina and Paraguay. The institution was created by presidential decree to promote Latin American integration through higher education, operating trilingually in Portuguese, Spanish, and Guarani. UNILA delivers free undergraduate and graduate instruction across four interdisciplinary institutes (ILAACH, ILAESP, ILACVN, ILATIT), enrolling students selected via Brazil's SISU system and dedicated international admissions quotas for Latin American, Caribbean, African, and other foreign students.

The university's technology footprint is modest and operationally oriented rather than commercial: SIG (Sistema de Informação para Gestão Acadêmica) for academic management, a Moodle-based EAD portal for distance learning, SerproID digital certification compliant with ICP-Brasil, Fala.BR ombudsman integration, and a Python-based georeferenced Waze for Cities traffic data mapping tool developed by the Mobility and Energy Matrix research group. These systems support administrative and research functions rather than commercial product development.

UNILA's business model is non-commercial: as a public entity, it is funded by the Brazilian Ministry of Education (MEC) with no tuition fees charged across undergraduate, master's, doctoral, or specialization programs. Revenue derives entirely from federal budget allocations, with auxiliary income from extension services, publishing (Editora UNILA), and research grants. Distribution channels include SISU, international selection processes, academic mobility agreements under programs such as AUGM Escala Gestores, and the Campus Arandu satellite extension, all serving a student population drawn from across Latin America and beyond.

Name

Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana

Legal name

Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana

Website

https://portal.unila.edu.br

Company type

Public

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

UNILA is a Brazilian federal public university in Foz do Iguaçu offering free undergraduate and graduate education in a trilingual Portuguese-Spanish-Guarani environment, serving Brazilian and Latin American students selected via SISU and dedicated international admissions under a Ministry of Education mandate.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAIABAK

Inbound Exchange Hosting & Visiting Student Administration

Education/International Education & Study Abroad/University/College Exchange Programs & Partnerships

Keywords

• Public higher education
• Latin American studies
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate research programs
• Bilingual university services

Headquarters

HQ city

Foz Do Iguaçu

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana (UNILA) is a Brazilian federal public university that delivers tuition-free higher education through interdisciplinary undergraduate programs, 12 master's and 2 doctoral programs, specialization and extension courses, distance-learning (EAD) offerings, and student support services including intercultural housing. It is the only federal university in Brazil created by presidential mandate to promote Latin American integration, providing bilingual (Portuguese-Spanish) instruction to a multicultural student body drawn from more than 17 countries across the region.

Product overview

Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana (UNILA) is a Brazilian federal university focused on Latin American integration. The institution offers undergraduate programs across multiple interdisciplinary institutes (ILAACH, ILAESP, ILACVN, ILATIT), graduate programs (mestrado and doutorado), continuing education, extension courses, student support services (housing, financial aid), a digital museum, university press (Editora), and library services (BIUNILA). The university also conducts research projects and provides administrative services through various institutional systems. UNILA operates as a public higher education institution rather than a commercial product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programs Tuition-free undergraduate degrees across interdisciplinary institutes covering humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering/technology, taught in Portuguese and Spanish to Brazilian and Latin American students.
• Graduate Programs (Master's and Doctoral) Stricto sensu graduate programs including 12 master's and 2 doctoral programs (PPGLC, PPGHIS, PPGE, PPGBC, PPGIES, among others) focused on Latin American integration, comparative literature, history, economics, biosciences, and sustainability.
• Specialization Courses (Lato Sensu / Extensão) Continuing-education specialization and extension courses delivered via the Moodle-based EAD portal, including targeted programs such as the Specialization in Agrarian Question in Latin America offered in partnership with INCRA/PRONERA.
• Distance Learning (EAD Portal - Moodle) Moodle-based online portal used to deliver UNILA's distance-learning and hybrid courses, extending specialized programs to students across Latin America.
• Student Housing (Moradia Intercultural) Intercultural student housing constructed at Campus Integração that supports UNILA's permanence policies, providing free accommodation for students from diverse cultural and national backgrounds.
• Library Services (BIUNILA and Digital Library of Dissertations and Theses) Academic library services including BIUNILA (Biblioteca) and the Biblioteca Digital de Dissertações e Teses, supporting teaching, learning, and research across all UNILA programs.
• Editora da UNILA (University Press) University press publishing academic and cultural content related to Latin American integration themes, contributing to UNILA's scholarly content portfolio.
• Museu Digital UNILA (Digital Museum) Digital museum platform that preserves and presents Latin American cultural heritage and academic content, accessible through the museudigital.unila.edu.br portal.

Quantifiable outcome

• Geography course received concept 5 from MEC evaluation in 2019, and Portaria nº 393 of April 20, 2021 for course recognition
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ministério da Educação (MEC) — BrazilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026MEC partnership for the 1st Forum of Rectors of Latin America and the Caribbean, hosted by UNILA. Minister Leonardo Barchini attended. The forum resulted in the 'Carta de Foz do Iguaçu' with integration guidelines and commitments.
• Chinese Universities — Multiple PartnershipscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Pioneer mission to China by UNILA to strengthen academic, technological and cultural cooperation. Partnerships include negotiations for establishing a Confucius Institute at UNILA and new academic mobility agreements with Chinese universities.
• Rede UNIFRONTEIRAScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026UNILA coordinates the UNIFRONTEIRAS Network, bringing together universities, governments and civil society to advance border integration, innovation and territorial development. Under the motto 'Borders do not separate us. They connect us.'
• Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA) — Núcleo de Apoio a Migrantes e RefugiadosminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Joint programming with UFBA's Nucleus for Migrant and Refugee Support through the Sérgio Vieira de Mello Chair, organizing events like 'Diversidade na Fé' on migration and integration topics.
• Guarda Municipal de Foz do Iguaçu — Programa Vida no TrânsitominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Collaboration with UNILA's mobility research project, providing access to traffic accident data and supporting the implementation of urban safety measures based on university research findings.
• Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026UNILA hosted a formation program by OEI titled 'Integração e Desenvolvimento: Formação de Alto Nível' bringing together faculty, students and Mercosur diplomats for regional academic development.
• Unioeste InovaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Strategic visit by UNILA's NIT (Núcleo de Inovação Tecnológica) to Unioeste Inova for exchange of experiences and alignment of ideas to boost innovation and technology development at both universities.
• Universidad Nacional del Litoral (UNL), ArgentinacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2023Co-organizer of the 3º Congresso de Internacionalização da Educação Superior (CIES), held at UNILA. Partnership focuses on internationalization of higher education in the Mercosur region, with joint discussions on academic mobility, border integration, and regional development.
• Universidad Nacional de Asunción (UNA), ParaguaycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2023Co-organizer of the 3º Congresso de Internacionalização da Educação Superior (CIES). Partnership supports the Mercosul Educacional agenda and internationalization processes between Brazilian and Paraguayan universities.
• Universidad de la República (Udelar), UruguaycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2023Co-organizer of the 3º Congresso de Internacionalização da Educação Superior (CIES). Active partner in regional higher education integration initiatives and academic mobility programs.
• PRONERA/INCRA — BrazilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2023Partnership with the National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform (INCRA) through the National Program for Education in Agrarian Reform (PRONERA) for the Specialization in Agrarian Question in Latin America, offering affirmative access to land reform beneficiaries.
• Universidad Nacional de Misiones, ArgentinaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Academic partnership for joint field trips, research, teaching and extension activities. Faculty from the Argentine university co-led Geography student field work to cities of Posadas, San Ignácio, and Colônia Wanda in Argentina.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados (UFGD): Another Brazilian federal university (Mato Grosso do Sul) created during Brazil's expansion of the federal higher-education system. Comparable newer-generation federal university with similar scale and structural characteristics to UNILA.
• Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC): Brazilian interdisciplinary federal university founded in the same wave of new federal institutions. Comparable as a federally created Brazilian public university with a similar newer-institution operating profile and interdisciplinary curriculum.

Direct peers

• Universidad Nacional de Misiones (UNAM): Active UNILA partner and Argentine federal university located in the same tri-border region. Closely comparable in mission (border-area higher education) and operational stage of cross-border academic cooperation with UNILA.
• FLACSO (Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales): UN-affiliated regional postgraduate institution operating across multiple Latin American countries with a Latin American integration focus. Comparable as a pan-regional academic platform for social sciences and integration-related research.
• Universidad Nacional del Litoral (UNL): Argentine partner university that co-organizes CIES with UNILA, focused on the Mercosur region. Comparable regional public university with shared integration mandate and joint academic mobility programs.
• Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar (UASB): Latin American supranational postgraduate university created via Andean Parliament agreement to advance regional integration through advanced education and research. Highly comparable mission (regional academic integration) and postgraduate focus.
• Universidad de la República (UDELAR): Uruguay's flagship public university and active partner in CIES and Mercosul Educacional agenda. Comparable as a major regional public university engaged in Latin American integration initiatives with UNILA.
• Universidade Federal da Fronteira Sul (UFFS): Brazilian federal university established with a comparable regional-integration mission, focused on southern border development and interdisciplinary public education. Closest structural analog as another federally created university with a geographic-integration mandate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/unila
• Facebookfacebook.com/unila.oficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/unila-oficial
• Instagraminstagram.com/instaunila
• TikToktiktok.com/@unilatok
• Xx.com/unila

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana