Corporacion Universitaria del Caribe

What Corporacion Universitaria del Caribe does

Corporación Universitaria del Caribe (CECAR) is a private higher education institution headquartered in Sincelejo, Sucre, Colombia, legally constituted in 1978 under Resolución 7786 of the Ministerio de Educación Nacional. It operates under Colombia's Vigilada Mineducación framework, with all programs registered in SNIES, and is currently pursuing institutional accreditation. The institution serves approximately 6,572 students across three modalities — presencial, a distancia, and virtual — through undergraduate (pregrado), graduate (posgrado) specializations and master's, continuing education (educación continua), and language training (Centro de Idiomas). It reports 57 categorized faculty and 46,174 lifetime graduates concentrated in the Colombian Caribbean Region, with a secondary service point in Montería.

CECAR's academic technology stack is built on a Joomla-based institutional web platform with an integrated student portal (Aldea) for enrollment, grades, and academic management; a virtual learning environment; a digital repository for research outputs; and an online payment system (ECOSIC). The ISO 9001:2015-certified quality management system underpins a broader suite of operations including a Centro de Conciliación (NTC-5906), a Centro de Idiomas (NTC-5580), and multiple consultorios (jurídico, psicología, empresarial y contable, arquitectónico) that double as community-service and student-training facilities.

Revenue derives principally from tuition and academic fees (subscription/recurring) priced by program level, modality, and semester, with disclosed master's program totals ranging from roughly COP $20.7M (virtual) to COP $37.1M (in-person). Secondary streams include educational credit services (ICETEX, Banco Pichincha, Sufi Bancolombia, Fintra, Serfinanzas, plus in-house "crédito directo") and professional services from the consultorios and conciliation center. Go-to-market is sales-led: direct enrollment via the institutional website and WhatsApp, complemented by academic fairs, institutional visits, financial counseling, and internationalization events (Programa Delfín, Australia 2026). The institution is privately held under Colombia's Especial Tax Regime (NIT 892201263-1), governed by a Sala de Fundadores and Junta Directiva, with academic leadership under Rectora Lidia Flórez de Alviz.

Name

Corporacion Universitaria del Caribe

Legal name

Corporación Universitaria del Caribe - CECAR

Website

https://cecar.edu.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Corporación Universitaria del Caribe (CECAR) is a private Colombian higher education institution founded in 1978, serving about 6,572 undergraduate, graduate, and continuing-education students in presencial, distance, and virtual modalities across the Caribbean Region, with headquarters in Sincelejo and a regional center in Montería.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHABAK

Land-Grant–Like/Extension-Oriented Private Research Universities (Applied Outreach)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Private Research Universities

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Undergraduate programs
• Graduate programs
• Distance education
• Continuing education

Headquarters

HQ city

Sincelejo

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Academic Fees: Primary revenue from tuition fees for undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education programs. Tuition varies by program level, modality (presencial, a distancia, virtual), and semester.
2. Educational Credit Services: Direct credit offerings for tuition financing, including partnerships with ICETEX, banks, and financial intermediaries for student loans and payment plans.
3. Consulting and Legal Services: Revenue from consultorio juridico, centro de conciliacion, consultorio empresarial y contable, and other projection services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Private non-profit university offering undergraduate (pregrado) and graduate (posgrado) academic programs across multiple modalities — in-person (presencial), distance (a distancia), and virtual — supplemented by continuing education, community service clinics (consultorios), a Language Center, library services, and applied research activities for students in the Colombian Caribbean region.

Product overview

Corporación Universitaria del Caribe (CECAR) is a higher education institution offering a comprehensive portfolio of academic programs across undergraduate (pregrado) and graduate (posgrado) levels in multiple modalities (presencial, distance, and virtual). The portfolio includes pregrado programs in face-to-face, distance, and virtual formats, plus posgrado offerings (especializaciones and maestrías) in areas such as law, digital transformation, human resource management, and health administration. Additional offerings include the Centro de Idiomas for language training, continuing education (educación continua), and diplomados as degree options. The institution supports its academic mission with service centers including the Consultorio Jurídico, Centro de Conciliación, Consultorio de Psicología, and Consultorio Empresarial y Contable. Students access academic services through the ALDEA portal, while research outputs are archived in the institutional repository and library system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 46,174 graduates produced over 39 years of operation
• +1 more outcomes

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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ICETEXcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational student loan agency providing educational credit for tuition financing. Students can renew ICETEX credits through the institution.
• SENAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational vocational training service with library interlibrary loan agreement and potential collaborative programs.
• ColcienciascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational science agency supporting research initiatives and classified research groups.
• Programa DelfíncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational scientific research program (XXVIII Verano de la Investigación Científica y Tecnológica del Pacífico 2026) allowing undergraduate students to participate in research experiences with Mexican institutions.
• IEEEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical co-sponsor of the International Systems Engineering Symposium with IEEE CIS&RAS, TEAMS, and Computer Society chapters.
• ComfasucreminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSocial welfare fund partnership providing benefits and opportunities for the CECAR community.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Fundación Universitaria Luis Amigó: Private Colombian university foundation offering undergraduate and graduate programs with extension and projection social services. Comparable in size, model, and existing interlibrary partnership with CECAR.
• Fundación Universitaria Los Libertadores: Private Colombian university with presencial, distance, and virtual modalities and broad regional coverage. Directly comparable in scale, modality strategy, and target student segments.
• Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia: Multi-campus private Colombian university with distance and presencial modalities serving regional markets nationwide. Highly comparable to CECAR in business model, modality mix, and Colombian private higher education positioning; already a library partner.
• Universidad del Norte: Leading private university in Barranquilla with strong research credentials and broader Caribbean Colombia presence. Comparable private Colombian competitor with stronger academic reputation.
• Universidad San Buenaventura: National private Colombian university system offering presencial and distance programs with consultorios and projection services. Comparable multi-campus private university model.
• Universidad Manuela Beltrán: Private Colombian university with virtual and presencial programs across multiple regions. Comparable scale, modality mix, and Colombian private higher education positioning.
• Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana: Large private Colombian university with multiple modalities and research orientation. Already a library partner of CECAR and provides a relevant scale benchmark for trajectory.

Broad incumbents

• Universidad Sergio Arboleda: Established private Colombian university with national reach across presencial and virtual modalities. Comparable business model and provides a more mature benchmark.

Regional players

• Universidad de Sucre: Public regional university based in Sincelejo serving the same Sucre catchment. Already a CECAR library partner and the most direct local competitor for in-region students.
• Universidad Tecnológica de Bolívar: Private university in Cartagena offering presencial, distance, and virtual programs. Direct Caribbean region competitor targeting similar student segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/unicecar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Corporacion Universitaria del Caribe