UNEMI

What UNEMI does

UNEMI (Universidad Estatal de Milagro) is a public university in Ecuador, established in 2001 and located in Milagro, Guayas province. It is owned and operated by the Ecuadorian government, funded through public budget allocations under the oversight of SENESCYT, CES, and CACES. The institution offers tuition-free higher education to approximately 71,000 enrolled students across 35 academic career programs delivered in three modalities: presencial (on-campus), semipresencial (blended), and en línea (online). UNEMI positions itself as 'La Universidad en línea del Ecuador,' with 75.02% of its student body drawn from outside the Milagro municipality, establishing it as a regional university of choice within Ecuador.

The university operates an integrated digital academic ecosystem anchored by its proprietary Sistema de Gestión Académica (SGA) for student/academic management and a custom-built eCampus Learning Management System (LMS) for online education delivery. The Centro de Recursos para el Aprendizaje y la Investigación (CRAI) consolidates library services (KOHA catalog), digital educational resources (UTECA), an institutional repository, Open Journal Systems (OJS) hosting three peer-reviewed scientific journals (Ciencia UNEMI, Psicología UNEMI, FACSalud UNEMI), multimedia production services, language and computing training, and university publishing. Supporting units include Vinculación (community engagement), Bienestar Universitario (student welfare), and a free legal clinic. Research output stands at 2,648 scientific publications, with journals indexed internationally in DOAJ, Latindex, REDIB, MIAR, ERIH PLUS, Google Scholar, BASE, and AC IBERO. The licensed VLex Global/Ecuador Premium platform provides AI-powered legal research capabilities. Distribution is direct to students via the institutional admission process, with content amplification through Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and a Sala de Prensa. UNEMI does not charge tuition; revenue is derived entirely from Ecuadorian government budget allocations.

Name

UNEMI

Legal name

Universidad Estatal de Milagro

Website

https://unemi.edu.ec

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

UNEMI is a tuition-free public university in Ecuador offering 35 academic programs across presencial, semipresencial, and online modalities to 71,000 students, funded entirely by Ecuadorian government budget allocations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHALAK

Online Nonprofit Universities

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

SECONDARYEDAHALAA

Fully Online Universities (Online-First, Degree-Granting)

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

SECONDARYEDAHALAG

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

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

Keywords

• Public higher education
• Online university programs
• Distance learning degrees
• Continuing education courses
• Open access journals

Headquarters

HQ city

Milagro

HQ country

Ecuador

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

UNEMI (Universidad Estatal de Milagro) is a public university in Ecuador that delivers tuition-free accredited higher education across three modalities — presencial (on-campus), semipresencial (blended), and en línea (online). It offers 35 undergraduate degree programs and postgraduate programs (Maestrías), supports scientific research through three peer-reviewed journals and an institutional repository, and operates an integrated digital ecosystem (SGA, eCampus LMS, CRAI research center, KOHA catalog, UTECA, OJS) to deliver and administer its academic services.

Product overview

UNEMI (Universidad Estatal de Milagro) is a public university in Ecuador offering face-to-face, semi-present, and online academic programs at undergraduate and graduate levels. The institution operates a multi-platform digital ecosystem anchored by the Sistema de Gestión Académica (SGA), a proprietary student management system, and eCampus, a custom-built Learning Management System (LMS) for online education delivery. The CRAI (Centro de Recursos para el Aprendizaje y la Investigación) serves as the central hub for academic resource management, integrating the KOHA bibliographic catalog, UTECA digital learning resources, an institutional repository powered by DSpace, Open Journal Systems (OJS) for publishing three scientific journals (Ciencia UNEMI, Psicología UNEMI, FACSalud UNEMI), multimedia production services, language and computing training, and university publishing. The academic offering is further supported by VLex Global/Ecuador Premium (a licensed AI-powered legal research platform) and the Vinculación division, which connects students with community service, internships, entrepreneurship programs, and continuing education delivered through a MOOC platform. The ecosystem is modular, with the SGA serving as the core administrative and academic backbone, eCampus providing the online learning interface, CRAI managing knowledge resources, and the Vinculación unit driving external engagement and applied learning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programs (Modalidad Presencial, Semipresencial, En Línea) 35 accredited undergraduate career programs (Licenciatura, Ingeniería, Tecnología) across Health Sciences, Social Sciences, Education, Engineering, and Law, delivered in presencial, semipresencial, and en línea modalities to prospective students across Ecuador. Public, tuition-free enrollment.
• Postgraduate Programs (Maestrías) Postgraduate master's degree programs (Maestrías) administered through the Vicerrectorado de Investigación y Posgrado and UNEMI POSGRADOS, targeting working professionals and degree holders. Tuition-free under the public-university model.
• Continuing Education (Gestión de Educación Continua) Free MOOC-format continuing-education courses for professional development and skills training, available to students and the general public through the Vicerrectorado de Vinculación.
• Language and Computing Training (Gestión de Idiomas e Informática) Academic training services for English language proficiency and computer literacy, including placement exams, certification, and course modules aligned with degree requirements, offered through the CRAI.
• Escuela de Formación y Emprendimiento (Training and Entrepreneurship School) Programs in citizen education, continuing education, and entrepreneurial development for students and the community, delivered through the Vicerrectorado de Vinculación.
• Consultorio Jurídico Gratuito (Free Legal Clinic) Free legal-aid clinic operated as part of the Vinculación division, providing pro-bono legal services to community members while serving as a practical training ground for law students.
• Bienestar Universitario (Student Welfare Services) Student welfare services providing primary healthcare (medical, dental, nutrition), psychological support, social work, and scholarship programs to enrolled UNEMI students.
• Ciencia UNEMI (Peer-reviewed Scientific Journal) UNEMI's general scientific journal, peer-reviewed and hosted on Open Journal Systems (OJS), contributing to the institution's research output and international indexing.
• Psicología UNEMI (Peer-reviewed Scientific Journal) Psychology-focused peer-reviewed scientific journal (ISSN 2602-8379), indexed internationally in DOAJ, Latindex, REDIB, MIAR, ERIH PLUS, Google Scholar, BASE, ResearchBib, and AC IBERO.
• FACSalud UNEMI (Peer-reviewed Scientific Journal) Health-sciences-focused peer-reviewed scientific journal (ISSN 2602-8360), hosted on Open Journal Systems (OJS) with international indexing.

Quantifiable outcome

• 71,000 enrolled students across undergraduate and graduate programs
• +4 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Grupo La RábidaminorOthersListed as a partner organization on UNEMI's institutional website. Grupo La Rábida is displayed in the partner/links section alongside EPUNEMI and Oracle Observatory.
• EPUNEMI (Escuela Politécnica del Litoral)minorOthersListed as a partner organization on UNEMI's institutional website, displayed in the partner/links section alongside Grupo La Rábida and Oracle Observatory.
• Observatorio OracleminorOthersListed as a partner organization on UNEMI's institutional website. Displayed alongside Grupo La Rábida and EPUNEMI in the institutional links section.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Universidad Internacional del Ecuador (UIDE): Ecuadorian university offering in-person and online programs, competing in the same national market for degree-seeking students.
• Universidad de Guayaquil: Large public university in Guayas province, Ecuador, competing for similar students in the same region though primarily campus-based.
• Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL): Public higher-education institution in Guayas, Ecuador, serving overlapping regional students with degree and professional programs.
• Universidad Técnica de Ambato: Ecuadorian public university offering undergraduate and graduate programs, comparable as a state institution in the same national higher-education system.
• Universidad Estatal Península de Santa Elena (UPSE): Public state university in coastal Ecuador with a similar public-funded, degree-granting model serving nearby provinces.

Direct peers

• Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL): Ecuadorian university and pioneer in distance/online higher education, competing directly with UNEMI's online modality for the same national pool of remote students.
• Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia (UNAD): Colombia's public open and distance university with a large online enrollment base, closely comparable to UNEMI as a state-funded online-first institution serving broad geographies.
• Universidad Internacional de La Rioja (UNIR): Spanish online university offering fully online degrees across Latin America, comparable in its online-first delivery model and Spanish-language distance programs.
• Universidad Estatal a Distancia (UNED Costa Rica): Public distance-education university in Costa Rica focused on remote degree delivery, directly analogous to UNEMI's online public-university mission.

Broad incumbents

• Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) Educación a Distancia: Large Latin American public university with extensive distance-education arm, an established incumbent in Spanish-language online higher education.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UNEMIEcuador
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/UnemiTube
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unemi
• Instagraminstagram.com/UNEMIEcuador
• Facebookfacebook.com/UNEMIEcuador

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 UNEMI