Universidad Metropolitana del Ecuador

What Universidad Metropolitana del Ecuador does

Universidad Metropolitana del Ecuador (UMET) is a private, nonprofit university established in Guayaquil in April 2000 by Law of the Republic No. 2000-14, with additional campuses in Quito and Machala. The institution operates five faculties spanning Social Sciences and Education (FCSHE), Economics and Business (FCEE), Engineering (FING), Health and Physical Culture (FSCF), and Law (FDER), offering undergraduate, graduate, professional development, continuing education, and technical programs. UMET holds CACES institutional accreditation for the 2020-2025 period following a top-tier 2019 external evaluation, and maintains a tenured faculty ratio of 52.9%, above the national higher education average.

The university's product surface is built around a Moodle-based virtual learning environment branded as EVA, with dedicated portals for undergraduate, postgraduate, professional development, and accelerated programs, alongside student, faculty, and administrative portals. It supports six delivery modalities (in-person, semi-presential, online, distance, dual, hybrid) coordinated through CESDEL, complemented by the CRAI learning resource center and Editorial UMET publishing house. Revenue is generated primarily through tuition and academic fees across undergraduate, graduate, and professional development programs, supplemented by Fundación Metropolitana-funded scholarships and economic aid, which are available to 100% of students.

UMET serves individual student-consumers seeking accredited higher education, with marketing conducted via WhatsApp direct contact, campus-based admissions offices, social media, and a multi-city physical footprint. Affiliated entities include Fundación Metropolitana (scholarships), Metropolitan Languages School, and Editorial UMET. In July 2026, UMET signed a cooperation agreement with Ecuador's Consejo de la Judicatura to deepen legal education and research collaboration. The institution is governed by a Consejo de Regentes and led by Rector Alejandro Rafael Socorro Castro, Ph.D.

Name

Universidad Metropolitana del Ecuador

Legal name

Universidad Metropolitana del Ecuador

Website

https://umet.edu.ec

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Universidad Metropolitana del Ecuador (UMET) is a private, nonprofit, CACES-accredited university founded in 2000, operating five faculties across campuses in Guayaquil, Quito, and Machala, delivering undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education through six learning modalities to Ecuadorian students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

University/College Continuing Education (Extension) Programs (EDAAAEAA)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate degree programs
• Distance learning education
• Continuing education courses

Headquarters

HQ city

Guayaquil

HQ country

Ecuador

HQ region

Latin America

Offices3 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: Tuition revenue from undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education programs. The university offers financing options for students and receives support from Fundación Metropolitana for scholarship programs.
2. Continuing Education and Professionalization: Revenue from professional development courses, diploma programs, and continuing education offerings across all five faculties.
3. Scholarship Administration: The university administers scholarship programs sponsored by Fundación Metropolitana including academic merit, socioeconomic, sports, and exclusion-group scholarships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Universidad Metropolitana del Ecuador (UMET) is a private university that provides undergraduate, graduate, professional development, and continuing education programs across five faculties (Social Sciences/Humanities/Education, Economics/Business, Engineering, Health/Physical Culture, and Law). Programs are delivered through in-person, semi-presential, online, distance, dual, and hybrid modalities via a Moodle-based EVA virtual learning environment, operating from campuses in Guayaquil, Quito, and Machala.

Product overview

Universidad Metropolitana del Ecuador operates as a comprehensive digital education platform with multiple interconnected systems. The core Portal EVA serves as the unified gateway to all academic services, with specialized platforms for undergraduate (Plataforma de Grado), graduate (Plataforma de Posgrado), and professional development (Plataforma de Profesionalización) programs. Student and faculty portals (Portal del Estudiante, Portal del Docente) manage academic workflows, while the CRAI provides learning resources and research support. The institution's digital ecosystem includes the Editorial UMET publishing house, Alumni UMET for graduate tracking, and the CESDEL center for distance education modalities. All learning platforms are built on Moodle infrastructure supporting multiple faculties across campuses in Guayaquil, Quito, and Machala.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Editorial UMET: Publishing house of Universidad Metropolitana
• CRAI
• CESDEL
• Metropolitan Languages School

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programs (Grado) Undergraduate degree programs offered across five faculties — Social Sciences/Humanities/Education (FCSHE), Economics/Business (FCEE), Engineering (FING), Health/Physical Culture (FSCF), and Law (FDER) — delivered in in-person, semi-presential, online, distance, dual, and hybrid modalities. Targeted at Ecuadorian high school graduates seeking accredited higher education.
• Postgraduate Programs (Posgrado) Graduate and postgraduate programs including master's degrees in Procedural Law, Educational Management, Care Management, Accounting and Auditing with Tax Management, Information Systems, and Optometry, delivered across all five faculties. Targeted at working professionals seeking advanced credentials and specialization.
• Professional Development (Profesionalización por Validación de Conocimiento) Professional development programs providing courses and competency-based validation for workforce skill enhancement and career advancement across FING, FSCF, FCSHE, and FCEE faculties. Targeted at working professionals seeking validated professional credentials.
• Technical and Technological Unit Programs (Unidad Técnica y Tecnológica) Technical and technological education programs offered as part of UMET's academic portfolio, providing shorter-format, applied technology education aligned with workforce needs.
• Continuing Education Courses (Cursos de Educación Continua) Continuing education courses, diploma programs, and short-format professional development offerings delivered across all five faculties. Targeted at professionals seeking targeted upskilling and certification.
• CRAI - Centro de Recursos para el Aprendizaje y la Investigación Learning and research resource center providing physical and digital libraries, electronic databases, electronic books, research spaces, computer labs, and information technology support services with universal accessibility. Serves enrolled students, faculty, and the broader research community.
• Editorial UMET University publishing house producing institutional publications, academic materials, and scholarly works. Operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of UMET.
• Consultorio Jurídico Gratuito (Free Legal Clinic) Free legal consultation service offered to the community through the Faculty of Law (FDER), with locations in Guayaquil and Quito. Targeted at community members requiring free legal counsel and guidance.
• CESDEL - Centro de Educación Semipresencial, a Distancia y en Línea Center for semi-presential, distance, and online education providing flexible learning modalities across all academic programs. Coordinates the multi-modal delivery infrastructure for the university.
• Alumni UMET Alumni tracking and engagement system for graduate follow-up, professional development support, and continuing connection with UMET graduates.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of students eligible for scholarships and economic aid through Fundación Metropolitana
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Consejo de la JudicaturacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 July 2026Marco de cooperación interinstitucional signed on July 23, 2026, strengthening institutional cooperation between UMET and the Judicial Council of Ecuador for mutual benefit in legal education and research.
• Fundación MetropolitanacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit foundation providing scholarships, economic aid, promotions, and special discounts for UMET students. Supports inclusion, access, and permanence in higher education without discrimination.
• Metropolitan Languages SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated educational entity providing language courses and English proficiency certification services for students fulfilling foreign language graduation requirements.
• Red Metropolitana de Participación CiudadanaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMetropolitan Network for Citizen Participation - community engagement initiative supporting university-community linkage programs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Universidad Internacional Iberoamericana (UNINI): UNINI is an international online university focusing on graduate and continuing education programs for Latin American professionals. Its fully online model and regional reach make it a comparable emerging competitor in the distance education segment where UMET also operates.
• ESPAE Graduate School of Management: ESPAE is a graduate school in Guayaquil focused on business administration and management education. It competes with UMET's graduate programs in the business and economics fields for working professional students.

Direct peers

• Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE): PUCE is one of Ecuador's largest private universities with extensive multi-city operations and a similar faculty-based academic structure. It competes directly with UMET for undergraduate and graduate students nationally.
• Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ): USFQ is a top-ranked private university in Ecuador with multiple campuses and a similar multi-faculty structure. Its strong reputation and broader program portfolio position it as a direct competitor for high-quality students in Ecuador.
• Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil (UCSG): UCSG is a major private university headquartered in Guayaquil, the same city as UMET's flagship campus. It offers comparable undergraduate and graduate programs across multiple faculties and competes directly for the same student pool.
• Universidad del Pacífico (Ecuador): Universidad del Pacífico is a private business-focused university in Ecuador with comparable programs in economics, business, and graduate education. It competes directly with UMET's FCEE faculty for students in these fields.
• Universidad de Especialidades Espíritu Santo (UEES): UEES is Ecuador's largest private university with multi-campus operations and a similar portfolio of undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education programs. It is the closest direct competitor to UMET in the Ecuadorian private higher education market.

Regional players

• Universidad Técnica de Machala: Universidad Técnica de Machala is a public university located in Machala, where UMET also operates a campus. It competes for the same regional student pool through subsidized tuition, representing a pricing competitive threat to UMET's southern Ecuador operations.
• Universidad Estatal de Milagro: Universidad Estatal de Milagro is a public university near Guayaquil offering tuition-free higher education. It competes with UMET's Guayaquil campus for students seeking affordable degree programs in similar disciplines.

Broad incumbents

• Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico): Tecnológico de Monterrey is a major Latin American private university with extensive online programs and multiple international campuses. It represents a broader incumbent whose online graduate offerings could attract Ecuadorian students seeking international credentials.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/umet_edu
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCCoGuEZSC7MYmhElsVyf8VA
• Facebookfacebook.com/umet.edu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/universidad-metropolitana-del-ecuador
• Instagraminstagram.com/umet_edu
• TikToktiktok.com/@umet_edu

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Universidad Metropolitana del Ecuador