International University of La Rioja (UNIR)

What International University of La Rioja (UNIR) does

International University of La Rioja (UNIR) is a private, 100% online university headquartered in Logroño, Spain, established in 2008 under Ley 3/2008 of the Parliament of La Rioja. It delivers officially accredited undergraduate degrees, master's programs, doctoral programs, and expert certificates to Spanish-speaking adult learners across Spain, Latin America, the United States, and more than 80 additional countries. The institution enrolls 52,000+ active students and has produced 108,000+ graduates, with operations conducted through wholly-owned regional subsidiaries in Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Argentina, and the United States, supported by 28+ examination centers across Spain and Latin America.

UNIR's core delivery platform is a proprietary Virtual Campus that streams 4,000 hours of live online classes per week, with on-demand replay, interactive resources, and real-time personalized mentorship. The platform is supplemented by domain-specific tooling including UNIR BehaviourLab (a virtual research lab for psychology and health sciences) and Simulated Patient Cases for clinical training. The product portfolio spans 76 undergraduate degrees, 271 official master's titles, 47 permanent-formation master's, 4 doctoral programs, and specialized expert certificates across 15 academic areas, with sub-brands such as Clínica Jurídica, SUPERCUIDADORES, and UNIR Ediciones providing adjacent educational and social services.

UNIR monetizes almost exclusively through tuition fees charged on a per-program, typically annual, basis. Acquisition is direct-to-consumer via the UNIR.net website, regional country portals, SEO-optimized content, social channels, and a contact center of personal advisors that follow up on inquiries within 24 hours. A secondary community-led layer (alumni network, webinars, forums) and a growing B2G capacity-building stream (notably 50,000+ Colombian professors trained and a new Bolivia Ministry of Education agreement) supplement direct enrollment. UNIR holds ANECA-accredited official status, a QS Stars 5-star rating, and is recognized by Times Higher Education as the #1 online Spanish-language university globally; its 81.4% graduate Social Security affiliation rate is the highest in Spain per U-Ranking.

Name

International University of La Rioja (UNIR)

Legal name

Universidad Internacional de La Rioja

Website

https://unir.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

UNIR is a private, 100% online Spanish university (founded 2008, Logroño) delivering ANECA-accredited degrees, master's, doctorates, and expert certificates to 52,000+ active Spanish-speaking students across Spain, Latin America, and the U.S. through a proprietary live-streaming virtual campus and wholly-owned regional subsidiaries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Online Nonprofit Universities (EDAHALAK), Online Graduate Schools (Master’s & Doctoral Programs) (EDAHALAD), University/College Continuing Education (Extension) Programs (EDAAAEAA)

Keywords

• Online higher education
• Distance learning degrees
• Graduate online programs
• Doctoral distance education
• Accredited online university

Headquarters

HQ city

Logroño

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices29 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and enrollment fees: UNIR generates revenue primarily through tuition fees charged for degree programs (Grados), master's programs (official and permanent/training), doctoral programs, expert certificates, and short courses. Students pay per program enrollment with billing typically on an annual or per-course basis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

UNIR is a 100% online private university that delivers official undergraduate degrees (Grados), official master's programs (Másteres Universitarios), permanent formation master's, doctoral programs, MBA programs, and University Expert certificates through a proprietary Virtual Campus featuring 4,000 weekly hours of live-streamed classes, on-demand replay, and real-time personalized mentorship. The university serves more than 52,000 active students and 108,000+ graduates across Spain, Latin America, and 85+ countries via 240+ programs spanning 15 academic areas, with programs accredited by ANECA and recognized across the European Higher Education Area.

Product overview

UNIR is a 100% online university offering a comprehensive portfolio of educational products across multiple formats and specializations. The core offering consists of 76 undergraduate degrees (Grados), 319 master's programs (including 271 official titles and 47 permanent formation programs), 4 doctoral programs, and supplementary programs including expert certificates and specialized courses. Key product lines include the UNIR Virtual Campus platform for delivery, specialized MBAs, the UNIR BehaviourLab for health sciences research, and social commitment programs like Campus Solidario and UNIR Ediciones publishing. Programs span 15 academic areas: Education, Law, Political Science, Security Studies, Business, Marketing, Engineering, Design, Health Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities, Arts, Music, and Languages. UNIR's regional operations include dedicated portals for Colombia, Ecuador, USA, Chile, Argentina, Peru, and Mexico with country-specific accreditations and program recognition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• UNIR Editions: UNIR's publishing house that collaborates on scientific and humanistic research dissemination
• Campus Solidario
• SUPERCUIDADORES
• UNIR BehaviourLab
• Nueva Revista

Products and services

• Grados (Undergraduate Degrees) Official undergraduate degree programs (Grados) offered fully online across 13 academic areas, comprising 76 distinct titles recognized under the European Higher Education Area and ANECA-accredited, designed for Spanish-speaking adults seeking an officially accredited first university qualification while continuing to work.
• Másteres Universitarios (Official Master's Degrees) 271 official master's degree programs recognized by ANECA, granting access to doctoral studies; designed for working professionals and graduates seeking ANECA-accredited specialization across education, law, business, health, technology, and humanities.
• Másteres de Formación Permanente (Permanent Formation Master's) Professional development master's programs oriented toward skill expansion and career updating, with specialized curricula designed with industry input; targeted at working professionals seeking rapid upskilling rather than ANECA-official accreditation.
• Doctorados (Doctoral Programs) Doctoral programs across four knowledge areas delivered fully online, authorized under Real Decreto 99/2011—the first online university authorized to award this credential—for researchers and senior professionals targeting academic and applied doctorate qualifications.
• MBA Programs MBA programs including the standard MBA, Tech MBA, and English-language MBA tracks, designed for managers, entrepreneurs, and mid-career professionals in Spanish-speaking markets and internationally, delivered fully online with live classes.
• Experto Universitario (University Expert Programs) Specialized university expert certificate programs for graduates seeking focused, short-cycle credentials in topics such as AI in Education, EMDR Therapy, and Autism Spectrum Disorder, requiring prior university education.
• UNIR BehaviourLab (Virtual Health-Sciences Lab) Proprietary virtual laboratory that enables health-sciences students and faculty to design and manage psychology research projects online, accessed via UNIR's Faculty of Health Sciences as a differentiated practical training environment.
• Formación Profesional (Vocational Training) Online vocational training (Formación Profesional) programs offered through the UNIR FP portal, providing practical professional credentials outside the official undergraduate and master's degree catalog.

Quantifiable outcome

• 81.4% graduate employment rate in first year after graduation (25+ points above national average of 54.3%), per U-Ranking with data from the Spanish Ministry of Science.
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Ministry of Education of BoliviacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026UNIR and the Ministry of Education of Bolivia signed an agreement to provide free online training for more than 4,500 Bolivian teachers starting in October. Programs are 100% online and of maximum quality, taught by UNIR faculty.
• University of Los Llanos (Colombia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 May 2026UNIR partnered with the University of Los Llanos in Villavicencio, Colombia, to host the 'Futures of Higher Education' conference, bringing together university administrators from Colombia and Ecuador to discuss inclusion, employability, and technological transformation. UNIR maintains over 100 such agreements with Colombian universities.
• Cámara de Comercio de España-EE.UU. en Florida (Spain-USA Chamber of Commerce in Florida)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 May 2026UNIR signed a cooperation agreement with the Cámara de Comercio de España-EE.UU. en Florida, involving participation in Miami International Week in October 2026, to promote international academic and business ties. Eva Asensio, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business, represented UNIR.
• Various Colombian Universities (100+)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNIR maintains over 100 academic cooperation agreements with Colombian universities, enabling professor training, joint programs, and regional student recruitment.
• Colegio Colombiano de Psicólogos (COLPSIC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNIR and COLPSIC reinforced their alliance to advance the training of Colombian psychologists. A COLPSIC delegation was received in Spain by UNIR Colombia's leadership to advance new collaboration projects.
• University of CambridgemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNIR has an international cooperation agreement with the University of Cambridge as part of its global partnership network.
• Universidad de Roma (Sapienza or equivalent)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNIR has an international cooperation agreement with a university in Rome as part of its global partnership network for academic exchange.
• Politécnic o de CoimbramajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNIR has an international cooperation agreement with the Polytechnic of Coimbra in Portugal as part of its Erasmus+ and global partnership programs.
• Universidad Piloto de Colombia (UniPiloto)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNIR maintains a partnership with Universidad Piloto de Colombia, facilitating academic collaboration and student mobility between institutions.
• FLACSO EcuadormajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNIR partners with FLACSO Ecuador (Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales), a prestigious Latin American academic institution, for joint research and academic programs.
• Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán (UAM México)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNIR partners with Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán in Mexico as part of its Latin American cooperation network.
• Erasmus+ ProgrammecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNIR participates in the Erasmus+ program, allowing students, faculty, and staff to study or undertake internships at partner universities and companies worldwide. The International Mobility Office (OMI) coordinates these activities.
• Bolivia Ministry of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeyond teacher training, this partnership aims to drive digital transformation of education in Bolivia through free, high-quality online programs starting October 2026.
• Santillana PerúminorGTM or Marketing PartnerUNIR and Santillana Perú launched a scholarship program offering 65% scholarships for Peruvian teachers to study official master's programs from among 30 European-quality programs recognized by SUNEDU.
• More than 300 healthcare centers in Spain for Psychology internshipscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNIR has agreements with more than 300 centers and hospitals across Spain where Psychology students can complete curricular internships, providing practical professional experience in real clinical settings.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Coursera: Global MOOC platform increasingly partnering with universities to offer accredited online degrees and certificates, including in Spanish. Functions as adjacent competition for UNIR's short courses, expert programs, and even full degrees at lower price points.
• Miríadax (by Santander / Universia): Ibero-American MOOC and online learning platform backed by Santander and partner universities. Competes at the short-course and continuing-education layer that overlaps with UNIR's expert certificates and permanent formation programs.

Broad incumbents

• Western Governors University: US-based nonprofit competency-based online university serving 150,000+ students. Comparable in scale and online-only model, with a subscription-style tuition structure aligned to UNIR's recurring tuition approach.
• Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU): One of the largest private nonprofit online universities in the United States with hundreds of thousands of online students. Comparable to UNIR in operating a fully online, degree-granting model at scale, though UNIR focuses on Spanish-speaking markets.
• IE University: Elite Spanish private university with strong online master's and executive education programs competing for the same working professional segment. Positions at a higher price point with a global brand.
• Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED): Spain's flagship public distance-learning university and the original online/distance university in Spanish. UNIR directly competes with UNED in undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs, but UNED operates as a much larger public incumbent with a broader physical and digital footprint.
• Universidad Europea: Major private Spanish university with a sizable online and blended learning portfolio (Universidad Europea Online). Overlaps with UNIR in master's and undergraduate programs, but operates with a hybrid rather than fully online model.

Regional players

• Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL): Large Ecuadorian private university with a strong online and distance-learning program serving Spanish-speaking students in Ecuador and Latin America. Competes with UNIR for the same regional student base.

Direct peers

• Universidad Isabel I: Private Spanish online university founded around the same period as UNIR, focused on official online degrees with similar GTM motion toward working professionals. Comparable in scale and product mix to UNIR.
• Universidad a Distancia de Madrid (UDIMA): Spanish private online university offering official undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degrees in a 100% online format. UDIMA is one of UNIR's closest direct competitors in the Spanish online higher education market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/UNIRUniversidad
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/UniversidadUNIR
• Facebookfacebook.com/UNIRUniversidad
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unir-universidad-internet
• Instagraminstagram.com/uniruniversidad
• TikToktiktok.com/@uniruniversidad

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries8 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 International University of La Rioja (UNIR)