University of the Americas (CL)

What University of the Americas (CL) does

Universidad de Las Américas (UDLA) is a private Chilean university founded in 1988 and currently governed under Fundación Educación y Cultura since September 2020, after a prior two-decade affiliation with Laureate International Universities (2000-2020). It delivers higher education across 8 campuses in Santiago (La Florida, Maipú, Melipilla, Providencia, Santiago Centro), Viña del Mar, and Concepción (Chacabuco, El Boldal), spanning more than 100,000 m2 of built infrastructure and serving over 33,000 active undergraduate students through 7 faculties covering architecture, communications and arts, law, education, engineering and business, veterinary medicine and agronomy, and health and social sciences. The institution has produced 73,000+ alumni and holds a 5-year institutional accreditation from Chile's Comisión Nacional de Acreditación (March 2023 to March 2028).

UDLA operates four study modalities: Jornada Diurna (traditional daytime), Jornada Vespertina (evening), Programa Executive (in-person evening and Saturday for working adults), and Executive Online (fully online), supported by Blackboard LMS, Microsoft Office 365, an integrated student support system (SIAE), an academic analytics platform for student trajectory monitoring, and a professional development job platform. The product portfolio extends across undergraduate degrees, technical higher education programs (e.g., TNS in Business Administration and Mining Operations), master's degrees (MBA, Data Science, Natural Resources Sustainability), and doctoral programs (Agricultural and Veterinary Sustainability). Applied research initiatives include the ANID-funded IDeA I+D 2026 genomic selection project in cherry trees and the LAGM Chile municipal analytics laboratory.

The business model combines tuition revenue from enrolled students with material dependence on Chile's government Gratuidad program, which covers 74%+ of the student body, supplemented by continuing education diplomas, postgraduate programs, and competitive research grants. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via admissions channels targeting recent high school graduates and working adults, augmented by community engagement through Vinculación con el Medio programs and municipal partnerships that serve as both brand-building and recruitment channels.

Name

University of the Americas (CL)

Legal name

Universidad de Las Américas

Website

https://udla.cl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

10,001+ employees

Short description

Universidad de Las Américas (UDLA) is a private Chilean university serving 33,000+ undergraduate students across 8 campuses in Santiago, Viña del Mar, and Concepción, offering undergraduate and graduate programs through 7 faculties in daytime, evening, executive, and online modalities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Online Nonprofit Universities (EDAHALAK)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate education programs
• Continuing education diplomas
• Online university programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Santiago

HQ country

Chile

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 Revenue: Tuition payments from enrolled students across undergraduate and graduate programs, including traditional, Executive, and Executive Online modalities
2. Government Gratuidad Funding: State-funded tuition coverage (Gratuidad) benefiting over 74% of students, representing a significant government subsidy for operations
3. Continuing Education: Revenue from diplomas, postgraduate programs, and professional development courses

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Universidad de Las Américas (UDLA) is a private non-profit Chilean university that delivers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and continuing education programs across seven faculties through four study modalities (Jornada Diurna, Jornada Vespertina, Programa Executive, and Executive Online). It operates eight campuses in Santiago, Viña del Mar, and Concepción, supported by Blackboard LMS, Office 365, and an analytical academic platform, serving over 33,000 students with institutional accreditation from the Comisión Nacional de Acreditación.

Product overview

Universidad de Las Américas (UDLA) is a private university offering a comprehensive higher education portfolio across three campuses in Santiago, Viña del Mar, and Concepción. The institution provides undergraduate programs through four study regimes: Jornada Diurna (traditional daytime), Jornada Vespertina (evening), Executive (in-person for working adults), and Executive Online (online for working adults). Graduate offerings include MBAs, specialized master's programs, and doctoral programs in sustainability. UDLA operates through seven faculties (Architecture, Communications and Arts, Law, Education, Engineering and Business, Veterinary Medicine and Agronomy, Health and Social Sciences) plus specialized institutes (Sports, English, Mathematics/Physics/Statistics, Natural Sciences). Student services include Blackboard LMS, Office 365, SIAE student support system, professional development platform, and the LAGM Chile municipal analytics research project.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Jornada Diurna (Day Programs)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 74% of students receive scholarships or government tuition support
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ilustre Municipalidad de VallenarcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2026First convenio de Vinculación con el Medio signed between Faculty of Engineering and Business and the municipality, focused on the LAGM Chile (Laboratorio de Analítica para la Gestión Municipal) project. Agreement includes workshops, training, technical assistance, and student/academic collaboration on municipal data analytics solutions.
• Universidad Internacional de La Rioja (UNIR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Convenio signed in June 2026 to strengthen academic cooperation, promote knowledge exchange, joint initiatives, and new training opportunities for academics and staff between the two institutions.
• INTA Universidad de ChilecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in genomic selection project for cherry varieties, contributing specialized expertise in food nutrition and technology from Instituto de Nutrición y Tecnología de los Alimentos.
• INIA (Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating research institution in agricultural genomics project bringing expertise in agricultural research and development.
• BiofrutalesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner contributing to validation of genomic selection technology in real production conditions within the cherry breeding project.
• Agrícola GarcésminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCherry producer participating in genomic selection research project, providing real-world validation environment for new breeding approaches.
• Viveros BiotecniaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNursery partner contributing to cherry genomics project with expertise in plant propagation and biotechnology applications.
• Centro Universitario Belas Artes de São PaulominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational academic collaboration partner hosting joint activities including 12-hour animation rally, promoting cross-cultural educational exchange.
• Ilustre Municipalidad de PeñaloléncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing community partnership hosting community schools at Campus Providencia's Edificio H, including Schools for Social Leadership, Integral School for Seniors, Caregivers School, and Health and Wellbeing School for People with Disabilities.
• Colegio Médico Veterinario de ChileminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association represented at FAVA 2026 inauguration activities, representing veterinary professionals nationally.
• AFEVET (Asociación de Facultades y Escuelas de Ciencias Veterinarias de Chile)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation of veterinary schools represented by President Daniela Siel at FAVA academic inauguration, strengthening sector coordination.
• Laureate International UniversitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcquired in 2000, enabling dual-degree programs and strengthened international ties, expanding educational offerings and global connectivity for UDLA.
• Fundación Educación y CulturacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent foundation since September 2020, overseeing UDLA as part of a broader educational mission and corporate governance structure.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• Universidad de Chile: Chile's largest and oldest public university with comprehensive undergraduate and graduate programs. Comparable as a major Chilean higher education institution, though publicly funded and traditionally higher-ranked than UDLA.
• Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile: Chile's top-ranked university and one of Latin America's leading institutions. Comparable as a major Chilean university competing for high-performing students, though at a significantly higher prestige tier and with a broader research mission than UDLA.

Direct peers

• Universidad Andrés Bello (UNAB): Chilean private multi-campus university with similar scale and student demographics, also formerly part of Laureate's network. Directly comparable as a fellow large Chilean private university with similar modality offerings, transition history, and competitive positioning.
• Universidad del Desarrollo (UDD): Chilean private multi-campus university with undergraduate and graduate programs across multiple regions. Comparable as a private Chilean university with similar program diversity, scale, and student demographic targeting.
• INACAP: Chile's largest technical training institution, offering technical and professional programs across multiple campuses nationwide. Comparable as a major Chilean technical education provider serving similar working-adult and entry-level student segments.
• Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez (UAI): Chilean private university with multiple campuses and strong programs in business, engineering, and liberal arts. Comparable as a private Chilean university with similar scale and premium program positioning.
• Universidad Mayor: Chilean private multi-campus university offering undergraduate and graduate programs across several regions. Comparable as a private Chilean university competing for similar student segments with overlapping program offerings.
• Duoc UC: Chilean technical-professional institute affiliated with Pontificia Universidad Católica, offering similar technical and professional programs across multiple campuses. Comparable as a Chilean private education provider competing for similar student segments.
• Universidad Autónoma de Chile: Chilean private multi-campus university with undergraduate and graduate programs across multiple regions. Comparable as a private Chilean university with similar geographic presence, modality mix, and student demographic.
• Universidad Santo Tomás: Chilean private university with multiple campuses offering undergraduate and graduate programs nationwide. Comparable as a multi-campus private institution serving similar student demographics with vocational and professional program mixes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCayQERPibfkKXoHljeda2VQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/udla
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/universidad-de-las-americas
• Instagraminstagram.com/udlachile

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 University of the Americas (CL)