Corporación Universitaria CENDA

What Corporación Universitaria CENDA does

Corporación Universitaria CENDA is a private Colombian higher education institution founded in August 1976 and headquartered in Bogotá. With approximately 101 employees, it operates three physical campuses in Bogotá (main campus on Av. Caracas, a physical education campus on Calle 62, and a dance campus on Calle 24 A) and serves individual undergraduate and graduate students through 7+ undergraduate programs (including Creación Escénica, Danza y Dirección Coreográfica, Ingeniería Administrativa, Trabajo Social, Marketing y Negocios Digitales, Licenciatura en Educación Física, Recreación y Deportes, and Maestro en Artes Visuales) and 4 graduate specializations (Deporte y Desarrollo Social, Infancias y Juventudes, Gerencia Social, and Prácticas de Movimiento Expandidas). All programs hold MEN (Ministerio de Educación Nacional) qualified registrations under 7-year cycles. The institution differentiates through a niche arts-and-social-sciences program mix, including what it identifies as the only Administrative Engineering program in Bogotá.

The technology stack is conventional for the sector: a proprietary Campus Virtual CENDA learning management system for online content delivery, the third-party Q10 academic management platform for enrollment and grades, and Google Workspace for institutional email. Distribution combines on-campus instruction, virtual/distance learning modalities, and interlibrary cooperation agreements with more than 30 Colombian universities (notably Javeriana, Santo Tomás, and Universidad Pedagógica Nacional), supplemented by an international exchange partnership with Universidad Católica del Perú. The Q10 pre-registration system handles bottom-of-funnel admissions, while WhatsApp and direct admissions teams staff mid-funnel engagement.

The revenue model is straightforward tuition-based: semester fees across undergraduate and graduate programs, supplemented by one-time enrollment and administrative fees. Affordability mechanisms are central to the go-to-market, including the in-house Crédito Directo CENDA (interest-free 4-month installment plans), partnerships with ICETEX, Colsubsidio, and Cooperativa Comuna for student financing, and a 20% alumni loyalty discount that extends to children and grandchildren. Customer segments are horizontally structured across traditional undergraduates (primary), working adults seeking accelerated professionalization routes, and graduate professionals. Marketing relies on the institutional website, WhatsApp, a student referral program, and bimonthly alumni newsletters (NotipsCenda, Egresados).

Name

Corporación Universitaria CENDA

Legal name

Corporación Universitaria CENDA

Website

https://cenda.edu.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Corporación Universitaria CENDA is a private Colombian higher education institution founded in 1976, headquartered in Bogotá, offering SNIES-registered undergraduate and graduate programs in arts, social sciences, business, and education across three campuses and a virtual learning platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bogotá

HQ country

Colombia

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition Revenue: Semester-based tuition fees from undergraduate and graduate programs. Financial assistance available through direct credit programs, government loans (ICETEX), and partner financing organizations.
2. Registration and Administrative Fees: One-time fees for enrollment, course enrollment, and administrative services such as transcripts and certifications

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Corporación Universitaria CENDA is a private higher education institution founded in August 1976 in Bogotá, Colombia, with 101 employees operating multiple campuses in the city. It sells undergraduate (Pregrado) and graduate (Posgrado) academic programs spanning arts, social sciences, engineering, business, and education, delivered through both on-campus and virtual modalities powered by the Campus Virtual CENDA platform. The institution also offers a direct in-house financing product (Crédito Directo CENDA) to support enrollment.

Product overview

Corporación Universitaria CENDA is a private higher education institution in Colombia with 48 years of experience offering a comprehensive portfolio of undergraduate and graduate programs. The institution operates as a unified educational service provider with multiple academic programs spanning arts (Creación Escénica, Danza y Dirección Coreográfica, Maestro en Artes Visuales), social sciences (Trabajo Social), engineering (Ingeniería Administrativa), business (Marketing y Negocios Digitales), and education (Licenciatura en Educación Física). Graduate offerings include specializations in sports and social development, childhood and youth, social management, and expanded movement practices. Supporting infrastructure includes a Virtual Campus platform, Q10 academic management system, direct financing options (Crédito Directo CENDA), and extensive library services with inter-institutional agreements. The institution is headquartered in Bogotá with multiple campuses and maintains academic partnerships for research and student exchange.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pregrado en Creación Escénica
• Pregrado en Danza y Dirección Coreográfica
• Pregrado en Ingeniería Administrativa
• Pregrado en Trabajo Social
• Pregrado en Marketing y Negocios Digitales
• Licenciatura en Educación Física, Recreación y Deportes
• Especialización en Deporte y Desarrollo Social
• Especialización en Infancias y Juventudes
• Especialización en Gerencia Social
• Especialización en Prácticas de Movimiento Expandidas
• Crédito Directo CENDA

Quantifiable outcome

• 20% tuition discount for alumni and their family members demonstrating loyalty program effectiveness
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• British Columbia Education GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnership focused on interdisciplinary academic processes that strengthen educational quality and institutional management. The collaboration creates unique experiences for students through joint programs and academic exchanges.
• Universidad Incca de ColombiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partnership with a university known for transversal and interdisciplinary education. Promotes critical thinking and student autonomy through philosophical components in their curriculum.
• Wall Street EnglishminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEnglish language training partnership offering immersive learning experiences with qualified teachers and a proven method for language acquisition, providing students with international communication skills.
• SENAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical education partnership with Colombia's National Learning Service, providing vocational training opportunities and skills development for students.
• ICBF (Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Colombia's family welfare institute supporting child welfare programs and social development initiatives that benefit student practical training.
• INPEC (Instituto Nacional Penitencio y Carcelario)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorrectional institution partnership providing practicum opportunities for students in social work and related programs.
• Pontificia Universidad JaverianacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterlibrary partnership allowing students and faculty access to Javeriana's extensive academic resources and research collections.
• Universidad Santo TomáscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterlibrary cooperation enabling shared access to academic databases, journals, and research materials between institutions.
• Universidad Pedagógica NacionalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership including interlibrary services and collaborative research projects in education and pedagogy, including joint publications with the Grupo Urdimbres research group.
• Universidad Católica del PerúminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational exchange partnership enabling student mobility between Colombian and Peruvian higher education institutions, expanding regional academic networks.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Fundación Universitaria Los Libertadores: A Bogotá-based private university with comparable offerings in education, social sciences, and business. Operates at a similar scale with similar reliance on tuition revenue and Bogotá-centric geography.
• Universidad Sergio Arboleda: A Bogotá-based private university focused on business, law, and social sciences with similar scale and program orientation to CENDA. Comparable in targeting similar student segments in the Bogotá private higher-education market.
• Politécnico Grancolombiano: One of the largest private universities in Colombia with a strong online and continuing-education presence. Comparable to CENDA in offering affordable professional undergraduate programs, but at materially greater scale and geographic reach.
• Universidad Pedagógica Nacional: A Colombian public university specializing in education and pedagogy, a strategic CENDA partner. Comparable because both institutions focus on teacher training, pedagogy research (Urdimbres group), and inter-library cooperation.
• Universidad INCCA de Colombia: A private Colombian university with a similarly sized multi-campus footprint in Bogotá and an interdisciplinary, social-sciences-oriented portfolio. Directly comparable because CENDA lists INCCA as a strategic partner and the two institutions operate at similar scale and orientation.
• Corporación Universitaria Iberoamericana: A Bogotá-based private higher-education institution of similar scale to CENDA, focused on professional undergraduate and specialization programs. Directly comparable on size, location, and program mix.

Broad incumbents

• Universidad Minuto de Dios (UNIMINUTO): A large private Colombian university system with national reach and a similar social-development mission focus. CENDA partners with UNIMINUTO through inter-library agreements and competes for the same working-adult and lower-income student segments.
• Pontificia Universidad Javeriana: A top-tier Colombian private university and CENDA's inter-library partner. Comparable as a benchmark for the upper end of the Colombian private higher-education market that CENDA's partnership network orbits around.
• Universidad Santo Tomás: A large private Colombian university with a multi-campus presence and an inter-library agreement with CENDA. Comparable as a major private competitor and partner operating in Bogotá across similar professional disciplines.

Others

• SENA (Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje): Colombia's national technical and vocational training institution and a CENDA strategic partner. Related via the technical-education ecosystem and credit-transfer pathways feeding into CENDA's professionalization routes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/corporaci-n-universitaria-cenda

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 Corporación Universitaria CENDA