What UPV does

Universidad del País Vasco / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU) is a public research university established by Royal Order of 25 February 1980 and headquartered in Leioa, Bizkaia, in Spain's Basque Country. The university operates across three regional campuses — Álava (Vitoria-Gasteiz), Bizkaia (Leioa), and Gipuzkoa (Donostia/San Sebastián) — and serves a student population exceeding 40,000 across 20 faculties and schools. Its academic portfolio comprises 108 undergraduate degrees, 131 master's programs, and 67 doctoral programs, supplemented by digital learning infrastructure (EHUduala virtual learning environment, eCampus digital portal, nireEHU student portal) and administrative services including the Egoitza Elektronikoa electronic headquarters and the International Welcome Centre.

UPV/EHU is publicly funded by the Basque Government (Eusko Jaurlaritza) under Basque public law rather than operating as a commercial enterprise. Its revenue model is therefore budget-driven: government appropriations supplemented by modest tuition for public degree programs and selective fees for specialized services. Go-to-market is essentially regional recruitment through centralized Spanish university admissions (EBAU/EvAU scores) for undergraduates, augmented by international recruitment, mobility programs through alliances such as ENLIGHT and the Euskampus Bordeaux cross-border campus, and a portfolio of continuing-education products including university microcredentials, summer courses (UIK), and the Aulas de la Experiencia senior learning program.

The institution is led by Rector Joxerramon Bengoetxea Caballero (elected 2024 with 63.85% of weighted votes) and a management team of vice-rectors overseeing the three campuses, research, postgraduate and lifelong learning, digital transformation, transfer, internationalization, language planning, and institutional relations. UPV/EHU is ranked 301-400 globally by the Shanghai Ranking (ARWU) and 358th by the NTU Ranking, and maintains international partnerships spanning Boise State University, Hiroshima University (peace network), the Latin American postgraduate network, and the Atlantic Arc University Network (CRUSOE). Applied research is supported through SGIker shared infrastructure and the EHUrOPE International R&D Office, with technology-transfer activity channeled via the Euskampus Foundation.

Name

UPV

Legal name

Universidad del País Vasco - Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea

Website

https://ehu.es

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Public research university in Spain's Basque Country serving 40,000+ students across three campuses with 108 undergraduate, 131 master's, and 67 doctoral programs. Funded by the Basque Government, UPV/EHU ranks 301-400 globally per ARWU and 358 per NTU.

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 Divisions of Traditional Universities (Hybrid/Extension) (EDAHALAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Online/Hybrid Lifelong Learning Platforms & Open Enrollment Programs (EDAAAEAL)

Keywords

• Higher education
• Public university
• Academic programs
• Doctoral research
• Continuing education

Headquarters

HQ city

Leioa

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

UPV/EHU is a public university offering higher education across three campuses in the Basque Country. It delivers 108 undergraduate degrees, 131 master's programs, and 67 doctoral programs through 20 faculties and schools. The institution supplements on-campus teaching with digital learning platforms (EHUduala, eCampus) and provides research, library, alumni, and international student support services.

Product overview

UPV/EHU operates as a comprehensive public university system offering a multi-campus, multi-modal educational portfolio. The institution provides 108 undergraduate degrees, 131 master's programs, and 67 doctoral programs across 20 faculties and schools in the Basque Country. Core academic products include traditional on-campus programs complemented by digital learning platforms such as EHUduala (virtual learning environment) and eCampus (digital campus portal). The university also offers microcredentials for professional development, summer courses through UIK, and specialized programs for seniors through Aulas de la Experiencia. Student and research support services include the University Library system across three campuses, EHUalumni alumni network, the International Welcome Centre for foreign students, SGIker research services, and the nireEHU student portal. The EHUrOPE office supports international R&D project funding. The institution is ranked among the top 400 universities worldwide according to the Shanghai Ranking (ARWU).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grados (Undergraduate Degrees)
• Másteres Universitarios (Master's Degrees)
• Programas de Doctorado (Doctoral Programs)
• Microcredenciales Universitarias (University Microcredentials)
• Cursos de Verano (Summer Courses)
• Aulas de la Experiencia
• EHUduala
• eCampus
• Biblioteca Universitaria (University Library)
• SGIker - Servicios Generales de Investigación
• EHUalumni
• International Welcome Centre
• EHUrOPE - Oficina de I+D Internacional

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked among top 400 universities globally in Shanghai Ranking (ARWU)
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Iparragirre Eraikuntza LanakminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 July 2026Partnership to establish the 'Aula para la Aceleración de la Construcción Industrializada EHU–Iparragirre', a new space for training, applied research, and knowledge transfer in industrialized construction.
• ENLIGHTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean university alliance focused on quality education, research collaboration, and student mobility across partner institutions in Europe.
• Campus transfronterizo (Euskampus Bordeaux)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-border campus collaboration with University of Bordeaux, promoting academic exchange and joint research programs between Basque Country and Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.
• Campus Transoceánico (Boise State University)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTransoceanic campus partnership with Boise State University, fostering international academic cooperation between Spain and the United States.
• Red latinoamericana de posgradominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLatin American postgraduate network connecting universities across Latin America for joint programs and research collaboration.
• Red de universidades por la pazminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of universities committed to peace, including partnership with Hiroshima University, promoting peace studies and nuclear disarmament research.
• Red de universidades del Arco Atlántico (CRUSOE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAtlantic Arc University Network connecting universities across the Atlantic coast of Europe for collaboration and knowledge sharing.
• Euskampus FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation supporting university-business collaboration, promoting innovation, transfer, and entrepreneurship in the Basque Country ecosystem.
• EHUrOPE - Oficina de I+D InternacionalcoreTechnology or IntegrationInternational R&D office facilitating European research projects, Horizon Europe collaborations, and international research partnerships.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Universidad Autónoma de Madrid: Spanish public university with similar scale of undergraduate and graduate programs and a comparable research-intensive profile. Operates as a public institution with multi-campus structure and government funding analogous to UPV/EHU.
• Boise State University: US public university and explicit transoceanic partner of UPV/EHU. Comparable in size and public funding model; provides a benchmark for evaluating the strategic value of the transoceanic partnership for international student flows and joint programming.
• University of Groningen: Dutch public research university and ENLIGHT alliance partner. Comparable as a comprehensive European public university of similar scale, providing a relevant benchmark for ENLIGHT-driven research collaboration and student-mobility economics.
• Universitat Pompeu Fabra: Catalan public university with comparable size, strong research focus, and a regional cultural-language mandate (Catalan/Spanish/English) closely parallel to UPV/EHU's Basque/Spanish/English positioning. Useful peer for benchmarking research output and digital learning strategy.
• Uppsala University: Swedish public research university and ENLIGHT alliance partner. Comparable as a public, research-intensive European university and a direct benchmark for the kind of international mobility, joint-degree, and Horizon Europe participation UPV/EHU is pursuing through ENLIGHT.
• Universidad de Barcelona: Large Spanish public university offering a comparable mix of undergraduate, master's and doctoral programs across multiple campuses with strong research output. Closely comparable in public-funding model, trilingual regional context (Catalan/Spanish/English), and comprehensive program portfolio.
• Universidad Politécnica de Madrid: Spanish public technical university offering engineering and applied science programs at scale. Comparable in public funding structure and Spanish higher education context, with stronger technical/engineering focus that complements UPV/EHU's broader portfolio.
• University of Bordeaux: French public university and explicit cross-border partner via the Euskampus Bordeaux campus. Comparable in scale, comprehensive program offering, and public funding model; particularly relevant for evaluating the value of the cross-border partnership.

Broad incumbents

• Universidad de Navarra: Spanish private university operating in the same geographic and competitive market as UPV/EHU. Useful peer for contrasting public versus private funding models, tuition diversification, and how each institution captures the Basque/Northern Spain student market.
• Universidad Complutense de Madrid: Spain's largest public university with a much broader program portfolio and historical brand. Comparable in public funding model and academic depth, but materially larger and more internationally established than UPV/EHU.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ehunibertsitatea
• Facebookfacebook.com/ehunibertsitatea
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/upvehu
• Instagraminstagram.com/ehu.eus
• TikToktiktok.com/@ehu.eus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 UPV