Univeristé Franco-Américaine (UFA)

What Univeristé Franco-Américaine (UFA) does

Université Franco-Américaine (UFA) is a private, bilingual (English/French) university founded on July 18, 1995, operating through a two-branch structure: UFA On-Campus (traditional programs at its main campus in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo) and UFA Online (a Moodle-based distance learning platform functional since January 2018). The institution offers Bachelor's, Master's, and doctoral programs across Business Administration, Computer Science & IT, Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, Mining, Petroleum & Gas), Medicine (a 7-year MD), Nursing, and Biomedical Sciences, with the platform supporting English, French, and Portuguese instruction. Regional information desks and admissions offices are maintained in Cambridge, Massachusetts (US/North America); Ghent, Belgium (Europe); Kinshasa, DRC (Southern and Eastern Africa); and Dakar, Senegal (Western Africa).

The university's core technology is the Moodle LMS, which delivers asynchronous courses with communication, collaboration, and evaluation tools, allowing students to study without relocating. UFA's business model is tuition-driven: $1,500 per year for online Bachelor's programs and $1,800 per year for online Master's programs, payable in three installments, supplemented by application, transcript, repeat-course, and graduation fees. Payment infrastructure is tailored to its core African market, including RAWBANK branch deposits in DRC, USD wire transfers, and credit card processing via a Secure Acceptance portal. With only 13 employees supporting 5,000+ registered students, the institution relies on volunteer professors and a lean operating model. The customer base is composed of individual consumers — primarily working professionals seeking flexible credentialing and African/Francophone students priced out of Western accredited alternatives.

Name

Univeristé Franco-Américaine (UFA)

Legal name

French American University / Université Franco-Américaine (UFA)

Website

https://french-american.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Private bilingual (English/French) university founded in 1995 offering accredited online (Moodle-based) and on-campus Bachelor's, Master's, and doctoral programs in Business, Computer Science, Engineering, Medicine, and Nursing to working professionals and African/Francophone students, with operations across the US, DRC, Belgium, and Senegal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Online International & Cross-Border Universities (Global/Transnational Providers) (EDAHALAL), Online Healthcare & Nursing Universities (Allied Health, RN-to-BSN, etc.) (EDAHALAF)

Keywords

• Distance higher education
• Online university programs
• Business administration degrees
• Engineering graduate programs
• Bilingual higher education

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees - Undergraduate Programs: Online Bachelor's degree programs charged at $1,500 per year, payable in full upon enrollment or in three installments of $500 each.
2. Tuition Fees - Graduate Programs: Online Master's degree programs charged at $1,800 per year, payable in three installments of $600 each.
3. Application and Administrative Fees: Non-refundable application fee ($100 for apply online, $65 standard), transcript fees ($20), repeating course fees ($165), repeating exam fees ($50), and graduation fees ($150).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

UFA is a private bilingual (English/French) university that delivers accredited Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD degree programs through two channels: an asynchronous online distance-learning platform (UFA Online, powered by Moodle) and on-campus instruction at its Kinshasa, DRC campus. Programs span Business Administration, Computer Science, Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, Mining, Petroleum & Gas), Medicine, and Nursing, with annual tuition of $1,500 for Bachelor's and $1,800 for Master's degree levels.

Product overview

UFA operates as a bilingual (English/French) university offering two delivery modes: UFA Online (distance education via Moodle) and UFA On-Campus (traditional in-person programs in Kinshasa, DRC). The portfolio includes Bachelor and Master degrees across Business Administration (with concentrations in Accounting, Finance, Marketing, International Management), Computer Science & IT (covering Software Engineering, Web Development, Networking), and Engineering disciplines (Electrical, Mechanical, Mining, Petroleum & Gas). Medical programs include a 7-year Doctor of Medicine and Nursing. Language courses support student preparation. The institution also offers volunteer professor positions to expand access to higher education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• UFA Online (distance-learning platform)

Segments4 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

AI capability2 records

Feature1 record

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• edX (2U): edX, now part of 2U, partners with top universities to deliver massive open online courses and full degree programs globally. Relevant as a broad incumbent offering degree pathways that compete for the same global online higher-education demand UFA targets.
• Western Governors University (WGU): WGU is a large, US-accredited, online-first university serving tens of thousands of working adults with competency-based degree programs. Comparable as an online-first, affordable model serving adult learners, though at significantly larger scale than UFA.

Direct peers

• Universidad Internacional Iberoamericana (UNINI): UNINI is a Spanish-language online university serving Latin American and international students with affordable degree programs. Comparable to UFA as a bilingual/international online-first university targeting emerging-market students with similar cost positioning.
• Universidad Azteca: Universidad Azteca is a Mexican online/distance learning university offering bilingual programs to students across Latin America and internationally. Comparable to UFA as a bilingual, online-first, internationally-recruited private university serving emerging-market students.
• African Leadership University (ALU): ALU operates pan-African campuses (Mauritius, Rwanda) and online programs targeting African students with leadership-focused, affordable degree programs. Comparable as a Pan-African higher-education provider addressing similar student segments as UFA.
• Atlantic International University (AIU): AIU is a distance-learning university offering Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral programs via online delivery to a global student base. Highly comparable to UFA's Moodle-based online degree delivery and international reach, including Africa.
• UNICAF University: UNICAF is one of the largest online/distance learning university networks in Africa, partnering with UK and US universities to deliver affordable degree programs to African students. Highly comparable to UFA's online-first, Africa-focused, low-tuition model with multi-country presence.
• Nexford University: Nexford is an online, affordable, US-licensed university targeting working professionals globally with business and technology degrees. Closely comparable to UFA's asynchronous online format, working-professional segment, and global delivery model.
• University of the People: UoPeople is a tuition-free, accredited online university serving global students including many in Africa, offering degrees in Business Administration, Computer Science, and Health Science. Direct overlap with UFA's online-first, low-cost, international student model.

Regional players

• Kepler College: Kepler delivers affordable higher-education programs in Kigali, Rwanda, with a US-credentialed partner institution, targeting East African students. Comparable as an affordable, Africa-focused higher-education provider with STEM and business programs similar to UFA's portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ufaonline
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCa2JrNCG408apAP4GutGvMg
• Facebookweb.facebook.com/Universit%C3%A9-Franco-Am%C3%A9ricaine-UFA-Online-141642033181776
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/univerist%C3%A9-franco-am%C3%A9ricaine-ufa
• Instagraminstagram.com/ufaonline07

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Univeristé Franco-Américaine (UFA)