Faculdade Católica Paulista

What Faculdade Católica Paulista does

Faculdade Católica Paulista (UCA) is a private Catholic higher education institution headquartered in Marília, São Paulo, Brazil, maintained by the nonprofit Associação Educacional Latino Americana. The institution delivers undergraduate and postgraduate programs across three teaching modalities — presencial (on-campus), EAD (distance learning), and semipresencial (blended) — spanning more than 30 undergraduate courses in fields including administration, law, engineering, health sciences, humanities, and technology, alongside dozens of postgraduate specializations and MBAs. Its core technology infrastructure comprises the AVA Ellia Educ virtual learning environment for online course delivery, a student portal for academic and enrollment services, the Vestibular UCA entrance exam platform, and a digital diploma service compliant with Brazil's ICP-Brasil federal signature standards.

The business model is a recurring tuition subscription: students pay monthly fees that vary by course and modality, with disclosed pricing ranging from approximately R$49.90/month for introductory EAD theology courses to R$599.90/month for in-person programs such as law, with scholarship and promotional pricing structures applied selectively (e.g., 50% psychology scholarship). Revenue is generated from a distributed base of individual undergraduate and graduate students, with EAD students sourced nationally via the online vestibular funnel and presencial students drawn from the Marília-SP regional catchment. The institution holds MEC (Ministry of Education) accreditation with quality indicators reported between 4.0 and 5.0, and positions itself on a Catholic values-based educational mission differentiating it from secular competitors.

The go-to-market is sales-led, relying on entrance exam campaigns, digital marketing channels (institutional website, dedicated vestibular portal, WhatsApp), and student referrals to drive enrollment. Student support services — including a psychology clinic, ombudsman, library, and career services — are part of the campus experience. The institution does not disclose revenue, enrollment figures, headcount trends, or funding, and no M&A activity, strategic partnerships, or AI/ML capabilities are evident from the available data.

Name

Faculdade Católica Paulista

Legal name

Associação Educacional Latino Americana

Website

https://uca.edu.br

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Faculdade Católica Paulista (UCA) is a private Catholic higher education institution in Marília, São Paulo, Brazil, offering 30+ undergraduate and postgraduate programs across in-person, distance learning, and blended modalities to students regionally and nationally.

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

Transfer/University-Parallel Community Colleges (EDAHADAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

University/College Continuing Education (Extension) Programs (EDAAAEAA)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Distance learning courses
• Graduate specializations
• Catholic university education

Headquarters

HQ city

Marília, São Paulo

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Course Fees: Monthly tuition payments from undergraduate and graduate students. Students pay monthly fees for their programs, with pricing varying by course and modality (EAD, presencial, semipresencial).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Faculdade Católica Paulista (UCA) is a private Catholic higher education institution offering more than 30 undergraduate degree programs and numerous postgraduate specializations across three modalities: presencial (on-campus), EAD (distance learning), and semipresencial (blended). Its core offerings are delivered through the Marília-SP campus and the AVA Ellia Educ online learning platform, supported by a digital diploma system compliant with Brazilian ICP-Brasil standards.

Product overview

Faculdade Católica Paulista (UCA) is an educational institution offering a comprehensive portfolio of undergraduate and graduate programs across three teaching modalities: presencial (in-person), EAD (distance learning), and semipresencial (blended). The institution provides over 30 undergraduate programs including bachelor's degrees, technology degrees (tecnólogo), and teaching degrees (licenciatura), complemented by dozens of specialization and MBA programs at the graduate level. The core product ecosystem includes the AVA Ellia Educ virtual learning environment for online course delivery, the Portal do Aluno for student academic services, the Vestibular UCA entrance examination system, and a digital diploma service compliant with Brazilian ICP-Brasil standards. The institution serves students from Marília, São Paulo and nationwide through distance learning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Graduação (Undergraduate Programs) Undergraduate degree programs (bachelor's degrees, technology degrees/tecnólogo, and teaching degrees/licenciatura) offered in presencial, EAD, and semipresencial modalities across more than 30 fields. Targeted at students seeking higher education credentials.
• Pós-Graduação (Graduate Programs) Specialization and MBA programs for continuing education, offered primarily in EAD modality, covering areas such as education, management, public administration, and specialized education. Targeted at working professionals seeking career advancement.
• AVA Ellia Educ (Virtual Learning Environment) Online learning management system (Ambiente Virtual de Aprendizagem) used to deliver EAD and blended learning courses to students nationwide. Serves enrolled students as the platform for coursework delivery.
• Diploma Digital (Digital Diploma) Digital diploma service using XML format with digital signatures via the ICP-Brasil infrastructure, allowing graduates to access, share, and validate their academic credentials electronically.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Estácio: One of Brazil's largest listed higher-education groups (now part of Yduqs) operating hundreds of campuses and a national EAD platform. Overlaps with UCA on modality, program breadth, and audience, but at substantially larger scale and brand recognition.

Others

• Moodle (open-source LMS): Open-source learning management system widely used by Brazilian higher-education institutions for EAD delivery. Relevant as an enabling/infrastructure peer to UCA's AVA Ellia Educ platform; not a competitor but a potential alternative or benchmarking reference for digital learning capability.

Regional players

• Faculdade Unimes (Universidade Metropolitana de Santos): Regional São Paulo/Baixada Santista faculdade with presencial and EAD programs. Comparable to UCA in mid-sized regional positioning, multi-modality delivery, and monthly tuition subscription model.
• Centro Universitário UniCuritiba: Regional Brazilian centro universitário offering undergraduate and graduate programs in presencial, semipresencial, and EAD modalities. Comparable to UCA on modality mix and program breadth, though focused on the Curitiba market.

Direct peers

• FACHA (Faculdades Integradas Hélio Alonso): Private faculdade in Rio de Janeiro offering undergraduate and graduate programs across multiple modalities. Comparable to UCA on institution type, modality diversification, and reliance on subscription-based tuition revenue.
• Universidade Anhanguera (UNIDERP / Kroton): Large Brazilian higher-education network with extensive presencial and EAD offerings across multiple states. Directly comparable to UCA in modality mix (on-campus + distance), portfolio breadth, and subscription tuition model, but at materially greater national scale.
• Uninter: Pure-play EAD-focused faculdade with national reach across undergraduate and graduate programs. Comparable to UCA's EAD modality, recurring monthly tuition pricing, and reliance on distance-learning infrastructure for scalable enrollment.
• Unicesumar: Brazilian higher-education institution with strong EAD presence and on-campus operations in Maringá (PR). Closely comparable to UCA in offering undergraduate and graduate programs across multiple modalities and serving nationwide EAD students.
• Universidade São Judas: Catholic-affiliated São Paulo higher-education institution with strong presencial footprint and growing EAD. Comparable to UCA on values-based Catholic mission, multi-modality offerings, and São Paulo regional presence.
• FMU / UniFMU: São Paulo-based faculdade offering undergraduate and graduate programs in presencial and EAD modalities. Comparable to UCA in regional São Paulo presence, Catholic-affiliated heritage, and broad program portfolio across professional and humanities fields.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/faculdade-catolica-paulista

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 Faculdade Católica Paulista