Universidad de Investigación y Desarrollo - UDI

What Universidad de Investigación y Desarrollo - UDI does

Universidad de Investigación y Desarrollo - UDI is a private higher-education institution headquartered in Bucaramanga, Santander, Colombia. Founded in 1985 under Personería Jurídica No. 22195 and formally recognized as a university by the Ministerio de Educación Nacional through Resolution 15422 on August 3, 2017, UDI operates four distribution nodes: a main campus in Bucaramanga (Calle 9 No. 23-55), regional campuses in Barrancabermeja and San Gil, and the UDI Virtual online platform. It serves traditional undergraduate students, graduate students, and distance learners through programs in systems, industrial, electronic, and civil engineering, psychology, law, business administration, and education.

The university's core technology stack centers on UDI Virtual (an online degree platform), the SINU academic management system (enrollment, grades, records), and standard synchronous tools (Google Meet, Zoom) for live classes. Adjacent service units include CIAC (aviation training), UDIRadio, the Consultorio Jurídico legal clinic, the Centro de Conciliación mediation center, the Centro de Desarrollo Organizacional (CDEO) for corporate consulting, the Pre-ICFES test-prep program, and a Diplomado en Docencia Virtual for educator training. Outreach runs through Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, TikTok, UDIRadio, WhatsApp, and Zoom-based virtual events.

UDI generates revenue primarily through tuition (per program, per semester — specific pricing is not publicly disclosed), with supplementary income from continuing-education programs and corporate services via CDEO. The institution is independently owned with no parent company, private equity, or venture capital backing disclosed in the source material, and operates under MINEDUCACIÓN regulatory oversight. Reported headcount is 602 employees.

Name

Universidad de Investigación y Desarrollo - UDI

Legal name

Universidad de Investigación y Desarrollo - UDI

Website

https://udi.edu.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Online For-Profit Career Universities (EDAHALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Online Nonprofit Universities (EDAHALAK)

Keywords

• Higher education programs
• Professional degree programs
• Virtual university education
• Graduate academic programs
• Continuing education services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bucaramanga, Santander

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Universidad de Investigación y Desarrollo (UDI) is a private higher education institution that sells undergraduate (pregrado) and graduate (posgrado) academic programs—including bachelor's degrees in systems, industrial, electronic, and civil engineering, psychology, law, business administration, and education—delivered across three physical campuses (Bucaramanga, Barrancabermeja, San Gil) and its UDI Virtual online platform, supplemented by continuing education diplomas and specialized service units. Revenue is generated primarily through semester-based tuition fees for enrolled students.

Product overview

Universidad de Investigación y Desarrollo - UDI is a private university in Bucaramanga, Colombia, operating a multi-campus physical and virtual education platform. The institution offers undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education programs across multiple campuses (Bucaramanga, Barrancabermeja, San Gil) and via its UDI Virtual online platform. Core offerings include professional degree programs in engineering (Systems, Industrial, Electronics, Civil), psychology, law, business administration, and education. The university supplements its academic programs with specialized units including CIAC (aviation training), UDIRadio, legal and mediation clinics, the SINU academic management system, and digital student services (digital ID, certificate requests, grade calculators). UDI Virtual extends access to remote learners through online degree programs and virtual course delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• UDIVirtual: Virtual campus for online education programs
• Centro de Instrucción Aeronáutica de la UDI (CIAC)
• UDIRadio

Products and services

• UDI Virtual (Educación Virtual) Virtual education platform offering online degree programs (undergraduate and graduate) and short courses for students who cannot attend in-person classes, with virtual programs in Administration, Law, Psychology, International Business, and Education.
• Centro de Instrucción Aeronáutica de la UDI (CIAC) Aviation training center providing specialized instruction in aeronautics, operating as a specialized unit of the university for aspiring pilots and aviation professionals.
• Pre ICFES UDI Test preparation program for high school students and prospective students preparing for the ICFES standardized exam required for university admission in Colombia, offered in Bucaramanga and regional campuses.
• Consultorio Jurídico UDI Free legal clinic providing supervised legal services to the community while training UDI law students in practical legal practice.
• Centro de Conciliación UDI Mediation and conflict resolution center offering alternative dispute resolution services to the community as part of UDI's practical training and outreach.
• UDIRadio University radio station providing broadcasting content and educational media services for the UDI community and broader Santander audience.
• Diplomado en Docencia Virtual Professional development diploma program training educators in virtual teaching methodologies and online education best practices, with an enrollment form available on the UDI website.
• Centro de Desarrollo Organizacional - CDEO Organizational development center providing consulting and training services to businesses and organizations as part of UDI's social outreach and continuing education portfolio.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SmartFitminorOthersGym and fitness partnership providing health and wellness benefits to UDI students. Part of student benefits and wellbeing services.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Universidad Sergio Arboleda: Private Colombian university with a strong virtual education arm (USA Virtual) competing for online undergraduate and graduate students nationally — closely parallel to UDI Virtual's model.
• Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana (UPB): Large Colombian private university with multiple regional campuses and a strong virtual education platform. Competes with UDI for online and traditional students across undergraduate and graduate programs in Colombia.
• Universidad El Bosque: Private Colombian university offering professional undergraduate and graduate programs with virtual modalities, including health sciences, engineering, and education — comparable in scope and target student segment to UDI.
• Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga (UNAB): Private university also headquartered in Bucaramanga, Santander, offering undergraduate and graduate programs with strong virtual and in-person modalities. Most direct geographic and product competitor to UDI in the Santander region.
• Universidad del Norte (Uninorte): Private Colombian university with undergraduate, graduate, and distance education programs in engineering, business, health, and law. Comparable institutional size, scope, and target student profile to UDI.
• Universidad Santo Tomás: National private university with campuses across Colombia including Bucaramanga, offering undergraduate, graduate, and distance programs in law, engineering, business, and psychology — directly overlapping UDI's program portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Universidad de los Andes (Colombia): Top-ranked Colombian private university with full undergraduate, graduate, and online programs. Competes for high-achieving students and graduate enrollment nationally; represents the prestige ceiling UDI's programs are benchmarked against.
• Universidad Nacional de Colombia: Colombia's flagship public research university, the dominant low-cost competitor in undergraduate and graduate programs. Sets the price-quality benchmark that private universities like UDI must differentiate against.
• EAFIT Universidad EAFIT: Major Colombian private university with strong graduate, continuing education, and virtual programs. Competes with UDI for working-professional graduate students and corporate training contracts across Colombia.

Regional players

• Universidad Simón Bolívar (Colombia): Private Colombian university headquartered in Barranquilla with satellite campuses and virtual education programs. Comparable in scale and product mix to UDI, but operates on Colombia's Caribbean coast rather than in Santander.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/InfoUDI
• Facebookfacebook.com/UDIOFICIAL
• Instagraminstagram.com/udi_oficial
• TikToktiktok.com/@udi_oficial_
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/universidad-de-investigacion-y-desarrollo-udi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Universidad de Investigación y Desarrollo - UDI