UNIVERSIDAD LAICA ELOY ALFARO DE MANABI

What UNIVERSIDAD LAICA ELOY ALFARO DE MANABI does

Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro de Manabí (ULEAM) is a public secular (laica) university headquartered in Manta, Manabí province, Ecuador, established by Law No. 10 on November 13, 1985, under the framework of Ecuador's Organic Law of Higher Education (LOES). The institution operates 7 main faculties — Health Sciences; Administrative Sciences, Accounting and Commerce; Education and Tourism; Engineering, Industry and Architecture; Life Sciences and Technologies; Social Sciences, Law and Welfare; and Arts, Humanities and Heritage — supported by at least 8 extension campuses across Manabí and Santo Domingo (Chone, El Carmen, Pedernales, Sucre, Tosagua, Pichincha, Flavio Alfaro, Santo Domingo), serving the third-largest province of Ecuador with a population exceeding 1.2 million inhabitants. The core academic platform combines traditional on-campus instruction with a Moodle-based virtual learning environment offering separate instances for undergraduate, graduate, language, and DANU programs, an Academic Management System (SGA), and digital library access to ProQuest, Scopus, Dialnet, and VLex, alongside four scientific journals (Refcale, Business Science, ULEAM Bahía Magazine, Suplementos CICA).

The university's business model is predominantly government-funded under Ecuador's Gratuidad (free public higher education) policy, with students paying only nominal administrative fees for enrollment, examinations, and certifications. Supplementary revenue is generated through continuing education and professional development programs, consulting and laboratory/testing services, and two wholly-owned public enterprises — Empresas Públicas de Producción y Desarrollo Estratégico EP Uleam and Estudios y Construcciones Uleam EP — that engage in commercial production and construction activities. The primary go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer via a dedicated Admisión office conducting nivelación (remedial/admission) processes, supplemented by multi-channel marketing including the institutional website, Facebook, Twitter/X, YouTube, ULEAM Radio, academic events, and direct prospective-student engagement. Graduate and doctoral programs, vocational courses for children/adolescents ages 5+, and Vinculación y Emprendimiento community engagement programs extend the institution's reach beyond traditional degree-granting education. Recent strategic moves include the November 2024 inauguration of the Instituto de Neurociencias (the first neuroscience institute in an Ecuadorian public university), the development of two new doctoral programs in Education and Social Sciences, a USD 2.2M+ renovation of the El Carmen extension, and a new rectoral administration for the 2026-2031 term.

Name

UNIVERSIDAD LAICA ELOY ALFARO DE MANABI

Legal name

Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro de Manabí

Website

https://uleam.edu.ec

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro de Manabí (ULEAM) is a public secular university in Manta, Ecuador, operating 7 faculties and 8 extension campuses across Manabí province to deliver undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate education to a regional population exceeding 1.2 million inhabitants under the Gratuidad funding policy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Online Teacher Education Universities (Licensure & M.Ed.) (EDAHALAG), Universal Design for Learning (UDL) & Inclusive Classroom Support Platforms (EDAFAKAI), Differentiated Instruction & Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Implementation Support (EDAKABAC)

Keywords

• Higher education
• Public university
• Academic programs
• Research and training
• Graduate education

Headquarters

HQ city

Manta

HQ country

Ecuador

HQ region

Latin America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Funding and Student Fees: Public university funded primarily through government appropriations from the Ecuadorian national budget. Students pay nominal fees for specific services, with tuition largely subsidized through the Gratuidad (free education) policy for public universities.
2. Continuing Education and Professional Services: Income-generating services including continuing education courses, professional development programs, consulting services, and specialized testing/lab services offered to the public.
3. Public Enterprise Operations: Public production companies EP ULEAM and Estudios y Construcciones ULEAM EP generate revenue through commercial activities and services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ULEAM is a public secular university that delivers undergraduate, graduate, and technical degree programs across seven faculties and eight extension campuses in Manabí province, Ecuador. It supplements traditional on-campus instruction with Moodle-based virtual classrooms for pregrado, postgrado, idiomas, and DANU programs, and provides academic support services including digital libraries, scientific journals, and a specialized Institute of Neurosciences.

Product overview

UNIVERSIDAD LAICA ELOY ALFARO DE MANABI (ULEAM) is a public secular university in Ecuador offering undergraduate, graduate, and technical programs through its network of 7 faculties, 8 extension campuses, and specialized institutes. The university operates a unified academic platform comprising classroom-based and virtual learning (via Moodle-based Aula Virtual), digital library services, and multiple scientific journals. Its product portfolio includes academic degree programs across health sciences, administration, education, engineering, life sciences, social sciences, and arts; specialized research institutes like the Instituto de Neurociencias; and scholarly publications including Revista CICA, Refcale, Journal Business Science, and ULEAM Bahía Magazine.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud Health Sciences faculty offering medical programs including Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Physiotherapy, Phoniatrics, Clinical Laboratory, Occupational Therapy, Psychology, and Nutrition and Dietetics.
• Facultad de Ciencias Administrativas, Contables y Comercio Administrative and Business faculty offering programs in Business Administration, Marketing, Accounting and Auditing, Finance, Foreign Trade, Information Management, and Human Resource Management.
• Facultad de Educación y Turismo Education and Tourism faculty offering programs in Initial Education, Special Education, Educational Psychology, Basic Education, Physical Education, Language Pedagogy, Tourism, Hospitality, Fine Arts, Sociology, and Archaeology.
• Facultad de Ingeniería, Industria y Arquitectura Engineering, Industry and Architecture faculty offering programs in Civil Engineering, Maritime Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Architecture, and Industrial Engineering.
• Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida y Tecnologías Life Sciences and Technologies faculty offering programs in Agricultural Engineering, Agribusiness, Agroindustrial Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Information Technology Engineering, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, Biology, and Food Engineering.
• Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Derecho y Bienestar Social Sciences, Law and Welfare faculty offering programs in Law, Criminology and Forensic Sciences, Economics, Social Work, Communication, and Public Management.
• Facultad de Artes, Humanidades y Patrimonio Arts, Humanities and Heritage faculty offering programs in Fine Arts, Archaeology, Performing Arts, Textile Design, and Sociology.
• Aula Virtual (Virtual Classroom Platform) Online learning management system based on Moodle platform providing virtual classrooms for undergraduate, graduate, and language students, featuring course materials, assessments, and online collaboration tools.
• Biblioteca Digital (Digital Library Services) Digital library offering access to ProQuest, Scopus, Dialnet, VLex legal database, institutional digital books, and scientific digital journals.
• Programas de Postgrado Graduate and postgraduate programs including master's degrees and doctoral programs (in development), managed through the Instituto de Postgrado e Investigación.
• Instituto de Neurociencias Specialized neuroscience institute serving as a second-level outpatient care unit with five specialized laboratories for neurological and psychiatric diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, while also training Health Sciences students.
• Revista CICA (Suplementos CICA) Scientific journal supplement published by the university, featuring research articles and academic supplements.
• Revista Refcale Scientific journal focused on education and educational sciences research.
• Journal Business Science Scientific journal covering business and management science research.
• ULEAM Bahía Magazine (UBM) University magazine publishing articles on various academic and cultural topics.
• Extension Campuses Network Network of extension campuses and centers including Sucre, Chone, El Carmen, Pedernales, Pichincha, Flavio Alfaro, Santo Domingo, and Tosagua, offering various academic programs regionally.

Quantifiable outcome

• 85 new nursing professionals graduated in a single ceremony (June 2019)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 August 2026UTPL collaborated with ULEAM to provide academic validation and accreditation for the Course of Formation in Citizen Formation offered to students. The six-module virtual course covering citizen participation, transparency, accountability, social control, and corruption prevention is officially endorsed by UTPL.
• National Healthcare System / Ministry of HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 November 2024The Institute of Neurosciences at ULEAM was inaugurated in partnership with national healthcare initiatives, serving as a specialized neurological and psychiatric care facility for the population while also training health sciences students.
• Consejo de Participación Ciudadana y Control Social (CPCCS)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCPCCS president Andrés Xavier Fantoni Baldeón participated in a citizen dialogue with ULEAM students, promoting civic education and the university's role in democratic formation.
• Servicio Nacional de Gestión de Riesgos y EmergenciasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with ULEAM Tourism students on natural risk prevention conferences and training programs at the Bahía de Caráquez extension.
• Universidad Católica de Santiago del Estero (Argentina)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Eduardo Llugdar from this Argentinian university participated remotely in ULEAM's First Human Rights Film Forum, contributing to international academic exchange.
• Asociación Nacional de Unidades Académicas de Trabajo Social del Ecuador (ANUATSE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganized curriculum analysis workshop with participation from Ecuadorian social work programs and CES academic counselor.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Universidad Central del Ecuador (UCE): Major public research university in Quito. Operates in the same national Ecuadorian public-university tier as ULEAM and competes for graduate students and research funding.
• Universidad de Guayaquil: Largest public university in Ecuador's coastal region. Competes with ULEAM for provincial and national students, with broader program breadth and a larger faculty base.
• Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL): Ecuador's leading public research-and-teaching polytechnic based in Guayaquil. Overlaps ULEAM's engineering, life-sciences, and technology faculties and competes for top coastal students.
• Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE): Largest private Ecuadorian university with national multi-campus presence (Quito, Guayaquil, Ibarra, Manabí, Esmeraldas, Santo Domingo, Ambato). National footprint and strong postgraduate programs make it a top competitor for ULEAM's target students.

Direct peers

• Universidad Técnica de Ambato (UTA): Mid-sized regional public Ecuadorian university with similar faculty scale, multi-campus extension network, and focus on engineering, health, and education – a strong operational analogue.
• Universidad Técnica de Manabí (UTM): Public Ecuadorian university also headquartered in Portoviejo, Manabí province. Most direct geographic peer – competes for the same provincial student pool and government funding pool.
• Universidad Estatal Amazónica (UEA): Public Ecuadorian regional university with multiple campuses and government appropriations under LOES. Shares the structural model of a publicly funded, multi-campus teaching-and-research institution.
• Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL): Large private Ecuadorian university that is also an active academic-validation partner of ULEAM. Comparable in offering undergraduate, graduate, and continuing-education programs across multiple campuses.

Regional players

• Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL): Largest Colombian public research university. Comparable in mission (public, secular, multi-campus research-and-teaching university with national reach) though operating in a different Andean market.
• Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR): Flagship Costa Rican public university with comparable public-funding model, multi-campus presence, health-sciences clinical institutes, and extensive research output – useful international benchmark.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/UleamEcuador
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCOferC0PjpEUegrVq8Re-TQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/UleamEc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/universidad-laica-eloy-alfaro-de-manabi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries2 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 UNIVERSIDAD LAICA ELOY ALFARO DE MANABI