Universidad San Marcos

Name

Universidad San Marcos

Legal name

Universidad San Marcos

Website

https://usanmarcos.ac.cr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1922

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHADAB

Private/Independent Community & Junior Colleges

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Community & Junior Colleges

SECONDARYEDAAAEAA

University/College Continuing Education (Extension) Programs

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Continuing Education (Noncredit) & Lifelong Learning Programs

SECONDARYEDAIAIAI

Short-Term Certificate & Micro-Credential Programs (International)

Education/International Education & Study Abroad/International Summer/Winter Schools & Short-Term Academic Programs

Keywords

• Private higher education
• Online university programs
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate professional education
• Virtual learning platforms

Headquarters

HQ city

San José

HQ country

Costa Rica

HQ region

Latin America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Enrollment Fees: The university generates revenue primarily through tuition payments from students across its various programs including technical certifications, bachelor's degrees, licenses, master's degrees, and international certifications. Payment is made per academic period/cuatrimestre.
2. Graduate Program Enrollment: Revenue from graduates enrolling in additional programs, with discounted rates for continuing education (50% off matriculation, 10-40% off courses).
3. Administrative Services Fees: Fees for certification requests, degree certifications, transcript processing, graduation rights, and title issuance.
4. Examination and Assessment Fees: Fees for sufficiency exams, extraordinary exams, and grade tests for students who have completed their study plans.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Universidad San Marcos is a private Costa Rican university that delivers higher education programs including bachelor's degrees (Bachilleratos), licensure degrees (Licenciaturas), master's degrees (Maestrías), technical programs, and international certifications through virtual (U Virtual platform powered by Canvas LMS) and in-person modalities. The institution serves working adults and adult learners primarily in Costa Rica with 7 SINAES-accredited programs and operates a main San José campus plus 9 regional service centers.

Product overview

Universidad San Marcos is a private Costa Rican university offering a comprehensive portfolio of educational products and services. The core offering consists of undergraduate degree programs (Bachilleratos and Licenciaturas), graduate programs (Maestrías), and technical/vocational programs delivered primarily through two modalities: in-person at its main campus in San José and 9 regional service centers, and virtual through the U Virtual platform powered by Canvas LMS. The university provides a digital ecosystem including the CRAI research center, SUWA institutional repository, RAI academic journal, virtual libraries (EBSCO), and student services such as psychological support, job placement, and career counseling. International certifications are offered in partnership with Universidad Siglo 21 (Argentina). The institution holds SINAES accreditation for 7 programs and CONESUP authorization for all degrees, positioning it as a leading private education provider in Costa Rica with over 102 years of experience through the Grupo Manuel Aragón.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• U Virtual: Virtual campus platform for distance learning programs and student services
• CRAI
• Revista Académica Institucional RAI
• Repositorio SUWA

Products and services

• Bachilleratos (Bachelor's Degrees)

Quantifiable outcome

• 86% of graduates achieve employability within their field
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration16 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, core and supporting.

• Universidad de Cádiz (Spain)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 July 2026Visit by authorities from Universidad de Cádiz to strengthen international projection. This partnership represents an important milestone for internationalization strategy and academic exchange opportunities.
• Universidad Siglo 21 (Argentina)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnership for certification programs including Ejecutivo de Incubación de Startups, Ejecutivo en Desarrollo de Habilidades Directivas, Estadística para la Toma de Decisiones, Posicionamiento en Buscadores (SEO), and Storytelling y Brand Storytelling. These international certifications are part of the university's strategy to offer globally recognized credentials.
• elempleo.comsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with elempleo.com to provide employment exchange services, connecting students and graduates with job opportunities in administration, accounting, business, banking, finance, management, marketing, and education.
• Microsoft (Office 365)supportingTechnology or IntegrationProvides Office 365 access to students including online tools, 1TB OneDrive cloud storage, and activation on up to 5 devices (phone, tablet, computer) at no cost. Benefits extend indefinitely after graduation.
• La ReferenciasupportingTechnology or IntegrationFederated network of open access repositories in Latin America allowing search of theses, articles, and scientific documents across multiple countries.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Universidad Nacional (UNA): Major Costa Rican public university offering broad undergraduate and graduate programs. Serves as a public-sector competitor and reference point for quality and accreditation standards that USAM benchmarks against.
• Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica (TEC): Public technological university in Costa Rica focused on engineering and applied sciences. Represents the strongest non-business competitor for technical-minded students who might otherwise consider USAM's industrial engineering offerings.
• Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR): Costa Rica's flagship public university and the dominant higher-education institution in the country. Provides a free or low-cost alternative to USAM across nearly every discipline, anchoring the price ceiling for private competitors.
• Universidad Estatal a Distancia (UNED): Costa Rica's public distance-learning university with nationwide reach. Most direct public-sector competitor to USAM's virtual modality and CSU network strategy, operating at significantly lower price points.

Emerging players

• INCAE Business School: Top-tier Central American business school offering MBAs and executive education with campuses in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Competes with USAM specifically in the master's-in-business-administration and executive-education segments.
• Universidad EARTH: Private Costa Rican university specializing in agricultural sciences and natural resources with strong international partnerships. Adjacent peer sharing the private Costa Rican higher-ed space and internationalization approach.

Direct peers

• Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE): Private Costa Rican university offering programs in health, business, law, and engineering with both virtual and in-person modalities. Direct competitor for working adults seeking flexible degree completion.
• Universidad Fidelitas: Private Costa Rican university focused on engineering, computer science, and technology programs with a strong virtual modality. Competes for the same working-adult demographic, particularly in technical and business-adjacent fields.
• Universidad Hispanoamericana: Costa Rican private university with strong virtual and in-person programs across business administration, health, and law. Directly competes with USAM for adult learners seeking flexible scheduling and CONESUP-accredited credentials.
• Universidad Latina de Costa Rica: One of Costa Rica's largest private universities, offering bachelor's, licenciaturas, and master's degrees in business, health, engineering, and law through virtual and in-person modalities. Closest head-to-head competitor to USAM in the Costa Rican adult-learner private education market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/usanmarcoscr
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/usanmarcoscr
• Facebookfacebook.com/usanmarcoscr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/universidad-san-marcos
• Instagraminstagram.com/usanmarcoscr
• TikToktiktok.com/@usanmarcos

Compliance3 records

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 San Marcos