Universidad Escuela Libre De Derecho

What Universidad Escuela Libre De Derecho does

Universidad Escuela Libre de Derecho is a private Costa Rican university founded in 1977 and headquartered in the Zapote district of San José. It is the only university in the country exclusively dedicated to legal education, operating under CONESUP oversight with SINAES reaccreditation granted in 2022 to its undergraduate and licensing law programs. The institution offers a vertically integrated academic portfolio spanning Bachillerato and Licenciatura en Derecho, a Specialty in Notarial and Registral Law, two master's programs (Administration and Business Law; Criminal Law), an academic doctorate with four legal orientations, and executive specializations in Computer Law, State Advocacy, and Economic Regulation Law (the last developed in partnership with ASIER). The curriculum features a distinctive transversal integration of Notarial and Registral Law content across 20 courses, and the institution claims the #1 ranking among all Costa Rican universities in bar association incorporation exam outcomes.

The business model is tuition-driven and consumer-facing: revenue is generated primarily through subscription-style recurring payments from degree and specialty enrollments, supplemented by executive education course fees. Distribution combines a physical campus offering in-person classes (scheduled evenings and weekends to accommodate working professionals) with a Moodle-based Campus Virtual that supports synchronous and asynchronous online learning. Enrollment is processed through an online pre-registration system and student portal. The institution also operates the Consultorio Jurídico, a free legal clinic providing representation in family law, civil, and landlord-tenant matters across four judicial circuits — a non-revenue community service function that nevertheless supports practical training and brand visibility.

Technology infrastructure is built on commodity platforms: a Moodle LMS for course delivery, a virtual appointment scheduling system for prospective and current students across multiple program tiers, and a pre-registration/enrollment portal. The institution also maintains proprietary branded assets including the Tribuna Libre academic journal and the "Ayer y Hoy La Libre" podcast distributed across YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music. No AI/ML capabilities, proprietary technology, or third-party integrations are disclosed. Ownership is private with no identified parent company, private equity backing, or public funding rounds, and no headcount or financial figures are publicly available.

Name

Universidad Escuela Libre De Derecho

Legal name

Universidad Escuela Libre de Derecho

Website

https://uescuelalibre.cr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Universidad Escuela Libre de Derecho is a private Costa Rican university founded in 1977 and the country's only institution exclusively dedicated to law education. It offers undergraduate through doctoral law programs plus executive specializations, operating from a San José campus with a Moodle-based virtual learning platform and a free legal clinic.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHAIAB

Non-ABA / State-Accredited JD-Granting Law Schools

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Law Schools

SECONDARYEDAHAIAF

Specialty Law Schools (e.g., Tax, IP, International, Trial Advocacy)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Law Schools

SECONDARYEDAHAIAE

Online / Hybrid Law Schools & Programs

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Law Schools

Keywords

• Legal education
• Law degrees
• Graduate law programs
• Legal specializations
• Continuing legal education

Headquarters

HQ city

San José

HQ country

Costa Rica

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Undergraduate and Graduate Tuition: Degree programs including Bachillerato and Licenciatura en Derecho, specialty programs, master's degrees, and doctoral programs generate revenue through tuition payments
2. Executive Education and Specializations: Certification programs in areas such as Computer Law, State Advocacy, and Economic Regulation generate revenue through course fees
3. Financing Plans: The university offers internal financing options for tuition payments, and students can also access financing through CONAPE national education loan program

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Universidad Escuela Libre de Derecho is a private Costa Rican university exclusively dedicated to law education, offering undergraduate (Bachillerato) and graduate (Licenciatura) law degrees, specializations in Notarial and Registral Law, Computer Law, State Advocacy, and Economic Regulation Law, master's degrees in Business Law and Criminal Law, and an academic doctorate in Law. The institution complements its academic programs with a free Consultorio Jurídico (Legal Clinic) that provides legal representation in family, civil, and landlord-tenant matters to underserved communities.

Product overview

Universidad Escuela Libre de Derecho is a specialized law university in Costa Rica offering a comprehensive portfolio of legal education products and services. Its core offerings include undergraduate and graduate law degrees (Bachillerato y Licenciatura en Derecho), a Notarial and Registral Law Specialization, and doctoral programs in four orientations (Commercial, Criminal, Public, and Constitutional Law). The institution also provides executive education through specializations in Computer Law, State Advocacy, and Economic Regulation Law, as well as a Master's in Administration and Business Law (MADE) and a Master's in Criminal Law. Beyond degree programs, the university operates a Legal Clinic (Consultorio Jurídico), a Virtual Library, Virtual Appointment scheduling, a digital law journal (Revista Tribuna Libre), and a podcast (Ayer y Hoy La Libre). Technology platforms include a Moodle-based Campus Virtual for online learning, a Pre-registration System, and a Student Enrollment Portal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MADE: Maestría en Administración y Derecho Empresarial - Master's program in Business Administration and Corporate Law
• Consultorio Jurídico
• Revista Tribuna Libre
• Tribuna Libre
• Ayer y Hoy La Libre Podcast

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked #1 among all public and private universities in the Bar Association incorporation exam

Named customers2 records

Segments9 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.

• ASIER (Asociación Iberoamericana de Estudios de Regulación)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Specialization in Economic Regulation Law is developed in collaboration with ASIER under its Cátedra ASIER framework. This partnership provides access to national and international professors of the highest level, all active members of the ASIER Council. The collaboration enhances the program's academic quality through faculty expertise in economic regulation across Latin America.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Universidad de Costa Rica — Facultad de Derecho: Costa Rica's flagship public university and the largest producer of law graduates in the country. Directly competes with UELD for bar aspirants and is the primary benchmark against which UELD's claimed #1 bar exam ranking is measured.
• Universidad Fidélitas: Private Costa Rican university offering a law program with online delivery. Comparable in scale and private status, and a relevant competitor for UELD's virtual campus and adult-learner segments.
• Escuela Libre de Derecho (Mexico): The original Escuela Libre de Derecho in Mexico, from which UELD explicitly takes its founding principles of functional autonomy and academic excellence. Both are specialty law schools with similar philosophy, curriculum traditions, and Iberian-rooted legal pedagogy.
• Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica: Another major public Costa Rican university with a law program that competes for the same student pool. Public pricing makes it the principal low-cost alternative to UELD's tuition-based model.
• Universidad Estatal a Distancia (UNED): Costa Rica's public distance-learning university offering an online law program. Competes directly with UELD's virtual campus modality and represents the lowest-cost distance option in the same regulatory framework.
• Universidad Latina de Costa Rica: Large private Costa Rican university offering a law degree alongside other programs. Competes with UELD in the private higher-education segment and shares the same regulatory oversight from CONESUP.

Regional players

• INCAE Business School: Top-tier Central American graduate business school with Costa Rica and Nicaragua campuses. Comparable for executive education pricing models and the master's-level MADE-style business-law hybrid programs targeting working professionals.
• Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañas (UCA): Jesuit private university in El Salvador with a law school that draws from the same Central American student demographic. Comparable as a private, faith-rooted Central American law program targeting cross-border students.

Broad incumbents

• Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile — Facultad de Derecho: Top-tier Latin American university with a leading law faculty. Comparable as a benchmark for graduate legal education quality and SINAES-style accreditation rigor, though operating in a broader university context.
• Universidad de los Andes (Colombia) — Facultad de Derecho: Highly ranked Colombian university with a strong law faculty offering specializations and master's programs. Comparable for graduate-level legal education and executive specializations in regulated industries.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/uescuelalibre
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCJx1Wwy3Wr_gDPZFebD89QQ/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/uescuelalibre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/escuela-libre-de-derecho
• Instagraminstagram.com/ulibrecr/?hl=es-la

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries5 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 Escuela Libre De Derecho