General Overview
The Company is a private higher education organization operating in the on-campus (Hybrid Teaching) and distance learning (“DL” or “Digital Learning”) modalities in Brazil, operating in the education area since 1993 concentrated mainly in the country’s Northeast, North and Southeast regions. On December 31, 2023, our platform was comprised of 58 units, 863 DL centers and super centers (centers equipped with practical classes), distributed in all Brazilian states. The Company believes that its operations are comprehensive and diversified, with, as of December 31, 2023, on 312,900 students enrolled, of which 149,800 are enrolled in Hybrid Teaching undergraduate courses, 129,300 in undergraduate courses in Digital Learning, 32,000 enrolled in postgraduate courses, on-campus and digital learning, and 1,800 enrolled in vocational courses.
As of December 31, 2022, on 295,200 students enrolled, of which 136,100 are enrolled in undergraduate courses in Hybrid Teaching, 126,300 in undergraduate courses in Digital Learning, 30,800 enrolled in postgraduate courses, on-campus and digital learning, and 1,900 enrolled in vocational courses. This growth was mainly due to the evolution of the student base students in the hybrid education segment, which occurred mainly due to the growth in enrollment and reduction in dropout observed in the first half of 2022, and partially offset by the reduction in enrollment and small increase in the dropout rate in the second half of 2022. In digital education, the growth in the student base was due to the acquisition of FAEL, completed in January 2022.
Our net revenue, between the years ended December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2023, presented a negative compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.1% , from R$1,407,358 thousand to R$1,830,934 thousand, due to the consolidation of recent acquisitions, the organic increase in the volume of students enrolled in hybrid undergraduate programs and the annual transfer of monthly tuition fees. During this period, the company’s total student base grew at an annual compound rate of 18.3%.
The Company’s strategy consists of creating a higher education ecosystem that operates in an integrated manner through an academic model that allows flexibility in the offer and creation of new courses and offer models in the undergraduate, graduate and continuing education segments (“life-long learning”), through brands with great regional appeal and widely recognized by students, professors and employers in each of the regions of the country in which the Company operates.
Continuing Education Ecosystem – Ser Educacional
¹This measure is not an accounting measure according to Accounting Practices Adopted in Brazil or IFRS, nor should it be considered in isolation, or as an alternative to net income, as an operating measure, or as an alternative to operating cash flows, or as a measure of liquidity and not should be considered as the basis for the distribution of dividends. Other companies may calculate this measurement differently than we do. See additional information regarding its use in table 2.5 “a” of the 2024 Reference Form.
This offer is carried out through a complete teaching platform that acts as a true academic ecosystem, based on state-of-the-art technology, quality digital content and modern campi infrastructure dedicated to providing an increasingly better experience for students at competitive tuition prices, creating a differentiated value proposition to our students.
In order to make the creation of this higher education offering ecosystem possible, was created at the end of 2020, with official launch in 1Q21, Ubíqua, the Company’s new curriculum matrix based on a ubiquitous education model, which was structured to offer active teaching methodologies and digital content modern, which allows the quick creation of new courses with a lot of flexibility (click here to watch the video).
UBÍQUA ALLOWS FLEXIBILITY IN THE CREATION OF COURSES COMBINING
PEDAGOGICAL EXCELLENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND TRAINING OF TEACHERS
The Company’s most relevant brands are: (i) in the Northeast, through UNINASSAU, Faculdades UNINASSAU and Centro Universitário 7 de Setembro – UNI7; (ii) in the North, through the Universidade da Amazônia – UNAMA, Universidade do Norte – UNINORTE and UNINASSAU; (iii) in the Midwest, through UNINASSAU; (iv) in the Southeast, with the Universidade de Guarulhos and UNINASSAU; and (v) in the South, UNIFAEL – Centro Universitário da Lapa.
The Company seeks to be close to our target audience. Thus, our on-campus teaching and digital learning units are located at strategic points in the main metropolitan regions of the regions in which we operate, especially in locations that have a high demand for higher education and that offer adequate urban infrastructure to serve our students, generating a greater perception of value to our target audience. Regarding to digital learning, in addition to the strategic location of the centers, we favor cities with a precarious offer of on-campus education and higher per capita income.
Therefore, the Company maintain a management focused on profitability, financial discipline, operational excellence and the creation of value for our shareholders, which are reflected in the quality of our financial indicators.