Ser Educacional operates in the education sector with a primary focus on higher education, including technical courses, undergraduate degrees, and graduate programs. Its services are offered both in-person and through distance learning (EAD).
Currently, Ser Educacional has approximately 184.8 thousand enrolled students, of which 145.5 thousand are enrolled in in-person undergraduate courses, 23.5 thousand are enrolled in distance undergraduate courses, 14.6 thousand are in in-person and EAD graduate courses, and finally, 1.2 thousand students are enrolled in technical courses.
The company has a strong regional appeal in the Northeast, North, and Southeast regions of Brazil. Despite having a strong regional focus, the company has a strategy of regional diversification among its products. Thus, among the company's brands, we have:
Uninassau: Centro Universitário Maurício de Nassau;
Unama: Universidade da Amazônia;
Univeritas: Centro Universitário Universus Veritas;
UNG: Universidade de Guarulhos.
The Ser Educacional Group was founded in 1993, through the establishment of the Complexo Educacional Bureau Jurídico, led by Professor José Janguiê Diniz, better known as Janguiê.
In summary, the professor promoted preparatory courses for competitive exams, which at the time was a true novelty in the city of Recife. In the same year, Janguiê began investing in the offering of national and international conferences in the legal field.
A few years later, in 1999, the Complexo Educacional began offering pre-university courses focused on law. Subsequently, in 2003, the Faculdade Maurício de Nassau was founded, maintained by ESBJ – Ensino Superior Bureau Jurídico Ltda.
The initiative to create a college came from Professor Janguiê, who recognized the local market's need for quality higher education. After just over three years of existence, the Faculdade Maurício de Nassau was already established as an educational institution in the Northeast and North regions of Brazil.
The college focused on growth management and expanding its structure to extend its operations in the North and Northeast municipalities. Thus, the Faculdade Maurício de Nassau acquired the maintaining institutions in João Pessoa and Campina Grande, in the state of Paraíba.
In the following year, the college implemented the Advisory Council as a way to guide its strategies. The Council, in partnership with Hopper Consultoria Educacional, had as its main responsibility the redefinition of the company's strategic planning.
In the same year, the Grupo Universitário Maurício de Nassau accredited and began operating the Faculdade Joaquim Nabuco, in the State of Pernambuco. This allowed the company to operate through a new business model aimed at the C and D class audiences.
In 2008, the Board of Directors was established, composed of recognized professionals in the market and representatives of the shareholders, with the aim of consolidating the company's corporate governance policy.
In October 2008, Cartesian Capital Group partnered with Grupo Universitário Maurício de Nassau, with an investment of R$ 48 million, and acquired an 11.3% stake in ESBJ.
Still in the company's expansion process, the Faculdade Joaquim Nabuco inaugurated a new unit in downtown Recife and acquired FABAC, ASAMC, and Faculdade CDF. This expansion process of the Grupo Universitário Maurício de Nassau continued in 2010 when it received auditors from IFC – World Bank and the approval of a credit line of R$ 80 million.
Thus, the Group began the project to implement ISO 9001 in order to structure the company for certification. Consequently, the company reevaluated and redefined all its internal processes. In the same year, the company changed its name to Grupo Ser Educacional S.A.
In 2011, the focus of Grupo Ser Educacional S.A was on increasing the number of courses offered at its educational units. In 2012, through the MEC ordinance 701, the Faculdade Maurício de Nassau in Recife was accredited as a university center. Soon, the name of the college became UNINASSAU – Centro Universitário Maurício de Nassau.
The IPO took place in 2013, the year the company completed 10 years of existence. After the IPO, the company continued its expansion trajectory and acquired other colleges such as Faculdade Anglo Líder and Instituto Santareno de Educação Superior.
In fact, in 2015, the company entered the Southeast region when it acquired, through its subsidiary CENESUP, the Sociedade Paulista de Ensino e Pesquisa S/S Ltda. In the same year, the company obtained approval for four new in-person educational units in Petrolina (PE), Olinda (PE), Jaboatão dos Guararapes (PE), and Feira de Santana (BA).
Regarding distance education, the company obtained accreditation from UNG and began operating with 6 centers. There was also recognition of UNINASSAU's EAD courses, which allowed the company to apply for the opening of an additional 400 distance education centers.
Finally, between 2017 and 2019, the company continued its organic growth plan and obtained 61 new units accredited by the Ministry of Education, and in 2019, the purchase of UNINORTE in Manaus (AM) contributed to strengthening the company in the North region of the country.
