Tutoring Franchise in Colombia: The Complete 2026 Guide

In Colombia, the final year of school has its own name in family conversation: el ICFES. The Saber 11 exam, run by the Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES), shapes university applications, school reputations and, increasingly, how parents spend on education outside the classroom. For anyone weighing a tutoring franchise in Colombia, that exam culture is the starting point, but it is not the whole story: English, maths foundations and the gap between private and public schools all create demand long before grade 11.

This guide covers the school system and Saber 11, the preuniversitario tradition, why tutoring demand is strong, how a tutoring franchise differs from other options, Colombian franchise rules, practical points for a learning centre and how Success Tutoring approaches Colombia.

The Colombian school system and Saber 11

Colombian schooling runs from preescolar through básica primaria (grades 1 to 5), básica secundaria (grades 6 to 9) and educación media (grades 10 and 11), at the end of which students receive the título de bachiller. Schools follow one of two calendars: calendario A, which runs roughly February to November and covers most public schools, and calendario B, which runs roughly August to June and is common among private and bilingual schools in the larger cities.

Saber 11 is the national exam for students finishing grade 11. It assesses critical reading, mathematics, social and civic studies, natural sciences and English, and most universities use the results in admissions. Some of the numbers, all reported at the time of writing (October 2026):

• Scale. More than 640,000 students sat Saber 11 nationwide on 10 August 2025, according to Noticias RCN. La República reported that around 603,000 calendar A students and more than 83,400 calendar B students had been called to sit the exam that year.
• Results. An ICFES policy note reports that the national average global score reached 261 points in 2025, continuing an upward trend since 2021.
• The gap. According to Portafolio, private-school students averaged 281 points in 2025 against 250 in public schools, and the gap between the highest and lowest socio-economic groups reached 77 points.

The international picture adds pressure. According to the OECD, Colombian 15-year-olds scored 383 in mathematics in PISA 2022, against an OECD average of 472.

Why tutoring demand is strong in Colombia

Three forces sit behind demand.

• The exam itself. Because a Saber 11 score follows a student into university applications and scholarship schemes, families invest in it. The preicfes course, a short, intensive programme of mock exams and exam technique in grades 10 and 11, is a fixture of Colombian school life.
• Preuniversitarios. Some universities, the Universidad Nacional de Colombia best known among them, run their own admission exams. Private preuniversitarios prepare students for those tests and for Saber 11. They are proof that families pay for structured academic help, but they are concentrated on the last one or two years of school.
• English. The Ministry of National Education has run a National Bilingualism Programme for years, and the English component of Saber 11 makes each school's level visible. Parents in Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla and Bucaramanga know that English opens doors to university, scholarships and work.

The weekly, year-round need sits underneath all of this: children in primary and lower secondary who are falling behind in maths or reading, long before anyone mentions the ICFES. In most cities that need is still met by private teachers who come to the house or by small independent institutes.

What a tutoring franchise is

A tutoring franchise licenses you to run a learning business under an established brand, using its curriculum, systems, training and marketing. You invest in the business, own it and employ the team; the franchisor supplies the model and ongoing support in exchange for fees set out in the franchise agreement.

Success Tutoring runs a membership model: families join for a set number of weekly sessions in a physical, retail-style centre, rather than buying hours or short courses. Revenue is recurring and the focus is retention and steady progress. According to the company's own news posts, centres in Australia have opened with 45, 55, 60 and more than 70 members signed before opening day, through structured pre-launch marketing.

Tutoring franchise vs worksheet centres, private tutors and independent institutes

Colombian families have several ways to get help, and each suits different needs.

• Private tutors. Flexible and personal, often affordable, but quality and continuity depend entirely on one person, and there is rarely a curriculum or progress reporting.
• Preuniversitarios and preicfes courses. Focused and intensive, built around a specific exam date. Strong for the final stretch, less suited to building foundations from primary school.
• Kumon-style worksheet centres. Kumon, which operates in Colombia, uses a self-learning method in which students work through graded worksheets at their own pace. It has built a long track record with that method. For a respectful, detailed comparison of the two models, read Success Tutoring vs Kumon.
• Independent institutes. Local and adaptable, but the owner must build curriculum, marketing and training alone.
• A tutor-led tutoring franchise. A personalised K–12 English and Maths programme delivered by tutors in a branded centre, with a launch system and support behind the owner.

Success Tutoring does not position itself against the preuniversitario: it works on the foundations that make grade 11 less stressful. Many families could use both at different stages.

What to look for in a tutoring franchise in Colombia

1. Curriculum alignment. Ask how the programme maps to the Ministry of Education's basic learning standards and to the areas Saber 11 assesses, and how it is adapted into Colombian Spanish.
2. Both school calendars. A centre in a city with calendar A and calendar B schools needs a marketing plan for two school years. Ask how the franchisor plans launches and enrolment peaks.
3. Launch system. Ask exactly how the franchisor fills a centre before opening. See our launch support page.
4. Tutor recruitment and contracts. Ask how tutors are recruited, contracted under Colombian labour law and trained.
5. Premises. Visibility, parking or transport access and safe drop-off matter to parents. Ask what leasing and fit-out support you get.
6. Master franchise structure. In a market where a brand has not yet launched, ask who will support you locally: head office directly or a master franchise partner.

Franchise regulation and practicalities in Colombia

Colombia has no franchise-specific statute and no mandatory pre-contract disclosure document of the kind required in the United States, Brazil or France. Franchise agreements are treated as atypical commercial contracts governed by the general rules of the Civil and Commercial Codes and by what the parties agree. That places more weight on your own due diligence. Points to raise with a Colombian lawyer:

• Trademarks. Brands are registered with the Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio (SIC), which also oversees consumer protection and competition. Check that the franchisor's mark is registered or applied for in Colombia.
• Company and registration. Most small businesses trade as a sociedad por acciones simplificada (SAS) registered with the local Chamber of Commerce.
• Education rules. Colombian regulation distinguishes formal education, educación para el trabajo y el desarrollo humano (ETDH), which needs a licence from the local education authority, and educación informal. Academic support is generally treated as informal education, but confirm the classification for your programme with a lawyer and the secretaría de educación.
• Premises. Check the municipal land-use rules (uso del suelo) for the address before signing a lease, and budget for fire and safety requirements.
• Data and minors. Colombia's personal data law (Law 1581 of 2012) applies to the records you keep on students and families, and safeguarding checks for staff working with children should be part of recruitment.

This is general information. Take local legal and tax advice before signing anything.

How Success Tutoring approaches Colombia

Success Tutoring was founded in Sydney, Australia, in 2017 by Michael Black and has been franchising since around 2020. It has announced international markets including New Zealand, the United States, Singapore, Canada, the United Kingdom and India. Colombia is not one of the markets it has announced: at the time of writing, Success Tutoring is looking for franchise partners and a master franchise partner for Colombia, and it has no centres there.

The model offered to partners is the one built in Australia: retail-style learning centres for K–12 students focused on English and Mathematics; a membership model with launch and pre-marketing support; site selection, leasing and fit-out support; tutor recruitment and online tutor training; learning resources and ongoing marketing under a global brand; and a flat structure in which franchise partners deal directly with head office leadership. Success Tutoring has also hired a former CEO of Kumon as Head of Global Partnerships.

Franchise partners do not need to be teachers. Fees and earnings are not published in articles; see the investment schedule. The franchise territories page shows Colombian cities and indicative territories when viewed in the Colombian Spanish version of the site. For the bigger picture, read our complete tutoring franchise guide, and for neighbouring markets, our guides to a tutoring franchise in Peru and Brazil.

Frequently asked questions

Is there demand for a tutoring franchise in Colombia?

Yes. More than 640,000 students sat Saber 11 in August 2025 according to Noticias RCN, families already pay for preicfes courses and private teachers, and English is a national priority. The opportunity is year-round support for younger students, not only exam preparation.

Does Colombia have a franchise disclosure law?

No. There is no franchise-specific statute or mandatory disclosure document. The contract governs the relationship, so have a Colombian lawyer review it and ask the franchisor for financial and network information in writing.

Does a tutoring centre need an education licence in Colombia?

It depends on how the programme is classified. Academic support is generally treated as informal education, which does not need the licence an ETDH institute needs, but confirm this with a lawyer and the local education authority.

How much does a Success Tutoring franchise cost in Colombia?

We do not publish figures in articles because the investment depends on city, premises and format. See the investment schedule for how it is structured.

Is Success Tutoring open in Colombia?

No. Success Tutoring has not announced any launch in Colombia and is seeking franchise partners and a master franchise partner there.

Next steps

A tutoring franchise in Colombia rests on a strong exam culture, a national push for English and a large, mostly informal tutoring market. The right partner can bring a structured, membership-based centre to neighbourhoods that have mostly relied on private teachers. Read why us for how Success Tutoring supports franchise partners, then follow the process from enquiry to opening day.

All third-party trademarks belong to their respective owners. Figures about other franchises are taken from their public websites, disclosure documents or reputable franchise directories at the time of writing and may have changed; verify them directly before making any decision. This article is general information, not financial or legal advice.