SAO PAULO, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Brazilian education company Cogna Educacao SA expects its higher-education unit Kroton to return to revenue growth in 2023 as it sees a more optimistic outlook for in-person classes starting next year, executives said during an investor event.

The forecast comes after a company reorganization, which led Kroton to launch 42 digital courses and implement a broad cost-cutting strategy in recent months.

According to Kroton President Roberto Valerio, new revisions to the company's physical structure are no longer necessary. He said the firm is preparing itself to resume capturing on-site students.

"We believe there will be a recovery in student recruitment from 2022," Valerio said.

He pointed out that the growth of Kroton's on-site student base will be concentrated in courses with higher tuition fees, while those that cost less were migrated to the group's online platforms.

Earlier on Monday, Cogna projected that the net revenue of its KrotonMed business, which offers higher education courses in the health area, would reach 482 million reais ($85.88 million) next year.

KrotonMed is also expected to reach earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of 224 million reais in 2022, according to a securities filing. The company also projected an EBITDA margin of 46.5% for the period.

Shares in Cogna plunged about 7% in mid-afternoon trading in Sao Paulo, making it the worst performer on the broader Bovespa index, which rose by 0.2%.

($1 = 5.6127 reais) (Reporting by Alberto Alerigi Jr. and Peter Frontini; editing by Philippa Fletcher, Jane Merriman and Marguerita Choy)