Hood College
Hood College is a private liberal arts institution in Frederick, Maryland, founded in 1893, serving undergraduates, graduate students, working professionals, and military personnel through degree, certificate, and microcredential programs spanning business, STEM, biotech, AI, education, and healthcare.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1893
- HeadquartersFrederick, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Hood College does
Hood College is a private, independent liberal arts college founded in 1893 and headquartered in Frederick, Maryland. It serves traditional undergraduates, graduate students, working professionals, and military personnel through a portfolio that includes four-year undergraduate programs, master's and doctoral degrees (DOL, DBA), graduate certificates, and Skill Accelerator microcredentials. The institution runs an on-site education program at Fort Detrick for active-duty soldiers and partners with ApplyBoard for international student recruitment.
Core academic offerings span business (including a new ACBSP-accredited STEM MBA launching Fall 2026), computer science and cybersecurity, biomedical science and bioinformatics, counseling, education, nursing, and humanities. Specialized funded programs include a $999,850 NSF biotechnology training initiative in synthetic biology and biomanufacturing and a DOE-funded AI research collaboration with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The AI curriculum integrates machine learning, natural language processing, computer vision, and edge AI across disciplines, supported by a named cluster of eight AI-fluent faculty members. Infrastructure investment includes Phase Two of the Hodson Science and Technology Center renovation (funded by a $500,000 Kahlert Foundation grant) which will create a Bioscience Research and Education Center.
Hood operates a tuition-based revenue model with graduate tuition billed per credit, undergraduate tuition billed annually, and reduced cohort pricing for partner organizations such as Frederick County and Montgomery County Public Schools. Distribution is multi-channel: campus-based enrollment, online graduate programs, PK-12 district cohort partnerships, military on-site delivery at Fort Detrick, and international recruitment via ApplyBoard. The college is led by 12th President Debbie Ricker, Ph.D., who was inaugurated on October 18, 2025. Reported outcomes include an 84% post-graduation employment rate and a 40% promotion/post-graduation advancement rate among alumni, with employers spanning Adobe, AstraZeneca, Deloitte, Leidos, Booz Allen Hamilton, Oracle, the FDA, and Children's National Hospital.
Hood College firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hood College
- Legal name
- Hood College
- Website
- https://hood.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1893
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Hood College is a private liberal arts institution in Frederick, Maryland, founded in 1893, serving undergraduates, graduate students, working professionals, and military personnel through degree, certificate, and microcredential programs spanning business, STEM, biotech, AI, education, and healthcare.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hood College industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Higher Education
- NAICS
- Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- STEM-Focused Research Universities (Engineering & Applied Sciences) (EDAHABAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Comprehensive Doctoral Research Universities (Multi-Disciplinary) (EDAHABAA)
Keywords
Where Hood College is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Frederick
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Hood College business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Graduate Tuition: Graduate programs charge tuition varying by program (master's, doctoral, certificates). Programs include MBA, cybersecurity, biomedical science, counseling, education, and more. Financial aid, assistantships, and tuition discounts available.
- Undergraduate Tuition: Undergraduate education with stated commitment to accessibility and financial aid. 4PLUS programs offer dual-degree options with average $8K savings for participants.
- Skill Accelerator Badge Courses: Graduate-level microcredential courses charged per credit with reduced pricing for business and organizational cohorts. Badges are awarded for completing 1-2 graduate courses with B or better.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Per credit | Graduate programs per credit |
| Subscription | Annual | Undergraduate tuition |
| Unit Pricing | Per credit | Skill Accelerator badge courses |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels11 records
Hood College product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hood College is a private higher education institution offering undergraduate degrees, graduate master's and doctoral programs, graduate certificates, and graduate-level Skill Accelerator microcredential badges. Programs span business (including a STEM MBA), cybersecurity, biomedical science, education, counseling, AI, biotechnology, and humanities, delivered on-campus in Frederick, Maryland, online, and through cohort partnerships with employers, school districts, and military installations.
Product overview
Hood College is a higher education institution offering a comprehensive portfolio of academic programs. The core offerings include undergraduate programs, graduate degree programs (master's and doctoral), and continuing education through Skill Accelerator Badges. Graduate programs span business administration (including a new STEM MBA), biomedical science, bioinformatics, cybersecurity, computer science, counseling, education, nursing, and humanities. The institution provides specialized training programs funded by NSF for biotechnology and synthetic biology. Hood AI represents the college's AI-focused initiative combining faculty research with student education in machine learning, NLP, and computer vision. The 4PLUS dual-degree programs enable accelerated completion. Partnerships with 600+ organizations facilitate internships and career pathways. The Hodson Science and Technology Center renovation will establish a Bioscience Research and Education Center (BREC) for biotechnology education.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- 84% post-grad employment rate
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Hood College
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Hood College technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
AI capability7 records
Feature3 records
Hood College partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Miss America's Scholarship FoundationminorPartnership to offer full-tuition scholarships to Miss Maryland's Teen winners and local titleholders starting Fall 2026. Scholarships support young women's education and leadership development.
- Washington FreedomminorPartnership to create exclusive student internship program offering hands-on experience in IT, sports marketing, game-day operations, cybersecurity, and business administration. Washington Freedom is exploring establishing a home cricket park in Frederick County region.
- Infinite Computer SolutionsminorPartnered with Hood College and Frederick Community College through MOU to launch exclusive student internship program. Initiative aimed at workforce development and economic vitality in Frederick County.
- Frederick Community CollegecoreMOU partnership with Washington Freedom and Infinite Computer Solutions to create student internship program spanning multiple disciplines including IT, cybersecurity, and business.
- Towson UniversitycoreNSF-funded partnership with Towson University ($95,588 grant) to develop educational resources for edge intelligence, involving AI integration in network devices. Project aims to design low-cost testbeds, develop instructional materials, and integrate them into curricula at both institutions.
- Fort DetrickcoreEducational partnership for active-duty soldiers stationed at Fort Detrick, honoring GoArmy educational benefits without additional tuition expenses. Provides degree programs and professional development for military personnel.
- Frederick County Public SchoolscoreDirect Payment programs for FCPS employees and cohort agreements for Educational Leadership programs with reduced pricing for dedicated cohorts.
- Montgomery County Public SchoolscoreCohort agreements for Educational Leadership program providing reduced pricing for dedicated cohorts of students in both master's and certificate options.
- Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratorycoreDOE-funded partnership (DE-SC0025718, $150K) for Building a Regional AI Community Through Collaborative Research and Traineeship. PI: Aijuan Dong, Co-PI: Cheng Qian.
- ApplyBoardcoreInternational recruitment partner helping Hood College recruit international students. Ish Verma serves as regional recruiter representing Hood College.
- GoogleminorPartnership to host Applied Computing Series, bringing quality computer science education to Hood students through department support.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Hood College competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- McDaniel College: Small private liberal arts college in Westminster, Maryland with undergraduate and graduate programs and a similar regional Mid-Atlantic footprint. Comparable in scale, history (founded 1867), and dual undergraduate/graduate academic model to Hood College.
- Mount St. Mary's University: Private Catholic university in Emmitsburg, Maryland offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs with ROTC and strong regional employer connections. Closely comparable to Hood in size, Maryland location, and breadth of graduate professional offerings.
- Goucher College: Small private liberal arts college in Towson, Maryland with graduate programs and a focus on integrating liberal arts with professional preparation. Similar enrollment scale and Maryland Mid-Atlantic market positioning to Hood College.
- Stevenson University: Private university in Owings Mills, Maryland with undergraduate and graduate programs emphasizing career-focused professional degrees. Comparable in Maryland-based operations, professional/graduate program mix, and workforce-aligned positioning.
- Notre Dame of Maryland University: Private Catholic university in Baltimore with historic roots as a women's college, now co-educational, offering undergraduate and graduate programs including doctoral and professional certificates. Comparable in Maryland location, transition to co-ed, and graduate program breadth.
- Loyola University Maryland: Private Jesuit university in Baltimore with undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. Comparable in Mid-Atlantic regional market, breadth of graduate offerings, and integration of liberal arts with professional preparation, though larger in scale.
- Washington College: Small private liberal arts college in Chestertown, Maryland offering primarily undergraduate education with a regional Mid-Atlantic recruitment base. Comparable in Maryland location, private liberal arts identity, and small-institution scale.
- Frederick Community College: Public community college in Frederick, Maryland that recently signed an MOU with Hood College for shared internship programs. Direct local peer and pipeline partner given overlapping geography and shared student populations.
Broad incumbents
- Towson University: Large public university in Towson, Maryland with extensive undergraduate and graduate programs across STEM, business, and education. Directly relevant as Hood's NSF partner on the edge intelligence curriculum development grant and as a regional competitor for STEM students.
- University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC): Large public online-focused university serving working adults and military-affiliated students, headquartered in the Maryland region. Comparable in adult-learner and military markets (April Boulton previously worked at UMGC) but at much greater scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Hood College social profiles
Digital presenceHood College compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Hood College financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hood College leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles24 records
Hood College funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hood College M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hood College
What does Hood College do?
Hood College is a private higher education institution offering undergraduate degrees, graduate master's and doctoral programs, graduate certificates, and graduate-level Skill Accelerator microcredential badges. Programs span business (including a STEM MBA), cybersecurity, biomedical science, education, counseling, AI, biotechnology, and humanities, delivered on-campus in Frederick, Maryland, online, and through cohort partnerships with employers, school districts, and military installations.
Is Hood College a public or private company?
Hood College is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Hood College founded?
Hood College was founded in 1893. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Hood College based?
Hood College is headquartered in Frederick, United States, in the North America region.
How does Hood College make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Graduate Tuition is the primary driver. The others are undergraduate Tuition and skill Accelerator Badge Courses.
Who are Hood College's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are McDaniel College, Mount St. Mary's University, Goucher College, Stevenson University, Notre Dame of Maryland University, Loyola University Maryland, Washington College and Frederick Community College. Broad incumbents are Towson University and University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC).
Does Hood College have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hood College.
What industry is Hood College in?
Hood College's product category is Higher Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHABAB, STEM-Focused Research Universities (Engineering & Applied Sciences), with a secondary code of EDAHABAA, Comprehensive Doctoral Research Universities (Multi-Disciplinary). Its NAICS code is 6113 and its SIC code is 8200.