Santa Clara University

What Santa Clara University does

Santa Clara University is a private, non-profit Jesuit university founded in 1851 in Santa Clara, California, making it the oldest operating higher education institution in California. The university operates a single main campus at 500 El Camino Real in the heart of Silicon Valley and employs approximately 2,000 faculty and staff serving an undergraduate and graduate student body that includes 1,134 international students and a global alumni network of approximately 110,000. Academically, SCU is organized across six schools: the College of Arts and Sciences, Leavey School of Business, School of Engineering, School of Law, School of Education and Counseling Psychology, and Jesuit School of Theology, supplemented by Centers of Distinction including the Cunningham Shoquist Center for Applied AI and Human Potential, the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education, and the Miller Center for Global Impact, as well as the online Santa Clara Online division.

The university generates revenue primarily through annual tuition and fees across undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs, supplemented by an endowment of approximately $875 million, auxiliary services (housing, dining, recreation), sponsored research grants (NIH, NSF, ACS, Cottrell Scholar), and major philanthropic gifts. Tuition is billed annually with financial aid and scholarships available, and undergraduate programs publish tuition through the Bursar's Office. The university is in active strategic expansion, with a $175 million gift and Sutter Health partnership funding the Mark & Mary Stevens School of Medicine (target opening around 2030, the first new Bay Area medical school in over a century), a nearly $25 million gift establishing the Applied AI center, and a $1.5 million gift supporting mental health and pediatric cancer research programs.

Outcomes-based positioning is central to SCU's value proposition: a 90% six-year graduation rate versus a 62% national average, 93% first-year retention, 81% four-year graduation rate, 77% employment within six months of graduation, and a $71.9K median graduate salary. The university ranks #59 nationally by U.S. News & World Report, #23 for undergraduate teaching, and Top 10 by Payscale for alumni salaries 10 years post-graduation, with direct Silicon Valley employer relationships across Google, Apple, NVIDIA, Cisco, Oracle, Amazon, and Microsoft supporting career outcomes.

Name

Santa Clara University

Legal name

Santa Clara University

Website

https://scu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1851

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Santa Clara University is a private, non-profit Jesuit university in Silicon Valley founded in 1851, operating six academic schools and serving undergraduate, graduate, and online students, with new initiatives in medical education and applied AI research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Christian Colleges with Theological Programs (EDAHAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Religiously Affiliated Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAF), Denominational Theological Colleges (e.g., Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Evangelical) (EDAHAKAM)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Jesuit undergraduate programs
• Graduate professional degrees
• Online degree programs
• Continuing professional education

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Clara

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Undergraduate Tuition and Fees: Tuition revenue from selective undergraduate admission programs, with published tuition and fees schedules managed through the Bursar's Office.
2. Graduate and Professional Education: Revenue from graduate programs across business, engineering, education, law, and theology schools, including executive education and part-time MBA programs.
3. Endowment and Donations: University endowment of approximately $875 million, with major gifts funding specific initiatives including the $175 million Stevens medical school gift.
4. Auxiliary Services: Housing, dining services, recreation facilities, bookstore, and conference services generating revenue from students and campus visitors.
5. Sponsored Research and Grants: Research funding from agencies including NIH ($500,000+ to Professor Bill Lu), National Science Foundation, and American Chemical Society ($90,000 to Professor Meaghan Deegan).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Santa Clara University is a Jesuit, Catholic comprehensive university delivering undergraduate, graduate, and online degree programs across six academic schools (Arts and Sciences, Business, Engineering, Education and Counseling Psychology, Law, and Theology). It supplements academic instruction with applied research centers, executive education, online programs, and student support services including housing, dining, and career placement.

Product overview

Santa Clara University is a Jesuit, Catholic comprehensive university offering undergraduate, graduate, and online programs across six academic schools: College of Arts and Sciences, Leavey School of Business, School of Engineering, School of Education and Counseling Psychology, School of Law, and Jesuit School of Theology. The university operates four Centers of Distinction (Cunningham Shoquist Center for Applied AI, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education, and Miller Center for Global Impact), two interdisciplinary centers (Center for Sustainability, Ciocca Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship), an online learning division (Santa Clara Online), and support facilities including de Saisset Museum and SCU Presents. A new Mark & Mary Stevens School of Medicine is under development in partnership with Sutter Health, representing the first new Bay Area medical school in over a century.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• College of Arts and Sciences Comprehensive liberal arts college offering undergraduate and graduate programs across humanities, sciences, and social sciences for students pursuing Jesuit liberal arts education.
• Leavey School of Business Business school offering undergraduate and graduate business programs with a focus on ethics and Silicon Valley innovation, including executive and part-time MBA programs.
• School of Engineering Engineering school offering undergraduate and graduate programs with specialized labs including bioengineering, robotics, nanotechnology, and frugal innovation.
• School of Law Law school offering JD and graduate legal programs with centers in global law and policy, social justice, high tech law, and sports law.
• School of Education and Counseling Psychology Graduate programs in education and counseling psychology for aspiring teachers, counselors, and educational leaders.
• Jesuit School of Theology Graduate theological school preparing students for ministry, teaching, and service in church and society.
• Santa Clara Online Online degree and certificate programs offering flexibility for working professionals to advance their careers through Santa Clara University's academic programs.
• Cunningham Shoquist Center for Applied AI and Human Potential University-wide interdisciplinary hub for AI research and education focusing on responsible AI development across healthcare, robotics, and infrastructure domains.
• Markkula Center for Applied Ethics Applied ethics center addressing ethical issues in business, technology, healthcare, and society through research and programming.
• Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education Center promoting the Jesuit educational mission through programs integrating faith, justice, and service learning.
• Ciocca Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center fostering innovation and entrepreneurship among SCU students and faculty through programming, mentorship, and venture support.
• Center for Sustainability Cross-disciplinary center advancing sustainability research, curriculum, and campus operations.
• Mark & Mary Stevens School of Medicine New medical school in partnership with Sutter Health, the first new Bay Area medical school in over a century, integrating AI research with clinical practice.

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• SunPower / Cobalt Power SystemscoreTechnology or Integration · 26 May 2026SunPower's subsidiary Cobalt Power Systems completed a 1.2 MW commercial solar and storage project for Santa Clara University, generating over 2.1 million kilowatt-hours of clean electricity annually with estimated energy savings of $350,000 per year.
• Sutter HealthflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 May 2026Partnership to establish the Mark & Mary Stevens School of Medicine, the first new medical school in the San Francisco Bay Area in over a century. The school will integrate medical education with SCU's AI research center and Sutter Health's clinical practice, addressing California's projected shortage of 37,000 physicians. Located adjacent to Sutter's West Santa Clara medical center.
• NFL and 49ers FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 February 2026Fourth annual Super Bowl Health Symposium bringing together medical experts, physicians, athletic trainers, and medical students to discuss athlete health, safety, and recovery topics including concussion protocols and return-to-play strategies.
• Multi-institutional Research ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration including Florida State University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Towson University, and Princeton University on magnetic particle-driven drug delivery systems, funded by the National Science Foundation.
• Lucile Packard Children's Hospital StanfordminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMatching grant establishing the Taube Stem Cell Pediatric Cancer Research Fund at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford as part of Taube Philanthropies transition initiatives.
• AmazonminorOthersReference to Amazon.com sending cease and desist letter regarding Perplexity's shopping bot - unrelated to Santa Clara University operations.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Stanford University: Elite Silicon Valley research university and SCU's most direct local competitor for STEM talent, AI research positioning, and employer recruiting. Both serve the same Bay Area employer base and compete for top students in the region.
• University of California, Berkeley: Flagship public university in the Bay Area competing for the same applicant pool and employer relationships. Sets the regional ceiling for academic reputation and AI/engineering talent.

Direct peers

• University of San Francisco: Jesuit, Catholic, Bay Area private university with similar undergraduate and graduate programs. Directly competes for Jesuit-aligned students and shares the same Silicon Valley recruiting ecosystem.
• Santa Clara University's Jesuit peer: Boston College: Major Jesuit research university with comparable college structure (Arts & Sciences, Business school, Law school). Closest peer institutionally for benchmarking admissions, endowment, and academic program strategy.
• Loyola Marymount University: Jesuit-Marymount university in Los Angeles with similar size, college structure, and mission orientation. Comparable peer for undergraduate teaching and faith-based higher education benchmarks.
• Gonzaga University: Jesuit university with similar size, comprehensive program mix (business, engineering, law-adjacent), and national ranking band. Direct peer for Catholic university benchmarking.
• University of San Diego: Catholic private university on the West Coast with comparable undergraduate teaching emphasis and graduate professional programs. Peer institution for Jesuit/Catholic higher education strategy.
• Marquette University: Jesuit university with parallel college structure including business, engineering, law, and education schools. Comparable institution for ranking, endowment, and program-mix benchmarking.
• Fordham University: Jesuit university in New York with similar comprehensive program offerings and ranking band. Direct peer for undergraduate teaching reputation and graduate professional school strategy.

Regional players

• San Jose State University: Large public university in San Jose serving the same Silicon Valley employer base. Competes for in-region applicants, particularly transfer students and graduate program enrollees.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SantaClaraUniv
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCsii-lMGVZ5tL3lj2No6i7A?sub_confirmation=1
• Facebookfacebook.com/SantaClaraUniversity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/santa-clara-university
• Instagraminstagram.com/santaclarauniversity
• TikToktiktok.com/@santaclarauniv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Santa Clara University