Auburn University

What Auburn University does

Auburn University is a public, land-grant research university founded in 1856 and headquartered in Auburn, Alabama, with a regional satellite campus in Birmingham (opened 2024–2026 in the historic Hood-McPherson Building) and a wholly owned subsidiary, Auburn University at Montgomery. The institution delivers undergraduate and graduate education across 12+ colleges spanning agriculture, architecture/design/construction, business, education, engineering, human sciences, liberal arts, nursing, pharmacy, sciences/mathematics, and veterinary medicine, plus an Honors College and Graduate School. Educational offerings are distributed through traditional on-campus instruction and Auburn Online, which extends globally accessible certificates, graduate degrees, and non-credit courses.

Revenue is generated across multiple streams: tuition and fees (recurring, annually billed), federally funded research contracts and grants (DHS $24M over five years for detection canine sciences, NASA ~$1.5M for lunar/Mars technologies, USDA $2.99M for SNAP Healthy Fluid Milk Incentives, FMCSA $1.9M for RFID smart tire research), and athletic event hosting and sponsorships at the 88,043-seat Jordan-Hare Stadium (e.g., Argentina vs Iceland international friendly with an estimated $10M economic impact under a Unified Events LLC partnership that returns 60% of net event revenue to Auburn). Government research contracts constitute the largest disclosed single funding flows, while tuition/fees and state appropriations anchor recurring operations.

Technology differentiation is concentrated in specific research programs: a 33 GHz conformal phased-array counter-UAS radar with neural-network classification at 86.6% accuracy, RFID-enabled battery-free smart tire sensing via AUTRI, predictive microbial modeling for meat spoilage, voice-controlled autonomous drone navigation for cotton boll estimation, mass spectrometry combined with machine learning for Alzheimer's biomarker discovery, and AI integration across the College of Education supported by the Circuit quadruped robot. The university employs a multi-channel GTM (campus visits via Camp War Eagle, athletic recruiting, international event hosting, and digital outreach) and is positioned as a Top 50 Public University (U.S. News & World Report, 2026) and Top 10% Research Institution.

Name

Auburn University

Legal name

Auburn University

Website

https://auburn.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1856

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Auburn University is a public land-grant research university founded in 1856, offering undergraduate and graduate programs across 12+ colleges to on-campus and online students, while generating significant revenue from federal research grants (DHS, NASA, USDA, FMCSA), tuition, and athletic event hosting at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Land-Grant Public Research Universities (EDAHAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Research Universities with Major Extension & Outreach Missions (EDAHAAAG), Public Research Universities with Comprehensive Graduate & Professional Schools (EDAHAAAF)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Public research university
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate degree programs
• Government research services

Headquarters

HQ city

Auburn University

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research Contracts and Grants: Auburn generates significant revenue through government research contracts including a $24 million DHS detection canine program (5-year project), $1.5 million NASA lunar/Mars technology grants, $2.99 million USDA SNAP dairy incentives grant, and $1.9 million FMCSA smart tire technology grant.
2. Athletic Events and Sponsorships: Revenue from hosting major events at Jordan-Hare Stadium including international soccer friendlies (Argentina vs Iceland generated estimated $10M economic impact with Auburn receiving 60% of net event revenue under MOU with Unified Events LLC).
3. Tuition and Fees: Public university with undergraduate and graduate programs generating revenue through tuition, fees, and related educational services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Auburn University is a public land-grant research university that delivers undergraduate and graduate degree programs across 12 academic colleges, both on its main Auburn, Alabama campus and through Auburn Online distance education. Beyond degree-granting instruction, it operates large-scale funded research programs for federal agencies (DHS detection canines, NASA lunar/Mars technology, USDA nutrition incentives, FMCSA smart tire research) and hosts athletic events at the 88,043-seat Jordan-Hare Stadium. The university also runs community extension services through the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.

Product overview

Auburn University is a public research institution offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs across 13 colleges, including the Colleges of Agriculture, Architecture/Design/Construction, Business, Education, Engineering, Forestry/Environment, Human Sciences, Liberal Arts, Nursing, Pharmacy, Sciences/Mathematics, and Veterinary Medicine, plus the Honors College and Graduate School. The university's product and service offerings span academic education (on-campus and online degree programs via Auburn Online), professional development and continuing education, research services, and specialized programs including a student-powered security operations center in partnership with TekStream, the College of Education's AI integration initiative featuring robotics and AI coursework, the Hunger Solutions Institute's SNAP nutrition incentive program, and transportation research including smart tire technology. Research infrastructure includes collaborations with USDA, technology partners (AWS, Splunk, Zebra Technologies, Murata), and participation in educational technology standards bodies like 1EdTech.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programs Four-year bachelor's degree programs across 12 academic colleges including Engineering, Business, Sciences, Liberal Arts, Agriculture, Architecture, Education, and other fields, delivered at the main Auburn campus and the Birmingham satellite location for traditional first-time college students.
• Graduate Degree Programs Master's and doctoral degree programs offered through Auburn's Graduate School, serving students seeking advanced academic credentials, with the College of Education ranked 74th of 270 in U.S. News Best Graduate Schools.
• Auburn Online Programs Distance education delivery of undergraduate certificates, graduate degree programs, and non-credit courses through the Auburn Online platform, enabling working professionals and adult learners globally to earn credentials from Auburn University without on-campus attendance.
• Detection Canine Sciences Research Program Specialized research service for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security developing optimal training and deployment techniques for detection canines nationwide, spanning multiple university colleges to study scientific aspects of canine detection.
• NASA Lunar and Mars Technology Research Funded research program developing technologies for lunar construction, advanced battery systems, and Mars exploration to support NASA's Moon to Mars architecture and Artemis program.
• SNAP Healthy Fluid Milk Incentives (HFMI) Program USDA-funded nutrition incentive program administered through Auburn's Hunger Solutions Institute that encourages SNAP households to purchase fluid milk through coupons and discounts across 169 SNAP-authorized retail stores in nine states, having served over 612,000 unique households.
• AUTRI RFID Smart Tire Technology Research Transportation research service through Auburn's Transportation Research Institute (AUTRI) testing battery-free RFID-enabled smart tire sensors for commercial trucks under parked inspection, fixed reader checkpoint, and continuous on-vehicle monitoring scenarios to address tire-related failures in truck crashes.
• Counter-UAS Phased-Array Radar Research Research capability centered on a 33 GHz hemispherical conformal phased-array radar system employing LCMV digital beamforming and neural-network classification to distinguish UAVs from birds for counter-unmanned aerial systems detection applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• 85% of teachers surveyed believe students spend too much time on screens during class (Auburn-led national study)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability11 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• USDAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 April 2026$2.99 million grant to Auburn's Hunger Solutions Institute to expand SNAP Healthy Fluid Milk Incentives across 169 retail locations in nine states. Program encourages SNAP households to purchase fluid milk through coupons and discounts.
• NASAmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 May 2024NASA awarded nearly $1.5 million in grants to 24 projects including Auburn for technologies for lunar and Mars exploration. Auburn is among 21 organizations developing lunar regolith use and advanced battery technologies to support Moon to Mars architecture and Artemis program.
• U.S. Department of Homeland SecuritymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 March 2022$24 million five-year research contract for detection canine sciences program to improve methods for using detection dogs to find explosives and criminals. Collaboration across multiple university colleges to study various scientific aspects of detection canines.
• Federal Motor Carrier Safety AdministrationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner$1.9 million grant to Auburn's Transportation Research Institute (AUTRI) to test RFID-enabled smart tire technology for commercial trucks over two years. Industry partners include Zebra Technologies, Murata, Beontag, Asyn, and Decklam Technologies.
• Department of WarmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDepartment of War named Auburn University as potential partner institution for military education programs, part of February 27 memo terminating Pentagon-funded programs at Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Yale, Brown, and MIT. Auburn is among 21 'value-aligned' universities identified as replacements.
• USDA-ARS National Soil Dynamics LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research initiative with USDA-ARS National Soil Dynamics Laboratory and University of Texas at Tyler's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering to advance drone and AI applications in agriculture.
• Unified Events LLCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership for hosting international soccer friendly (Argentina vs Iceland) at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn retained 60% of net event revenue under MOU; event generated estimated $10 million economic impact.
• University of Texas at TylerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with UT Tyler's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering to develop voice-controlled autonomous drone navigation and 3D cotton boll estimation technology.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Virginia Tech: Land-grant research university with similar engineering, agriculture, and Extension missions; comparable scale and Carnegie R1 status make it a useful benchmark for Auburn's research trajectory.
• University of Alabama: In-state peer and primary SEC rival; public research university of comparable scale with flagship engineering, business, and honors programs; competes directly with Auburn for Alabama's top in-state students, athletic recruits, and legislative appropriations.
• NC State University: Land-grant research peer with parallel engineering, agriculture, and textiles programs; comparable enrollment scale and similar federal research grant mix (USDA, DOD, DOE).
• Mississippi State University: SEC peer and fellow land-grant institution with comparable agriculture, engineering, and veterinary programs; competes with Auburn for federal Extension funding, research grants, and SEC recruiting talent in the regional Southeast market.
• University of Georgia: SEC peer land-grant university with similar Top 50 public profile, large research portfolio, and signature stadium; directly comparable scale, mission, and SEC athletic competition.
• Texas A&M University: Larger SEC peer land-grant university with parallel engineering, agriculture, and DHS-aligned research programs; sets the upper bound for the land-grant research segment in which Auburn competes.
• Clemson University: Public research university of comparable size and Carnegie classification; competes with Auburn for out-of-state Southeast students, federal research dollars, and athletic brand positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Purdue University: Top-ranked Big Ten land-grant research peer with comparable engineering, agriculture, and aviation programs; represents the upper-quartile outcome Auburn's research trajectory aims toward.
• Penn State University: Iconic land-grant and Big Ten peer with similar World Campus online enrollment, Extension footprint, and NCAA Division I athletic brand; provides a comparable model for land-grant system scale.
• University of Florida: Larger SEC peer public research university ranked Top 5 nationally; sets the benchmark Auburn aspires to for research output, online program scale, and overall brand positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/auburnu
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@AuburnU
• Facebookfacebook.com/11500923193
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/auburn-university
• Instagraminstagram.com/auburnu
• TikToktiktok.com/@auburnuofficial

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors6 records

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Auburn University