Nazareth University

What Nazareth University does

Nazareth University is a private, nonprofit institution of higher education founded in 1924 in Rochester, New York, serving approximately 2,400 to 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students. The university recently transitioned from "Nazareth College" to "Nazareth University," reflecting an expanded scope of academic offerings. It delivers more than 160 academic programs, including over 60 undergraduate majors, 70+ minors, and 30+ graduate programs, anchored by a signature Core Curriculum organized around Performance Excellence Questions (P-EQs), Integrative Studies, and Experiential Learning. Instruction is faculty-intensive, with a 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio and an average class size of 16, and 99% of graduates are reported to be employed or in graduate school within six months of completion. A 37,000-member alumni network spans 50 states and 56 countries, and 29% of students study abroad—roughly three times the national average.

The university's revenue model follows the standard private nonprofit higher-education template: tuition and fees are the primary revenue source, with tuition covering approximately 70% of educational cost and the remaining 30% covered by endowment, philanthropy, and grants. The institution is highly aid-dependent—100% of incoming first-year students receive financial aid, indicating significant tuition discounting. Recent external funding includes a $2.2 million federal grant (2023), a $1.2 million NSF/Micron workforce-development grant (2024), and a $50,000 Bank of America Neighborhood Builder grant (2025). Corporate and platform partnerships with M&T Bank, Bank of America, ZeeMee, and FreeWill extend capabilities in student recruitment, financial planning, and alumni estate giving. The SPARK Grant Program provides $1,500 per student for experiential learning, and licensure-track programs in health professions align curricula with regional employer demand.

Major employer destinations for Nazareth graduates include Strong Memorial Hospital, PwC, KPMG, Deloitte, Amazon, M&T Bank, and Rochester Regional Health, with additional placements in K-12 districts. The university has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a Best Value School, by Washington Monthly as a Best Bang for the Buck institution, and by The Princeton Review for undergraduate education quality. Leadership is in transition: Maureen F. Finney has been announced as the 11th president, effective July 1, 2026, succeeding current president Beth Paul. The institution's primary product is the credentialed graduate, monetized through tuition across a diversified but tuition-dependent revenue base.

Name

Nazareth University

Legal name

Nazareth University of Rochester

Website

https://naz.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1924

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Nazareth University is a private nonprofit institution of higher education in Rochester, NY, founded in 1924, serving approximately 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students through 160+ academic programs with a 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio and a faculty-intensive liberal-arts Core Curriculum.

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

Secular/Nonsectarian Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Land-Grant–Like/Extension-Oriented Private Research Universities (Applied Outreach) (EDAHABAK)

Keywords

• Undergraduate education
• Graduate programs
• Liberal arts education
• Health sciences programs
• Experiential learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Rochester

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, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Tuition provides 70% of what it costs to educate each student; per About page disclosure. Includes undergraduate tuition, graduate program tuition, and certificates. Pricing for individual programs available via Net Price Calculator and Cost of Attendance page.
2. Annual Fund Donations: Annual Fund gifts (Nazareth Annual Fund) of all sizes from alumni, parents, faculty/staff, and friends; supports financial aid, student life, global engagement, president's fund for emerging needs, DEI, and campus improvement. Recurring giving encouraged via payroll deduction.
3. Major Gifts, Planned Giving, and Endowments: Major gifts, endowed funds ($25,000 minimum for an endowed scholarship), planned gifts via wills/trusts/beneficiary designations/charitable gift annuities/CRATs/CLTs, and IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions. Endowed funds pay out interest annually in perpetuity.
4. Federal/Foundation Grants: Federal grants (e.g., NSF + Micron $1.2M STEM/microelectronics workforce grant; $2.2M federal grant for underrepresented-student retention and disability support) used to fund scholarships, training, and program infrastructure.
5. Corporate and Foundation Grants: Corporate and foundation grants, e.g., Bank of America 2025 Neighborhood Builder $50,000 grant for the SURPASS physician-assistant rural-access pilot program.
6. Stock/Securities Gifts: Gifts of appreciated stock transferred electronically through M&T Financial Services (Nazareth account #36568479).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Nazareth University is a private nonprofit institution of higher education that delivers undergraduate majors, minors, graduate degrees, and certificate programs across liberal arts, health and human services, and visual and performing arts. The university combines classroom instruction with structured experiential learning pathways (internships, clinicals, study abroad, research) and a signature Core Curriculum. It sells tuition-based enrollment to prospective students and supplements revenue with donations and grants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programs
• Graduate Degree and Certificate Programs
• B.F.A. Programs in Visual and Performing Arts Bachelor of Fine Arts programs in acting, art studio, musical theatre, theatre design and technology, and visual communication design, offered since 2012. Designed for students pursuing professional creative careers.
• Integrated Core Curriculum (P-EQs / Integrative Studies / CME Capstone) Signature general-education architecture combining Perspectives-Enduring Questions breadth, Integrative Studies depth, seven Experiential Learning pathways, the Core Milestone Experience (CME) capstone, and a Health & Wellness requirement, with each student curating a portfolio of artifacts. Embedded within all undergraduate degree programs.
• SURPASS Physician-Assistant Rural-Access Pilot Program Pilot program starting January 2026 to increase physician-assistant education access for rural students, funded by the Bank of America 2025 Neighborhood Builder $50,000 grant plus leadership training. Designed to address the regional shortage of physician assistants in rural areas.
• SPARK Grant Program $1,500 institutional Naz SPARK grant that supports undergraduate research, study abroad, or internship experiences. Available to undergraduate students as a signature experiential-learning funding mechanism.
• Visit Grant for Prospective Students $1,000 visit grant for prospective students seeking college for fall 2027 who schedule an early campus visit; eligibility rules apply. Designed to drive prospective-student campus visits and conversion.
• Planned-Giving and Major-Gift Programs Major gifts, endowed funds ($25,000 minimum for an endowed scholarship), planned gifts via wills, trusts, beneficiary designations, charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, and IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions. Powered by the FreeWill partner platform. Designed for alumni, parents, faculty/staff, and friends of the university.
• Federal STEM and Equity Scholarship Programs Scholarship and training programs funded by the $1.2M NSF+Micron STEM/microelectronics workforce grant (Dec 2024) and the $2.2M federal underrepresented-student grant (Nov 2023), supporting students pursuing teaching careers in high-need districts and underrepresented students with retention, graduation-rate, and disability-support initiatives. Designed for in-need undergraduate students.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% of new alumni employed or in graduate school within 6 months (Class of 2025)
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers27 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core (community-acquisition channel), core (planned-giving platform), operational (stock-gift processing), critical (institutional accreditation), critical (state authorization), strategic (interstate authorization) and regional (industry coordination).

• ZeeMeecore (community-acquisition channel)GTM or Marketing PartnerSocial-networking app integrated with Nazareth's admissions funnel — Nazareth's "ZeeMee" link (go.naz.edu/zeemee) drives prospective students to discover the school among 3,000+ college communities. Trusted by 2.6M+ students with 4.7 App Store rating.
• FreeWillcore (planned-giving platform)Technology or IntegrationPartnered online estate-planning platform (FreeWill) powering Nazareth's planned-giving microsite naz.mygiftlegacy.org, allowing donors to create wills, trusts, beneficiary designations, and QCDs at no cost.
• M&T Financial Services (Susan J. Nieznanski, CFP)operational (stock-gift processing)Channel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReceiving agent for Nazareth stock gifts; manages electronic transfers (DTC #0075, account #36568479, "Nazareth University of Rochester"). Notifications handled by Ashley Craft in Advancement Services.
• Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)critical (institutional accreditation)OthersInstitutional accreditor — Nazareth University is an accredited member of MSCHE (institution #0357), required for Title IV federal student aid eligibility.
• New York State Education Department (NYSED) / Board of Regentscritical (state authorization)OthersState authorizer — Nazareth is incorporated under the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York and registers its programs through NYSED. NYSED also serves as the SARA State Portal Entity.
• National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA)strategic (interstate authorization)OthersReciprocity-agreement body enabling Nazareth to offer postsecondary distance education across member states. Andrea Richards (NYSED) serves as the SARA supervisor.
• Consortium of Rochester Colleges (AI, demographic-shift, public-skepticism response)regional (industry coordination)Strategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration among Rochester colleges focused on AI readiness, demographic shifts, workforce alignment, student support, and infrastructure investments for 2026 and beyond.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Alfred University: Small private university in western NY (~1,500-2,000 students) with strong ceramics, engineering, and liberal-arts programs — similar enrollment scale and regional private nonprofit model.
• St. John Fisher University: Private Catholic university in Rochester, NY with comparable enrollment (~2,500-3,000 students), strong health-professions programs, and similar liberal-arts + professional mix — competes directly for the same Rochester-area student pool and employer relationships.
• Rochester Institute of Technology: Large private university in Rochester, NY with strong STEM, co-op, and experiential learning programs; competes for STEM-interested students and shares the same Rochester employer base (e.g., M&T Bank, PwC, KPMG).
• Ithaca College: Private liberal-arts + professional college in upstate NY (~5,000 students) with strong health sciences, music, and pre-professional programs — similar private nonprofit model and outcome-focused positioning.
• Le Moyne College: Small private Jesuit college in Syracuse, NY (~2,800 students) with comparable liberal-arts + health-professions mix and similar scale — competes for the same upstate NY Catholic/traditional student demographic.
• St. Bonaventure University: Small private Catholic university in western NY (~2,500 students) with comparable enrollment scale, Franciscan identity, and liberal-arts + business/health programs — direct regional competitor for similar student segments.
• D'Youville University: Small private health-sciences-focused university in Buffalo, NY (~2,500 students) with strong overlap in physician-assistant, PT, OT, and pharmacy programs — Maureen Finney's prior institution and a direct comparable in program mix.
• Canisius University: Small private Jesuit university in Buffalo, NY (~2,500 students) with comparable enrollment, liberal-arts + professional mix, and similar outcome-driven positioning in western NY.
• Keuka College: Small private college in Finger Lakes NY (~1,500-2,000 students) with strong health-professions (nursing, OT) and experiential learning focus — comparable enrollment scale, mission, and program mix.

Broad incumbents

• University of Rochester: Major private R1 research university in Rochester, NY with much larger scale (~6,500 undergrads), dominant URMC/Strong Memorial health-system employer pipeline, and broader program portfolio — competes for top regional talent and faculty.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Nazuniversity
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@NazarethUniversity
• Facebookfacebook.com/6177402498
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nazareth-college
• Instagraminstagram.com/nazuniversity
• TikToktiktok.com/@nazarethuniversity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 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 Nazareth University