Centre College

What Centre College does

Centre College is a private, residential liberal arts college founded in 1819 and located in Danville, Kentucky, serving approximately 1,400 undergraduate students with a 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio. The institution delivers a four-year liberal arts and sciences curriculum spanning more than 50 majors, minors, and pre-professional programs, anchored by the "Centre Experience" framework that combines experiential learning, guaranteed study abroad across 35+ international and domestic locations, community engagement through the Bonner Program with 35+ nonprofit partners, and career readiness via CentreWorks and Career Exploration Communities. The college also operates 25 NCAA Division III athletic teams in the Southern Athletic Association, with 45% of students participating in varsity sports.

The underlying technology footprint is standard higher education infrastructure including learning management systems, the Grace Doherty Library, academic facilities, and research laboratories with specialized equipment such as patch-clamp electrophysiology rigs and 3-D printing/rapid prototyping capabilities. Centre has no public-facing API or app, and no AI/ML differentiation is evident in the input material. The college distributes educational services through its Danville campus, study abroad sites, online application and virtual tour channels, and a Centre STEM Summer Camp extending reach to high-school students.

The revenue model is a subscription-recurring tuition-and-fees model with significant financial aid subsidization. Net tuition revenue is reduced by $47M in Centre scholarships and grants awarded annually, with 90% of students receiving aid and average aid per recipient of $40,000. Auxiliary revenue streams include residential housing (98% on-campus residency), dining, athletics, and program fees. Philanthropy flows through the Centre Fund and designated giving options, including a $10 million 2022 anonymous gift earmarked for first-generation students. The customer base is granular and individualized across approximately 1,400 students, with no anchor-concentration risk, and the college operates under a self-perpetuating Board of Trustees as an independent, non-profit institution.

Name

Centre College

Legal name

Centre College

Website

https://centre.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1819

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Centre College is a private, residential liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky, founded in 1819, serving approximately 1,400 undergraduates with a 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio through experiential learning, study abroad, and career readiness programming.

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

Residential Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Secular/Nonsectarian Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAG), Interdisciplinary/Experimental Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAN)

Keywords

• Liberal arts education
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Study abroad programs
• Experiential learning
• Residential college experience

Headquarters

HQ city

Danville

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Primary revenue from student tuition and fees for educational services
2. Charitable Contributions: Donations from alumni, individuals, and foundations supporting scholarships, experiential learning, athletics, campus community, and general operations through the Centre Fund
3. Financial Aid Revenue (Net): Net tuition revenue after $47 million in scholarships and grants awarded annually

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Centre College is a private liberal arts and sciences undergraduate institution offering four-year residential degree programs across over 50 majors, minors, and pre-professional tracks. Its signature "Centre Experience" combines experiential learning (faculty-mentored research, internships, community engagement), guaranteed study abroad opportunities across 30+ global locations, and career readiness programming, supported by a 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio.

Product overview

Centre College is a premier liberal arts and sciences college offering a unified undergraduate educational experience built around experiential learning, study abroad, and career readiness. The core product is its undergraduate degree program spanning over 50 majors and minors in humanities, sciences, and professional fields. This is complemented by experiential programs including faculty-mentored research (RICE Symposium), internship-based career development, and guaranteed study abroad opportunities across 30+ international and domestic locations. Community engagement is delivered through the Bonner Program (960-hour service partnership with 35+ nonprofits) and the Civic and Community Engagement Office. Athletic programs (25 NCAA Division III teams) and the Centre STEM Summer Camp extend the institution's reach. Annual giving is facilitated through the Centre Fund with designated giving options. The college operates exclusively through its website without a public API offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Centre Experience: The college's signature approach to liberal arts education featuring experiential learning, study abroad, and career readiness
• Centre Colonels

Products and services

• Centre College Undergraduate Education A four-year residential liberal arts and sciences undergraduate degree program offering over 50 majors, minors, and pre-professional programs in humanities, sciences, social sciences, and professional tracks, delivered with a 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio.
• Study Abroad and Away Programs International and domestic study away opportunities across 35+ locations including Ghana, Mexico, Costa Rica, Myanmar, Thailand, Peru, Austria, France, South Africa, Colombia, and Sardinia, with 84% of students participating at least once and a guaranteed study abroad experience.
• Experiential Learning Curriculum Hands-on learning experiences including faculty-mentored research, internships, community-based learning, and active participation in the arts as part of the Centre Experience curriculum.
• Career Readiness Program Career and Professional Development services including internship opportunities, Career Exploration Communities, and employer connections preparing students for purposeful careers through CentreWorks.
• Bonner Program Four-year community service scholarship program pairing students with 35+ local nonprofit partners in the Danville-Boyle County community, including 960 hours of service, mentorship, and leadership development.
• Centre Colonels Athletics NCAA Division III athletics program with 25 men's and women's teams competing in the Southern Athletic Association, including 7 national championships since 2013, 45% student varsity participation, and 67% intramural participation.
• Centre STEM Summer Camp Week-long summer science program for high school students featuring hands-on STEM activities in physics, chemistry, engineering, neuroscience, and mathematics with laboratory experiences.
• RICE Symposium

Quantifiable outcome

• 84% of students study abroad at least once; 43% do so more than once
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• United Methodist Committee on ReliefmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Partnership for disaster recovery service trips. Centre students and faculty traveled to Canton, North Carolina to help restore a home ravaged by Hurricane Helene flooding.
• 35+ Local Nonprofit PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Bonner Program partners with 35+ local nonprofit organizations in the Danville-Boyle County community for student service learning and internships. These partners serve as co-educators providing direct mentorship throughout students' four years, with each student completing 960 hours of service, learning, and leadership development.
• Big Creek People In Action (BCPIA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership spanning over 20 years with BCPIA in Caretta, McDowell County, West Virginia. Bonner Scholars travel annually to assist with community programs including re-siding homes, after-school programs, and festival support.
• University of Kentucky College of EngineeringmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGraduate program partnership providing research opportunities and the Halcomb Fellowship for engineering and medicine research. Alumna Madison Bates conducted doctoral research developing wearable rehabilitation devices.
• Von Allmen Center for EntrepreneurshipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBootcamp accelerator supporting startup development and entrepreneurship education for students and alumni.
• Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center (EMRMC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partnership where Centre students and faculty developed and implemented vancomycin dosage nomogram now used by pharmacists and physicians. The hospital serves over 119,000 people.
• Pittsburgh SteelersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSports analytics collaboration with Jeffrey Heath and Centre students for performance analysis.
• Kentucky Governor's Scholars Program (GSP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongstanding partnership hosting the Governor's Scholars Program on Centre's campus for 38 years. Nearly 350 scholars attend the five-week program annually.
• Mellon Foundation Three-College Partnership (Centre, Rhodes, Sewanee)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMellon Foundation-funded partnership for study abroad program development. Sarah Murray leads the first semester abroad program in Ghana.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Davidson College: Highly selective residential liberal arts college in North Carolina with a comparable student-faculty ratio and a top-tier national reputation. Centre's senior philanthropy lead came directly from Davidson's $550M capital campaign, evidencing close operational comparability.
• Rhodes College: Residential liberal arts college in Memphis, TN of similar size and selectivity. Rhodes is one of Centre's named Mellon Foundation three-college study-abroad partners, confirming peer-level academic positioning.
• Sewanee: The University of the South: Residential liberal arts institution comparable in size and national ranking. Centre, Rhodes, and Sewanee share a Mellon Foundation three-college partnership, indicating direct peer collaboration on curriculum and study abroad.
• DePauw University: Indiana-based residential liberal arts college of similar enrollment scale and national ranking. Highly comparable on student life, athletics (Division III), and selective admissions profile.
• Denison University: Ohio-based residential liberal arts college with comparable enrollment, student-faculty ratio, and NCAA Division III athletics profile. Directly comparable on experiential learning and residential model.
• Washington and Lee University: Highly selective Virginia residential liberal arts institution with strong pre-professional outcomes and NCAA Division III athletics. Closest peer in academic reputation tier.
• Furman University: South Carolina residential liberal arts college with similar enrollment scale, NCAA Division I athletics footprint, and emphasis on pre-professional outcomes. Direct regional and academic peer.
• Wabash College: Indiana residential liberal arts college with comparable enrollment scale and NCAA Division III athletics. Most comparable peer for unit economics and small-college cost structure.

Regional players

• Hendrix College: Arkansas-based residential liberal arts college of similar size. Highly comparable operating model but with a different regional applicant pool and a slightly lower national ranking.
• Berea College: Kentucky-based residential liberal arts institution with a distinctive work-study and no-tuition model. Operationally different from Centre but the closest in-region peer by geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CentreC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UChpyk5VOmhkOiEGBH2FRBug
• Facebookfacebook.com/9425834874
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centre-college
• Instagraminstagram.com/centrecollege

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

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 Centre College