Governers State University

What Governers State University does

Governors State University ("GovState") is a four-year public university located at 1 University Parkway, University Park, Illinois, established in 1969 as the newest of Illinois' public universities. The institution offers 64 degree programs and 24 certificate programs through seven colleges and schools: the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, College of Education and Human Development, College of Graduate Studies, College of Health and Human Services, GovState Honors College, and the School of Extended Learning. GovState holds HLC institutional reaccreditation (last affirmed in 2020) and 13+ programmatic accreditations spanning nursing, business, occupational therapy, public administration, health administration, social work, education, communication disorders, chemistry, physical therapy, and addictions studies.

The university serves a diverse student population including freshmen, transfer students, graduate students, international students, working adults, non-degree seekers, and military veterans, with community college transfer pathways and Spanish-language admissions materials supporting outreach across the Chicago Southland. Beyond academics, GovState operates cultural assets — the Center for Performing Arts, Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park, Visual Arts Gallery, and Chicago Southland International Film Festival — plus the Family Development Center, an early childhood education facility for children ages 6 weeks to 8 years. Administrative operations are run on the Ellucian Colleague ERP; communications and collaboration on Microsoft 365; and compliance functions such as Title IX reporting on Case IQ.

Governance sits with the Illinois Board of Higher Education and the university's own Board of Trustees; revenue is generated through tuition, fees, federal Title IV financial aid, grants, and state appropriations (a public funding model, not direct commercial sales). Marketing is community-led, anchored on the govst.edu website, campus tours and open houses, NCAA athletics, social/ community engagement, and partnerships with community colleges. Per a 2020 U.S. EDA grant record, the institution has received at least one federal economic-development grant that year; financials are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Governers State University

Legal name

Governors State University

Website

https://govst.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1890

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Governors State University is an Illinois public university founded in 1969, located in University Park near Chicago, offering 64 degree and 24 certificate programs across seven colleges and serving traditional, transfer, graduate, international, and veteran students in the Chicago Southland region.

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

Public Research Universities with Multi-Campus Systems (EDAHAAAI)

Keywords

• Public higher education
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate degree programs
• Professional certifications
• Continuing education

Headquarters

HQ city

Park Forest

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue from undergraduate and graduate tuition, along with various student fees for academic services
2. Financial Aid: Federal and state financial aid programs including Title IV student loans and grants
3. Family Development Center Services: Childcare services for children ages 6 weeks to 8 years from Chicago Southland communities, including specialized services for pregnant women

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Governors State University is a four-year public university in Illinois offering 64 degree programs and 24 certificate programs across seven colleges (Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Human Development, Graduate Studies, Health and Human Services, Honors College, and School of Extended Learning). It delivers instruction through on-campus, online, and hybrid formats and operates ancillary community assets including the Family Development Center (childcare ages 6 weeks to 8 years), the Center for Performing Arts, Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park, and the Chicago Southland International Film Festival.

Product overview

Governors State University is a public Illinois university offering a comprehensive portfolio of academic programs through six colleges (Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Human Development, Graduate Studies, Health and Human Services, Honors College) plus the School of Extended Learning. Beyond academics, the university operates cultural facilities including the Center for Performing Arts, Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park, Chicago Southland International Film Festival, and Visual Arts Gallery. The Family Development Center provides early childhood education services for children ages 6 weeks to 8 years. The institution uses the Ellucian Colleague ERP system for administrative operations and Microsoft 365 for communication services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Family Development Center (FDC): Early childhood education center providing specialized services for pregnant women and children ages 6 weeks – 8 years in Chicago's Southland communities.
• Center for Performing Arts
• Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park
• Chicago Southland International Film Festival (CSIFF)
• Visual Arts Gallery
• GovState Honors College

Products and services

• Academic Degree and Certificate Programs 64 undergraduate and graduate degree programs and 24 certificate programs across the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, College of Education and Human Development, College of Graduate Studies, College of Health and Human Services, GovState Honors College, and School of Extended Learning; delivered on-campus, online, and hybrid.
• Family Development Center (FDC) Childcare Services NAEYC-accredited early childhood education and childcare services for children ages 6 weeks to 8 years, plus specialized services for pregnant women. Operating Monday-Friday, 7:00 am - 5:30 pm, located at 1 University Pkwy, University Park, IL. Available to university community and Chicago Southland families.
• Center for Performing Arts Events Ticketed live performance events (music, theater, dance, and other performing arts) hosted at GovState's world-class performing arts venue, with online ticketing through the Box Office system.

Quantifiable outcome

• Last HLC reaccreditation completed in 2020
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Illinois State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIllinois State University serves as GovState's remote disaster recovery site. Data is replicated to Illinois State University's facility for business continuity purposes. The partnership enables GovState to maintain robust disaster recovery capabilities with semi-annual testing of the disaster recovery process.
• The Higher Learning CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Higher Learning Commission is the institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education that accredits Governors State University. The accreditation was last reaffirmed in 2020.
• Illinois Board of Higher EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAs a public university in Illinois, GovState is authorized by the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), which maintains institutional profiles and oversees higher education in the state.
• American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovState is a proud member of AASCU, which serves public higher education through student-centered advocacy, policy advisories, and state issue and policy analysis.
• Ellucian (Colleague ERP)coreTechnology or IntegrationEllucian provides the Colleague Enterprise Resource Planning system that serves as GovState's core administrative system. The system manages student information, financial data, and human resources, with the Director of Applications Development responsible for administration.
• Microsoft 365coreTechnology or IntegrationGovState provides Official Email Accounts via Microsoft 365 service using govst.edu and student.govst.edu domains. The platform supports email, collaboration, and communication tools for students and employees.
• Case IQcoreTechnology or IntegrationCase IQ powers GovState's Secure Electronic Title IX Reporting Portal, enabling confidential and anonymous reporting of sexual harassment. The system supports the university's Title IX compliance program.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Chicago State University: Public state university in Chicago serving similar urban/suburban commuter and underrepresented student populations; closely comparable mission, scale, and Illinois public-system positioning to GovState.
• Northeastern Illinois University: Public state university in the Chicago metro with a comparable commuter, transfer-heavy, and diverse student profile; similar Illinois Board of Higher Education governance and regional-serving mission.
• University of Illinois Springfield: Public state university in Illinois with a similar mid-size, regional, transfer- and graduate-oriented portfolio; competes with GovState for the same state-funded adult and online learner segments.
• Southern Illinois University Edwardsville: Public regional state university in Illinois offering comparable professional programs (business, nursing, education) with a similar mix of commuter and residential students.

Broad incumbents

• Northern Illinois University: Larger Illinois public research university that competes with GovState for in-state students and faculty, particularly in graduate and professional programs.
• Lewis University: Private Catholic university in the Chicago Southland that competes with GovState for the same regional commuter and graduate student market, particularly in business, education, and nursing.

Regional players

• University of Wisconsin-Parkside: Regional public university in Kenosha, WI serving the greater Chicago metro/south-east Wisconsin corridor with a comparable commuter, transfer, and professional program mix.
• Indiana University Northwest: Regional public university serving a Chicago-adjacent commuter population with similar professional accreditation profile and adult-learner focus.

Others

• Prairie State College: Community college in Chicago Heights feeding GovState's transfer pathways; functions as a primary feeder and channel partner for undergraduate enrollment.
• Moraine Valley Community College: Large Chicago Southland community college providing transfer students into GovState's bachelor's programs; key upstream channel partner for enrollment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/227784303929987
• Xx.com/Governors_State
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/governors-state-university

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Governers State University