Saint Peter's University

What Saint Peter's University does

Saint Peter's University is a private, nonprofit Jesuit Catholic institution founded in 1872 in Jersey City, New Jersey, operating a 25-acre main campus minutes from Manhattan. It is one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States and brands itself as 'The Jesuit University of New Jersey,' offering undergraduate, graduate, online, and accelerated degree programs across five academic units: the College of Arts and Sciences, the Frank J. Guarini School of Business, the School of Nursing, the Caulfield School of Education, and the School of Professional Studies. Notable academic offerings include a Master of Science in Data Science delivered through the Data Science Institute, an MSN Family Nurse Practitioner program, and corporate education programs delivered on-site to enterprise and government clients including Pershing, Port Authority of NY/NJ, Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and NJ Transit.

The university's core technology stack is built on third-party platforms rather than proprietary systems: Handshake for the career network connecting students and alumni with over 250,000 employers and 600+ corporate partners, Blackboard as the learning management system, Spirit Online as the student information system, Google Apps for email and productivity, and Almabase for alumni engagement. The Center for Career Engagement and Experiential Learning (CEEL) and a Four-Year Career Plan operationalize career outcomes, supported by Big Interview for virtual interview training. Reported outcomes include a 94% job placement rate and 99% of the Class of 2024 employed or in graduate school within six months, with U.S. News & World Report recognition as New Jersey's leader in social mobility and as a Best Value institution in the Regional Universities North category.

Revenue is generated primarily through tuition and fees paid by a distributed base of undergraduate, graduate, adult learner, transfer, military/veteran, and international students, supplemented by alumni giving, donations, and corporate education contracts. Specific tuition amounts are not publicly disclosed; the university emphasizes that average financial aid packages significantly reduce net cost. The institution is governed independently as a nonprofit, has no parent company or institutional investor backing, and employs 101–250 staff. Marketing operates as a traditional sales-led higher education motion across website, social media, campus visits, career fairs, and alumni communications.

Name

Saint Peter's University

Legal name

Saint Peter's University

Website

https://saintpeters.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1872

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Saint Peter's University is a private Jesuit Catholic university in Jersey City, NJ, offering undergraduate, graduate, online, and corporate education programs across five schools to traditional, adult, transfer, military, and international students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Denominational Theological Colleges (e.g., Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Evangelical) (EDAHAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Online Graduate Schools (Master’s & Doctoral Programs) (EDAHALAD), Graduate Schools of Education (M.Ed., Ed.D., Ph.D.) (EDAHAFAB), University/College Continuing Education (Extension) Programs (EDAAAEAA)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate degree programs
• Jesuit university education
• Career development services

Headquarters

HQ city

Jersey City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue from undergraduate and graduate tuition, including full-time, part-time, and online program fees charged to students for educational services.
2. Financial Aid and Scholarships: University provides average financial aid packages that significantly reduce the cost of attendance, making private higher education affordable for students.
3. Alumni Giving and Donations: Philanthropic contributions from alumni, donors, and supporters including planned giving, capital campaigns, and annual fund donations to support university programs and student scholarships.
4. Corporate Education Contracts: Customized educational programs delivered at corporate locations for employees, including professional and continuing studies programs for corporate clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Saint Peter's University is a Jesuit Catholic institution of higher education that delivers undergraduate, graduate, and accelerated degree programs across five colleges and schools, supplemented by online degree options. The university prepares students for career outcomes through the Center for Career Engagement and Experiential Learning (CEEL), which connects learners with 600+ corporate partners and 250,000+ employers via the Handshake platform. The university also extends its academic offerings through customized corporate education and professional studies programs delivered at employer sites.

Product overview

Saint Peter's University is a Jesuit Catholic higher education institution offering a comprehensive portfolio of academic programs across multiple colleges and schools, along with career development services. The university's academic structure includes the College of Arts and Sciences, the Frank J. Guarini School of Business, the School of Nursing, the Caulfield School of Education, and the School of Professional Studies. Students can pursue undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees (on-campus or online), and accelerated programs combining undergraduate and graduate coursework. The university also provides career services through the Center for Career Engagement and Experiential Learning (CEEL), featuring the Handshake career platform and Big Interview interview preparation tool. The product portfolio is education-focused rather than technology product-focused.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programs Four-year bachelor's degree programs across multiple majors, delivered primarily on-campus in Jersey City, intended for first-year students entering directly from high school and integrating experiential learning, internships, and faith-based Jesuit liberal arts and pre-professional preparation.
• Graduate Degree Programs Master's, doctoral, and certificate programs designed for working professionals and recent graduates seeking career advancement or specialization, delivered on-campus and online at the Jersey City campus.
• Online Degree Programs Graduate degree programs delivered remotely, allowing working professionals to advance their education from any location without on-campus attendance.
• Accelerated Graduate Degrees Accelerated programs that combine undergraduate and graduate coursework, enabling students to complete a graduate degree in a shorter overall timeframe.
• Master of Science in Data Science A graduate Master of Science program in Data Science offered through the Data Science Institute at Saint Peter's University, intended for students seeking to become data scientists.
• Family Nurse Practitioner MSN Program A Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program preparing registered nurses for advanced practice as Family Nurse Practitioners in primary care across the lifespan.
• Corporate Education and Professional Development Programs Customized educational programs delivered on-site at corporate client locations for employee development and continuing studies, provided through the School of Professional and Continuing Studies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% of Class of 2024 was employed or in graduate school within 6 months of graduation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 600+ Corporate Partners (CEEL)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCareer Engagement and Experiential Learning (CEEL) connects students with over 600 corporate partners for internships, job placements, and career development. Partners include employers across various industries recruiting through Handshake platform and on-campus recruiting events.
• PershingminorOthersCorporate client for School of Professional and Continuing Studies. Customized educational programs brought to the corporate location.
• Port Authority of NY/NJminorOthersCorporate client for School of Professional and Continuing Studies. Customized educational programs brought to the corporate location for employee development.
• Horizon Blue Cross / Blue ShieldminorOthersCorporate client for School of Professional and Continuing Studies. Customized educational programs brought to the corporate location for employee professional development.
• NJ TransitminorOthersCorporate client for School of Professional and Continuing Studies. Customized educational programs brought to the corporate location for employee advancement.
• HandshakecoreTechnology or IntegrationCareer platform partnership providing students and alumni access to over 250,000 employers, job postings, interview scheduling, and employer connection features.
• Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of a network of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States. University president Dr. Hubert Benitez participates in AJCU gatherings including historic Vatican meeting with Pope Leo XIV.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Seton Hall University: Seton Hall is a private Catholic university in South Orange, NJ, with comparable enrollment scale, similar graduate and professional programs, and direct overlap in the NJ private university recruitment market. It is the most direct competitor to Saint Peter's for NJ-based undergraduate and graduate students, with overlapping faith-based positioning and geographic proximity.
• Fairleigh Dickinson University: FDU is a private NJ university with a campus in Madison and a metropolitan campus in Teaneck, directly competing for the same NJ undergraduate and adult-learner pool as Saint Peter's. Both schools emphasize affordability, career outcomes, and regional employer connections, and FDU's Metropolitan campus targets similar working-adult and graduate students as SPU's School of Professional Studies.
• Monmouth University: Monmouth is a private university in West Long Branch, NJ, comparable in scale to Saint Peter's with a similar portfolio of undergraduate, graduate, and online programs, and overlapping recruitment territory in the NY/NJ metropolitan area. It competes head-to-head for commuter students, transfer students, and adult learners on affordability and career outcomes claims.
• Rider University: Rider is a private NJ university (Lawrenceville) that competes directly with Saint Peter's for the same undergraduate and graduate students in the NJ/PA metro area, with overlapping business and education programs. Both schools emphasize career readiness, regional employer relationships, and similar tuition-discounting strategies, making them direct competitors in the same recruiting geography.
• Felician University: Felician is a small private Catholic university with campuses in Lodi and Rutherford, NJ, very similar in size and program mix to Saint Peter's. Both schools emphasize affordability, social mobility, working-adult graduate programs, and faith-based identity, competing directly for the same NJ nursing and education students.

Broad incumbents

• Fordham University: Fordham is a much larger Jesuit university in New York City, sharing Saint Peter's Jesuit Catholic identity, AJCU membership, and metropolitan-NY student market. While Fordham is a research-tier incumbent with national brand recognition, it competes for the same NYC-area Catholic students and serves as an aspirational peer — and a feeder source for transfer and graduate students who may start at Saint Peter's.
• Marquette University: Marquette is a peer Jesuit university (Milwaukee, WI) and AJCU member that is larger in scale. It represents the broader Jesuit institutional model — Catholic, mission-driven, career-outcomes focused — and functions as both a programmatic benchmark and a peer institution within the AJCU system for collaboration, faculty exchange, and student transfer pathways.
• Creighton University: Creighton is a Jesuit university in Omaha, NE, comparable in mission and structure to Saint Peter's, with strong health science programs (including nursing, like SPU's FNP). As a fellow AJCU institution, it offers transferable models in experiential learning, corporate partnership development, and Jesuit mission integration, and benchmarks SPU on academic and outcome metrics.
• Villanova University: Villanova is a Catholic (Augustinian) university in PA that is larger and more research-focused than Saint Peter's but competes in the same Mid-Atlantic market for Catholic-identity undergraduate students. It represents an aspirational peer in terms of brand positioning, alumni giving infrastructure, and academic-quality signaling for prospective SPU students upgrading their choices.

Emerging players

• Jersey College: Jersey College is a private nursing-focused institution with a NJ presence, representing the specialized health-sciences competitor that threatens SPU's nursing program growth. As an emerging player in accelerated nursing education, it intersects with SPU's MSN/FNP programs on price-sensitive nursing candidates in the same regional market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/saintpeterscollege
• Facebookfacebook.com/saintpetersuniversity
• Instagraminstagram.com/saintpetersuniversity
• TikToktiktok.com/@saintpetersuniversity?lang=en
• Xx.com/saintpetersuniv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

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 Saint Peter's University