Birmingham Southern College
Birmingham-Southern College was a private nonprofit liberal arts college in Birmingham, Alabama, serving undergraduate students with nationally ranked degree programs. The institution ceased operations on May 31, 2024 and its 192-acre campus is being acquired by the U.S. Coast Guard for use as a training center.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1856
- HeadquartersBirmingham, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Birmingham Southern College does
Birmingham-Southern College was a private, nonprofit liberal arts college chartered in 1856 and headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. It offered undergraduate liberal arts education across multiple disciplines, held Alabama's second Phi Beta Kappa chapter (received 1927), produced six Rhodes Scholars, and was recognized as a nationally ranked liberal arts institution. The college served a primary customer segment of traditional undergraduate students and generated revenue through tuition, fees, and institutional fundraising on a 192-acre campus on Birmingham's west side.
BSC operated as an independent institution governed by a Board of Trustees and was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). It had no proprietary technology platform; its product was degree-granting liberal arts education, supplemented by ancillary programs such as a National Academies-funded environmental justice and climate change curriculum for Mobile schools and historical archival services that have since been transferred to the Birmingham Public Library's Department of Archives and Manuscripts.
The college's financial trajectory turned negative after the 2009 market crash, which erased approximately $25 million in endowment value, and was compounded by a 2010 discovery of a $5 million-per-year federal student aid budgeting error against a roughly $49 million operating budget. Despite the hiring of President Daniel B. Coleman in December 2018 to lead a financial turnaround, state-level loan support via SB278 was not funded after the State Treasurer denied the application in October 2023. The Board of Trustees voted unanimously to close the institution, operations ceased on May 31, 2024, and the campus was selected for acquisition by the U.S. Coast Guard for conversion to a training center.
Birmingham Southern College firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Birmingham Southern College
- Legal name
- Birmingham-Southern College
- Website
- https://bsc.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1856
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Birmingham-Southern College was a private nonprofit liberal arts college in Birmingham, Alabama, serving undergraduate students with nationally ranked degree programs. The institution ceased operations on May 31, 2024 and its 192-acre campus is being acquired by the U.S. Coast Guard for use as a training center.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Birmingham Southern College industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Higher Education (Liberal Arts)
- NAICS
- Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- General Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Residential Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAH)
Keywords
Where Birmingham Southern College is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Birmingham
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Birmingham Southern College business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others
Marketing channels3 records
Birmingham Southern College product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Birmingham-Southern College was a private nonprofit liberal arts college providing undergraduate education leading to bachelor's degrees across multiple academic disciplines. The college also developed specialized curricular offerings (e.g., an environmental justice and climate change curriculum for Mobile schools) and maintained historical archives now housed at the Birmingham Public Library. The institution ceased normal operations on May 31, 2024.
Product overview
Birmingham-Southern College was a private liberal arts college offering undergraduate education across multiple disciplines. The institution did not operate a traditional product or software platform; rather, it provided educational services including degree programs, curriculum development (such as environmental justice and climate change curriculum for Mobile schools), and archival services through partnerships with external institutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use Birmingham Southern College
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Birmingham Southern College technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Birmingham Southern College partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.
- Parchment Credentialing ServicesminorFollowing closure, BSC entered into an agreement with Parchment Credentialing Services for transcript handling. Students whose last date of attendance or graduation year was after 1983 should request transcripts from Parchment. Contact: Ben Pagen, Associate Regional Sales Manager, or Matthew Pittinsky, CEO.
- Alabama Community College SystemminorThe Alabama Community College System serves as the formal custodian of records for BSC. ACCS can access records prior to 1984 and will be able to search for records for which the requester has incomplete or incorrect information. Students who graduated from BSC prior to 1984 should request transcripts from ACCS.
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and MedicinecoreBirmingham-Southern College received a $1.25 million grant from the National Academies to develop an environmental justice and climate change curriculum for Mobile schools. The initiative involves community partnerships and targets middle and high school students with an emphasis on local environmental issues and service learning.
- U.S. Coast GuardflagshipThe United States Coast Guard selected the Birmingham-Southern College campus as the location for a new training center. Upon closing of the sale, the Coast Guard will take possession of the 192-acre campus on Birmingham's west side and will begin work to refit it as a training center for USCG officers and enlisted personnel. This represents a significant acquisition following the college's closure.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights2 records
Birmingham Southern College competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Furman University: Private, residential liberal arts college in Greenville, South Carolina with comparable enrollment scale, Phi Beta Kappa chapter, and southern U.S. positioning — directly comparable to Birmingham-Southern on size, mission, and target student profile.
- Rhodes College: Memphis-based private liberal arts college with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter and similar undergraduate-only residential model; directly comparable to BSC on academic reputation, scale, and southeastern liberal-arts positioning.
- Sewanee: The University of the South: Small private liberal arts college on a large domain-anchored campus; comparable to BSC on residential liberal-arts mission, religious heritage, and rural/small-city campus footprint.
- Centre College: Highly selective private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky with Phi Beta Kappa recognition; directly comparable to BSC on academic selectivity, undergraduate-only mission, and southern U.S. footprint.
- Wofford College: Private residential liberal arts college in Spartanburg, South Carolina affiliated with the United Methodist Church; directly comparable to BSC on Methodist heritage, southern location, small-college scale, and Phi Beta Kappa-level academic reputation.
- Hendrix College: Private liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas affiliated with the United Methodist Church; comparable to BSC on denominational heritage, residential undergraduate focus, and small-college scale in a southern state.
- Rollins College: Private liberal arts college in Winter Park, Florida with comparable undergraduate residential mission and southeastern U.S. positioning; aligns with BSC on mission, scale, and target student demographic.
- Southwestern University: Private liberal arts college in Georgetown, Texas affiliated with the United Methodist Church; comparable to BSC on Methodist heritage, residential undergraduate mission, and small-college scale.
Regional players
- Samford University: Private Alabama-based university with Baptist roots and a stronger enrollment base that absorbed many displaced BSC students post-closure; comparable as a regional higher-education competitor and natural successor institution in the Birmingham/Alabama market.
Broad incumbents
- University of Alabama at Birmingham: Large public research university located in Birmingham that is the dominant higher-education institution in BSC's home city; comparable as a broad incumbent serving the same Birmingham student market that BSC historically served.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Birmingham Southern College social profiles
Digital presenceBirmingham Southern College compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Birmingham Southern College financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Birmingham Southern College leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Birmingham Southern College funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Birmingham Southern College M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Birmingham Southern College
What does Birmingham Southern College do?
Birmingham-Southern College was a private nonprofit liberal arts college providing undergraduate education leading to bachelor's degrees across multiple academic disciplines. The college also developed specialized curricular offerings (e.g., an environmental justice and climate change curriculum for Mobile schools) and maintained historical archives now housed at the Birmingham Public Library. The institution ceased normal operations on May 31, 2024.
Is Birmingham Southern College a public or private company?
Birmingham Southern College is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently closed.
When was Birmingham Southern College founded?
Birmingham Southern College was founded in 1856. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Birmingham Southern College based?
Birmingham Southern College is headquartered in Birmingham, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Birmingham Southern College's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Furman University, Rhodes College, Sewanee: The University of the South, Centre College, Wofford College, Hendrix College, Rollins College and Southwestern University. Samford University is listed as a regional player. University of Alabama at Birmingham is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Birmingham Southern College have an API?
No public API is recorded for Birmingham Southern College.
What industry is Birmingham Southern College in?
Birmingham Southern College's product category is Higher Education (Liberal Arts). Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHACAA, General Liberal Arts Colleges, with a secondary code of EDAHACAH, Residential Liberal Arts Colleges. Its NAICS code is 611310 and its SIC code is 8200.