Ripon College

What Ripon College does

Ripon College is a private, nonprofit liberal arts college founded in 1851 in Ripon, Wisconsin. It serves approximately 700+ undergraduate students across 80+ areas of study, with 97% living on its 250-acre residential campus (26 buildings, 10 on the National Register of Historic Places). The institution also offers graduate programs — a Master of Exercise Science in a 4+1 direct-entry format and a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN Direct Entry) — alongside 18 NCAA Division III varsity sports teams (Red Hawks, Midwest Conference), 40+ student organizations, and an Esports program. Core academic features include a five-course experiential Catalyst Curriculum, a formal Four-Year Graduation Guarantee, the SOAR experiential learning program, and the $23.5M Willmore Center athletic/wellness complex and Franzen Science Center as recruiting and learning infrastructure. The College holds one of only 290 Phi Beta Kappa chapters nationally and has produced three Rhodes Scholars.

The College's core technology is its residential campus and experiential curriculum rather than a software platform; supporting technology stack includes the MyRipon student portal, Modern Campus virtual map, Blackbaud RENXT donor forms, Zeemee social platform, and Common App integration. The business model relies on recurring undergraduate and graduate tuition (annual billing, need-based aid with 100% of students receiving some form of financial assistance, $30 application fee currently waived, test-optional admissions), supplemented by philanthropic giving through the Ripon Fund, 1851 Club, Red Hawks Club, planned giving, and the completed $120.3M Forever Ripon comprehensive campaign. Auxiliary revenue streams include endowment income, facility rentals (weddings, tournaments, meetings), 305+ community memberships at the Willmore Center, and arts/sports programming. Governance is provided by a Board of Trustees, Administrative Council, and Alumni Association Board, with no parent company or equity ownership. The institution is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, holds Federal Tax ID 39-0826049, and is led by Dr. Victoria N. Folse, the 14th president, who began July 1, 2022.

Name

Ripon College

Legal name

Ripon College

Website

https://ripon.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1851

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Ripon College is a private, nonprofit liberal arts college in Ripon, Wisconsin, serving 700+ undergraduates and a graduate cohort across 80+ areas of study on a 250-acre residential campus, with revenue from tuition, philanthropy, endowment, and community facility rentals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education (Liberal Arts)

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Commuter/Non-Residential Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Residential Education, Programming & Community Development (EDALACAC)

Keywords

• Liberal arts education
• Undergraduate programs
• Residential college
• Experiential learning
• Graduate programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Ripon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Undergraduate Tuition and Fees: Recurring tuition revenue from approximately 700+ undergraduate students across 80+ areas of study on a four-year residential model.
2. Graduate Program Tuition: Recurring tuition from graduate offerings including a Master of Exercise Science (4+1 direct-entry) and a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN Direct Entry).
3. Philanthropic Giving (Ripon Fund, endowment, planned giving): Charitable contributions from alumni, parents, and friends via the Ripon Fund, Red Hawks Club, Friends of the Arts, 1851 Club, planned giving, and the Forever Ripon campaign (cumulative $120.3 million raised). 100% of students receive some form of financial aid funded largely through these gifts.
4. Community / Event Facility Rentals: Event and conference services revenue from weddings, athletics tournaments, and meeting venue rentals, plus 305+ community memberships at the Willmore Center.
5. Endowment Income: Investment income from the College's endowment, including funds raised through the Forever Ripon campaign and named endowments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Ripon College is a private, nonprofit liberal arts college that delivers residential undergraduate education across more than 80 areas of study on a 250-acre campus, supported by the five-course Catalyst Curriculum and SOAR experiential learning programs. It also offers select graduate degrees (Master of Exercise Science 4+1 direct-entry and Master of Science in Nursing Direct Entry) and supplements the academic core with NCAA Division III athletics, community-facing facilities such as the Willmore Center and Ceresco Prairie Conservancy, and the MyRipon student portal.

Product overview

Ripon College operates as a single integrated liberal arts institution rather than a platform-plus-modules product architecture. Its core offering is the Undergraduate Programs (80+ areas of study), which serves as the central academic product and is supported by a set of named sub-products and programs: the graduate-level Master of Exercise Science (4+1 direct-entry) and Master of Science in Nursing (MSN Direct Entry) extend the undergraduate core into advanced degrees; the Catalyst Curriculum, SOAR, and Career Discovery Tour form the experiential-learning layer that wraps around the four-year residential degree; and the Center for Politics and the People plus the Ripon College Spain Program in Barcelona add specialized academic centers. Campus-life and community sub-products — the Willmore Center, Ceresco Prairie Conservancy, Caestecker and Foyer Art Galleries, and Lane Library (with its Library of Things) — surround the academic core with student-facing services. The MyRipon Portal serves as the operational student portal, while R Connections functions as the alumni-engagement platform and Ripon Red Hawks Athletics (including the new Women's Flag Football and Esports programs) anchors the extracurricular side of the offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Red Hawks: Intercollegiate athletics identity — 18 NCAA Division III varsity sports teams under the Red Hawks name, with separate site at riponredhawks.com.

Products and services

• Undergraduate Programs Ripon College's central academic offering — more than 80 areas of study leading to bachelor's degrees, delivered as a residential liberal arts education on the 250-acre campus for traditional college-aged students and transfer applicants.
• Master of Exercise Science (4+1 direct-entry)

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of students receive some form of financial aid
• +7 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core consortium membership, core athletic conference membership, critical regulatory partner, talent pipeline / cross-institutional relationship, primary application distribution channel, core experiential learning partnership and mission-critical fundraising infrastructure.

• Associated Colleges of the Midwestcore consortium membershipStrategic or Co-development PartnerRipon College is one of fourteen colleges in the Associated Colleges of the Midwest consortium working together to strengthen liberal arts education. The consortium relationship supports cross-institutional academic collaboration, faculty/student exchanges, and shared programming.
• Midwest Conferencecore athletic conference membershipStrategic or Co-development PartnerRipon College's 18 NCAA Division III varsity athletics teams compete in the Midwest Conference. Almost half of Ripon students participate in varsity athletics, making the conference a core pipeline for student recruitment and retention.
• Higher Learning Commission (HLC)critical regulatory partnerOthersRipon College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. HLC accreditation is required for federal financial aid eligibility and is a foundational regulatory relationship for U.S. higher education institutions.
• Hanover Collegetalent pipeline / cross-institutional relationshipOthersRipon College hired Rich Warren as its next Vice President and Director of Athletics from Hanover College, where he served as Associate Vice President for Athletics. Hanover served as the origin institution for this senior leadership hire.
• Common App (The Common Application)primary application distribution channelChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRipon College accepts applications via the Common App (commonapp.org) in addition to its own portal, expanding the reach of its admissions funnel to prospective students who use the Common Application as their primary entry point.
• Barcelona Study Abroad Programcore experiential learning partnershipStrategic or Co-development PartnerRipon College Spain Program in Barcelona is offered as an experiential learning / study-abroad option, supporting the College's Catalyst Curriculum commitment to international and immersive experiences.
• Blackbaud (RenXT donor form)mission-critical fundraising infrastructureTechnology or IntegrationRipon College runs its online giving pages through Blackbaud's RenXT donor form (svcid=renxt, envid=p-VVveEHQsskGGx-xJf1C5lQ), providing the technology backbone for digital fundraising including Rally Days.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Lawrence University: A small private liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Appleton, WI — the closest geographic and structural peer to Ripon, competing for the same Wisconsin applicants, NCAA Division III Midwest Conference opponents, and shared academic profile.
• Beloit College: Small private liberal arts college in Beloit, WI, with a comparable enrollment footprint (~1,100 students) and Midwest Conference athletics membership, competing head-to-head for in-state Wisconsin prospects.
• Carroll University: Private liberal arts and pre-professional university in Waukesha, WI, with overlapping academic programs including nursing and exercise science, competing for the same Wisconsin applicant pool.
• St. Norbert College: Catholic liberal arts college in De Pere, WI, with comparable residential enrollment (~2,000 students) and Midwest Conference athletics, competing directly for Wisconsin and upper-midwest students.
• Knox College: Small private liberal arts college in Galesburg, IL, with similar enrollment scale (~1,100 students), strong Phi Beta Kappa heritage, and a comparable Midwest Conference positioning.
• Lake Forest College: Private liberal arts college in Lake Forest, IL, similar in size and academic profile, competing for the same Chicago-area and upper-midwest liberal arts applicants.
• Grinnell College: Highly selective small private liberal arts college in Grinnell, IA, with a much larger endowment but comparable enrollment discipline, often a benchmark peer in academic reputation and Phi Beta Kappa standing.
• Macalester College: Private liberal arts college in St. Paul, MN, with similar residential scale, Phi Beta Kappa chapter, and overlapping Midwest Conference geography, competing for MN residents under the Ripon Commitment expansion.
• Hope College: Private liberal arts college in Holland, MI, with comparable residential enrollment, NCAA Division III athletics, and overlapping recruitment footprint in the Ripon Commitment's MI corridor.

Broad incumbents

• Carleton College: Highly selective, well-endowed private liberal arts college in Northfield, MN — a benchmark aspirational peer rather than direct competitor, but competing for the same upper-midwest liberal arts applicant pool and frequently compared by admissions counselors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/riponcollege
• YouTubeyoutube.com/riponcollegevideo
• Facebookfacebook.com/26884862949
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ripon-college
• Instagraminstagram.com/riponcollege

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ripon College