What St Thomas University does

St Thomas University is a private Catholic liberal arts university founded in 1910 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. It serves primarily domestic and international undergraduate students, with secondary graduate and professional offerings in education and social work. The student body represents more than 30 countries, with an average class size of 23 students and a maximum of 60, positioning STU as a small, personalized teaching institution rather than a research-intensive university. The university is the only institution in New Brunswick offering a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Gerontology, and it anchors research activity around community health and aging.

The university's technology stack is built entirely on third-party platforms. Moodle serves as the learning management system, Ellucian provides the student information and self-service portal (authenticated via Office 365), Ten Thousand Coffees powers the STU Connects alumni-student mentoring platform, and E2RM handles donation processing. Online delivery is being expanded through St. Thomas University Global, which launched a $0 May Term in 2026 for working-age adults with prior college credit. There is no proprietary AI or data infrastructure disclosed.

The business model is tuition-driven, supplemented by donations, alumni giving, and limited research funding. Domestic tuition rose 2% and international tuition rose 5% for the 2018-19 academic year, set near the New Brunswick provincial average. Residence and meal plan fees, summer institute tuition (e.g., $711 for Education Institute courses), and named awards starting at $500/year for five years round out the revenue mix. Fundraising capacity is being strengthened through the recent appointment of a Vice-President of Advancement with prior capital-campaign experience, and the institution is exploring new revenue streams including a potential first US PhD in Dental Hygiene in partnership with ADHA.

Name

St Thomas University

Legal name

St Thomas University

Website

https://stu.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1910

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

St Thomas University is a private Catholic liberal arts university founded in 1910 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, offering undergraduate and graduate programs in arts, education, and social work to domestic and international students with small class sizes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

akta.pro primary industry

Religiously Affiliated Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Christian Colleges with Theological Programs (EDAHAKAG)

Keywords

• Liberal arts education
• Undergraduate programs
• Graduate programs
• Online education
• Catholic higher education

Headquarters

HQ city

Fredericton

HQ country

Canada

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: The university generates revenue through tuition fees charged to domestic and international students. Tuition for 2018-19 increased 2% for domestic students and 5% for international students, set near the provincial average in New Brunswick. Student fees and residence/meal plan fees also contribute.
2. Donations and Alumni Giving: Revenue generated through alumni donations, annual giving, planned gifts, endowments, and event sponsorship. The STU Fund supports scholarships, awards, bursaries, experiential learning, and student programs. Donors can establish named awards for as little as $500/year for five years or create endowed awards.
3. Vice President of Advancement: Tom Meadus appointed VP of Advancement and Alumni Relations, bringing experience from NBCC where he led a $22 million capital campaign.
4. Education Partnership Revenue: Partnership with American Dental Hygienists' Association offering preferred tuition rates for ADHA members, exploring development of first PhD in Dental Hygiene in the US.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

St Thomas University is a Canadian Catholic liberal arts university founded in 1910 in Fredericton, New Brunswick. It offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in arts, education, and social work, and extends its reach through online programs delivered via St. Thomas University Global.

Product overview

St Thomas University is a Canadian liberal arts university offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs across humanities, social sciences, and professional studies. The university's technology infrastructure includes the Moodle learning management system for course delivery and the Ellucian student self-service portal for academic administration. Student and alumni engagement is supported through STU Connects (career networking), the Connections alumni magazine, and the STU Fund donation platform. Experiential learning is a core component, with the STU Internship Program offering paid positions. The university operates from a single campus in Fredericton, New Brunswick, with programs designed for small class sizes (average 23 students) and personalized educational experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Arts Programs Bachelor's-level liberal arts programs for prospective students seeking a values-based education in the arts and humanities.
• Undergraduate Education Programs Bachelor of Education and related undergraduate programs preparing students for careers in teaching.
• Undergraduate Social Work Programs Bachelor of Social Work programs preparing students for careers in social services.
• Graduate Programs Master's-level and graduate certificate programs in arts, education, and social work for professionals seeking advanced credentials.
• St. Thomas University Global (Online Learning) Online program delivery channel enabling remote learners to access university programs.
• Residence Services On-campus housing services for students enrolled at the university.

Quantifiable outcome

• 85% of jobs being filled via networking - STU Connects platform helps students access career opportunities through alumni connections
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American Dental Hygienists' Association (ADHA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 March 2026Education partnership offering ADHA members preferred tuition rates for undergraduate and graduate programs at STU. Collaboration includes exploring development of what would be the first PhD in Dental Hygiene in the United States, focusing on leadership, education, and research preparation. Initiative addresses workforce demands and academic faculty shortages in the profession with ADHA representing over 220,000 members.
• Brilliant LabsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJacob Lingley, BEd graduate, works with Brilliant Labs - a not-for-profit, hands-on technology and experiential learning organization based in Atlantic Canada. Supports integration of creativity, innovation, coding, and entrepreneurial spirit within classrooms and educational curricula.
• Venture for CanadaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTU graduates Andrea Lopez and Jimy Beltran selected as Venture for Canada fellows - a not-for-profit that recruits and trains top graduates to work with startups across Canada. Skills developed at STU including critical thinking helped stand out in selection process.
• TIBCOminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLauren York, BA'13, works at TIBCO (global software company based in Silicon Valley) as Enterprise Account Executive. TIBCO's High-Performance Entry Level program takes smart, motivated graduates and molds them into top performers.
• Global BrigadesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTU chapter of Global Brigades - a non-profit working in four countries to assist in sustainable community development including water, public health, medical & dental, engineering, legal empowerment and business brigades. Previous trips to Panama for legal empowerment and Honduras for water brigade.
• Ten Thousand CoffeescoreTechnology or IntegrationSTU Connects powered by Ten Thousand Coffees - an exclusive networking and mentoring platform introducing alumni and students based on specific career interests and goals. Enables coffee chat scheduling in-person or online.
• SSHRC Partnership Grant - Imagining Age-Friendly CommunitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research project with SSHRC Partnership Grant bringing together philosophers, economists, literary theorists, physicians, nurses, sociologists, and anthropologists to study age-friendly initiatives in 12 cities across Australia, Canada, Germany, Norway, New Zealand, and Taiwan.
• Trent Centre for Aging and SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Albert Banerjee is research associate at Trent Centre for Aging and Society, collaborating on aging and community health research.
• Stockholm UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Albert Banerjee was a COFAS Marie Curie Research Fellow at Stockholm University, contributing to international research collaboration.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mount Allison University: Mount Allison is a small Canadian liberal arts university located in Sackville, New Brunswick — geographically co-located with STU and directly comparable on size, undergraduate focus, small class sizes, and selectivity. They compete head-to-head for the same regional domestic undergraduate pool.
• St. Francis Xavier University: St. Francis Xavier in Antigonish, NS is a Catholic-heritage Atlantic Canada university with a comparable small-campus undergraduate focus, similar arts/sciences/social-work program mix, and overlapping donor and alumni development model — directly competing for similar student segments.
• University of King's College: King's is a small liberal arts university in Halifax with an emphasis on journalism, humanities, and interdisciplinary programs — directly overlapping STU's journalism and liberal arts offerings, and similarly tuition-dependent at a small scale.
• Mount Saint Vincent University: Mount Saint Vincent in Halifax is a small Atlantic Canadian university with Catholic heritage, education and arts programs, and a comparable tuition-dependent revenue model — highly comparable on size, mission, and program mix to STU.
• Bishop's University: Bishop's is a small, primarily undergraduate liberal arts university in Quebec with similar size, arts/social-science-led program mix, and tuition-dependent model — comparable across enrollment scale and value proposition to STU.
• Nipissing University: Nipissing is a small primarily-undergraduate Canadian university with an arts and education focus, similar size and tuition-dependent model — directly comparable on scale and student demographic.
• Trinity Western University: Trinity Western is a religiously affiliated private liberal arts university in British Columbia with comparable programs in arts, education, and leadership — directly comparable faith-affiliated liberal arts positioning, though operating in a different geography.
• Campion College: Campion is a small Catholic liberal arts federation college in Saskatchewan offering arts and sciences programs within a Catholic framework — directly comparable faith-based small liberal arts identity and program mix to STU.

Broad incumbents

• University of New Brunswick (UNB): UNB is the comprehensive public research university headquartered in Fredericton — STU's direct local neighbor competing for the same Fredericton-based students, but operating at much larger scale with engineering, business, and STEM programs unavailable at STU.

Regional players

• Université de Saint-Boniface: Saint-Boniface is a small French-language Catholic-affiliated post-secondary institution in Manitoba with arts and education programs — comparable Catholic-liberal-arts positioning, but serving a distinct francophone market rather than competing directly with STU in New Brunswick.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCu9fHau_8XSeCWdFevvgEZw?view_as=subscriber
• Facebookfacebook.com/StThomasUCanada
• Instagraminstagram.com/stthomasu
• Xx.com/StThomasU

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 St Thomas University