Academic Partnerships
Academic Partnerships (operating as Risepoint) is a Dallas-based education technology company that partners with 125+ regional universities across 40 U.S. states and 5 countries to launch and grow online degree programs for working adult learners, delivering marketing, student, faculty, and partner success services under fee-for-persistence and fee-for-service models.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersDallas, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Academic Partnerships does
Academic Partnerships, now operating under the Risepoint brand, is a Dallas-based education technology company founded in 2007 that partners with regional public and private universities to launch and grow online degree programs. The company delivers an integrated platform comprising four service modules — Marketing Services, Partner Success, Student Support, and Faculty Support — wrapped around an underlying technology stack for online program development, enrollment, retention, and performance monitoring. All curriculum and instruction remain owned and delivered by the partner universities and their faculty; Risepoint handles the marketing funnel, student support, technology infrastructure, and program analytics. Approximately 95% of students in Risepoint-supported programs are working adults, with an average student payback time of 1.5 years.
The company operates two commercial models: a fee-for-persistence model in which compensation is tied to student retention and completion outcomes, and a fee-for-service model with subscription-style annual billing. Following the January 2024 close of the $150 million Wiley University Services acquisition, the combined entity supports 125+ colleges and universities across 40 U.S. states and 5 countries, with 25,000+ courses launched and 22,000+ faculty supported to date. Earlier capability expansion came through the 2021 acquisition of Coursetune, adding curriculum-mapping technology. Customer segments are horizontal: regional universities seeking online program infrastructure, working adult learners seeking workforce-relevant degrees, and verticals such as nursing, teaching, business, and public service where online delivery addresses acute workforce gaps.
The business is private, led by CEO Fernando Bleichmar (founder Randy Best remains involved), and is backed by at least one institutional investor (Insight Venture Management, per a 2011 filing). Go-to-market is enterprise field sales — direct engagement with university leadership — and brand presence is built through content marketing, including the annual Voice of the Online Learner report (4,000+ learner survey base in 2026) and industry webinars. The headcount has scaled to 1,500+ across the US, UK, and Australia, and international expansion is continuing through partnerships such as the February 2026 Goldsmiths, University of London agreement.
Academic Partnerships firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Academic Partnerships
- Website
- https://academicpartnerships.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Academic Partnerships (operating as Risepoint) is a Dallas-based education technology company that partners with 125+ regional universities across 40 U.S. states and 5 countries to launch and grow online degree programs for working adult learners, delivering marketing, student, faculty, and partner success services under fee-for-persistence and fee-for-service models.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Academic Partnerships industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Higher Education Online Program Management Services
- NAICS
- Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Online Divisions of Traditional Universities (Hybrid/Extension) (EDAHALAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Online Professional Schools (MBA/MPA/MPH/Etc.) (EDAHALAE), Online International & Cross-Border Universities (Global/Transnational Providers) (EDAHALAL)
Keywords
Where Academic Partnerships is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dallas
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Academic Partnerships business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Fee-for-persistence model: One of two business models offered where compensation is tied to student persistence and completion metrics.
- Fee-for-service model: Alternative business model offering services to university partners with compensation based on services rendered.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Annual | Fee-for-persistence model - compensation based on student retention |
| Subscription | Annual | Fee-for-service model - standard service-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Academic Partnerships product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Academic Partnerships partners with colleges and universities to launch and grow online degree programs through four integrated service modules: Marketing Services, Partner Success, Student Support, and Faculty Support. The company provides the technology platform, marketing infrastructure, student recruitment, and ongoing support services while the university partner retains full ownership of curriculum and instruction. The company offers two engagement models — a fee-for-persistence model tied to student outcomes and a fee-for-service model.
Product overview
Risepoint is an education technology company offering a unified platform with four integrated service modules: Marketing Services, Partner Success, Student Support, and Faculty Support. The platform supports universities in launching and growing high-ROI, workforce-focused online degree programs in critical areas such as nursing, teaching, business, and public service. The company operates two business models: a fee-for-persistence model and a fee-for-service model. All curriculum is developed and owned by the university and its faculty, while Risepoint handles marketing, student support, technology implementation, performance monitoring, and ROI research.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Marketing Services Marketing and prospective student outreach services that help university partners attract and enroll students in online degree programs. Targeted at colleges and universities seeking to expand online program reach.
- Partner Success Comprehensive support services for university partners throughout their journey, helping them expand access to affordable, workforce-focused programs. Targeted at colleges and universities engaged in online program expansion.
- Student Support Student support and retention services designed to help working adult learners complete their online degree programs. Targeted at university partners serving adult learner populations.
- Faculty Support Support services for university faculty and instructors to effectively deliver online education programs, with over 22,000 faculty supported. Targeted at universities with faculty teaching in online programs.
Quantifiable outcome
- Average 1.5 years student payback time - programs deliver strong ROI for students
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Academic Partnerships
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Academic Partnerships technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Academic Partnerships partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- Wiley University ServicescoreAcademic Partnerships acquired Wiley University Services for $150 million on November 14, 2023. The acquisition enables the combined entity to support over 125 colleges and universities in 40 U.S. states and internationally, focusing on high-quality, workforce-relevant online programs and technological infrastructure expansion.
- Arkansas State UniversitycoreUniversity partner where Risepoint enabled the institution to become the state's largest provider of graduate degrees in education through online programs
- Southern Oregon UniversitycorePartnership providing online MBA and MSEd degrees serving place-bound Oregonian adult learners who would otherwise need to look out-of-state for advanced degrees
- Campbellsville UniversitycoreOnline education partnership that helped break enrollment stagnation and revitalized campus culture, enabling total enrollment to grow beyond the previous 3,200 headcount ceiling
- Delaware State UniversitycorePartnership expanding access to online degree programs to support workforce and community impact, with focus on HBCU students
- Goldsmiths, University of LondonmajorNew partnership announced February 2026 to expand access to flexible online learning through Goldsmiths, demonstrating international expansion strategy
- University of South Carolina UpstatecorePartnership to launch ten new online programs at the institution
- Northwest Missouri State UniversitycoreExpanded partnership supporting three online graduate programs
- Concordia University, St. PaulcorePartnership launching 90-credit, 3-year Bachelor's degrees and university-wide career portfolio initiative
- Longwood UniversitycorePartnership expanding graduate business and technology offerings to meet growing workforce demand
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Academic Partnerships competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Everspring: OPM and education services company partnering with universities on online program design, marketing, and support. Direct competitor in the same regional university niche.
- 2U (now part of edX): Was the largest pure-play OPM partnering with universities to launch online degree programs, with a very similar business model to Academic Partnerships/Risepoint. Filed for Chapter 11 in 2024 and was acquired by edX, making it the most direct historical comparable.
- Noodle: Online Program Management provider that partners with universities to launch and operate online degrees. Competes head-to-head with Risepoint for the same regional and nonprofit university partnerships.
- Bisk: OPM and education technology company that partners with universities to develop and deliver online degree programs. Closely aligned with Risepoint in target customer (regional universities) and service offering.
- Keypath Education: Online program management provider serving universities globally with marketing, enrollment, and student support services. Acquired by Strayer in 2021, and a direct OPM competitor to Risepoint.
- edX (2U): Online education platform formed from the merger of edX and 2U. Partners with universities for online degree programs and serves a highly overlapping customer base to Risepoint.
Broad incumbents
- Wiley: Academic publisher that divested its Wiley University Services OPM unit to Academic Partnerships for $150M. Comparable as a higher-education services provider and the former parent of the business that was integrated into Risepoint.
- Coursera: Online learning platform partnering with universities to deliver degrees and credentials, including master's programs. Overlaps with Risepoint's degree-program business at the consumer/distribution layer, though Coursera owns more of the technology stack.
- Anthology: Higher education technology and services company formed from the merger of Blackboard, Campus Management, and iDesign. Provides LMS, SIS, and student-success services to universities that are adjacent to Risepoint's OPM offering.
- McGraw Hill: Education publisher and digital learning provider serving higher education institutions. Compares as a broader higher-ed services and content provider rather than a pure OPM, but sells into the same university buyers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Academic Partnerships social profiles
Digital presenceAcademic Partnerships financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Academic Partnerships leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Academic Partnerships funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Academic Partnerships M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Academic Partnerships
What does Academic Partnerships do?
Academic Partnerships partners with colleges and universities to launch and grow online degree programs through four integrated service modules: Marketing Services, Partner Success, Student Support, and Faculty Support. The company provides the technology platform, marketing infrastructure, student recruitment, and ongoing support services while the university partner retains full ownership of curriculum and instruction. The company offers two engagement models — a fee-for-persistence model tied to student outcomes and a fee-for-service model.
Is Academic Partnerships a public or private company?
Academic Partnerships is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Academic Partnerships founded?
Academic Partnerships was founded in 2007. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Academic Partnerships based?
Academic Partnerships is headquartered in Dallas, United States, in the North America region.
How does Academic Partnerships make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Fee-for-persistence model is the primary driver. The others are fee-for-service model.
Who are Academic Partnerships's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Everspring, 2U (now part of edX), Noodle, Bisk, Keypath Education and edX (2U). Broad incumbents are Wiley, Coursera, Anthology and McGraw Hill.
Does Academic Partnerships have an API?
No public API is recorded for Academic Partnerships.
What industry is Academic Partnerships in?
Academic Partnerships's product category is Higher Education Online Program Management Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHALAB, Online Divisions of Traditional Universities (Hybrid/Extension), with a secondary code of EDAHALAE, Online Professional Schools (MBA/MPA/MPH/Etc.). Its NAICS code is 611310 and its SIC code is 8200.