Academic Partnerships

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.

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

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

• Online degree programs
• University partnership services
• Online program management
• Higher education marketing
• Faculty support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fee-for-persistence model: One of two business models offered where compensation is tied to student persistence and completion metrics.
2. Fee-for-service model: Alternative business model offering services to university partners with compensation based on services rendered.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core 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

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Wiley University ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 November 2023Academic 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 UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner where Risepoint enabled the institution to become the state's largest provider of graduate degrees in education through online programs
• Southern Oregon UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership 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 UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOnline 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 UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership expanding access to online degree programs to support workforce and community impact, with focus on HBCU students
• Goldsmiths, University of LondonmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew partnership announced February 2026 to expand access to flexible online learning through Goldsmiths, demonstrating international expansion strategy
• University of South Carolina UpstatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to launch ten new online programs at the institution
• Northwest Missouri State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpanded partnership supporting three online graduate programs
• Concordia University, St. PaulcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership launching 90-credit, 3-year Bachelor's degrees and university-wide career portfolio initiative
• Longwood UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership expanding graduate business and technology offerings to meet growing workforce demand

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct 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

• Xx.com/APartnerships
• Facebookfacebook.com/AcademicPartnerships
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/academic-partnerships

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Academic Partnerships