University of St. Francis
The University of St. Francis is a private Catholic Franciscan university in Joliet, Illinois, serving roughly 3,200 students through bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and certificate programs delivered on-campus and online across five colleges, sponsored by the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1920
- HeadquartersJoliet, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What University of St. Francis does
The University of St. Francis (USF) is a private, nonprofit Catholic Franciscan institution headquartered at 500 Wilcox St., Joliet, Illinois, 35 miles southwest of Chicago. Founded in 1920 by the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate and sponsored by the order to this day, USF serves approximately 3,200 students across on-campus residential, commuter, and online modalities, with a 54,000+ alumni base worldwide. Academic offerings span five academic units — the College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Business & Health Administration, the College of Education, the Leach College of Nursing, and the Regional Education Academy for Leadership (REAL) — delivering associate, bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and professional certificate programs across traditional undergraduate, adult undergraduate, transfer, graduate, doctoral, and international student segments.
The institution's operating technology stack is conventional for higher education: the Canvas Learning Management System delivers online and hybrid coursework, the Banner enterprise system underpins student records, the MyUSF portal (fronted by CAS single sign-on) serves as the central hub for registration, financial aid, and student accounts, and Zoom plus Microsoft 365 support teaching and administrative collaboration. Service-side offerings include a centralized Technology Support Center and a Student Complaint and Appeal System. The university holds Higher Learning Commission accreditation and a U.S. Department of Education Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) designation, and operates NCAA athletics, study abroad, and student life programming.
USF's revenue model is tuition-driven: recurring tuition and fees from undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students, supplemented by residential room and board revenue and corporate partnership programs that deliver customized employee education. Distribution runs through three channels — on-campus enrollment (direct), online learning (self-serve through Canvas), and corporate partnerships (channel/reseller motion to enterprise clients). Marketing spans a multi-channel approach including the stfrancis.edu website, social media (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, YouTube, TikTok), virtual tours, admissions counseling, and corporate partner referral programs. The go-to-market motion is sales-led, executed primarily through admissions counselors, financial aid services, and recruitment events targeting prospective students.
University of St. Francis firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- University of St. Francis
- Legal name
- University of St. Francis
- Website
- https://stfrancis.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1920
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- The University of St. Francis is a private Catholic Franciscan university in Joliet, Illinois, serving roughly 3,200 students through bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and certificate programs delivered on-campus and online across five colleges, sponsored by the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
University of St. Francis industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Higher Education
- NAICS
- Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Educational Services (61)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Faith-Affiliated Private Research Universities (EDAHABAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Online Nonprofit Universities (EDAHALAK)
Keywords
Where University of St. Francis is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Joliet
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
University of St. Francis business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Tuition and Fees: Revenue generated from tuition and fees for undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs. Students pay tuition for on-campus and online programs, with financial aid available through scholarships, grants, and loans.
- Room and Board: Revenue from campus housing and dining services for residential students.
- Corporate Partnerships: Educational partnerships with corporations providing specialized programs and training.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Financial aid and scholarship programs |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
University of St. Francis product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The University of St. Francis is a private Catholic Franciscan institution that delivers higher education through bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and professional certificate programs across four colleges: Arts & Sciences, Business & Health Administration, Education, and the Leach College of Nursing. Programs are delivered on its main Joliet, Illinois campus and via online distance learning, supported by admissions counseling, financial aid, career services, and corporate partnership training arrangements. The university serves nearly 3,200 students on-campus and online, with a 54,000+ member alumni network worldwide.
Product overview
The University of St. Francis operates primarily as an educational institution rather than a software product company. Its digital offerings consist of internally-used educational technology systems: the MyUSF Portal serves as the central hub for student and employee services; Canvas Learning Management System delivers online and hybrid coursework; the Technology Support Center provides IT helpdesk services; and CAS Single Sign-On enables authentication across systems. The university offers degree programs across five colleges: College of Arts & Sciences, College of Business & Health Administration, College of Education, Leach College of Nursing, and the Regional Educational Academy for Leadership (REAL).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Bachelor's Degree Programs Four-year undergraduate degree programs offered across the College of Arts & Sciences, College of Business & Health Administration, College of Education, and the Leach College of Nursing, available on-campus and online.
- Master's Degree Programs Graduate-level master's degree programs across multiple professional and academic disciplines, delivered on-campus and online.
- Doctoral Degree Programs Doctoral-level research and academic degree programs for advanced scholarship and professional credentials.
- Adult Undergraduate Programs Flexible degree-completion bachelor's programs designed for working adults, with adult-focused scheduling and online delivery options.
- Professional Certificate Programs Non-degree professional certificate programs targeting specialized skills and continuing education for working professionals.
- Online Learning Programs Distance learning programs delivered through Canvas LMS allowing students to complete courses and degrees remotely.
- Corporate Partnership Programs Customized educational programs and training delivered through partnerships with businesses for employee education and development.
Quantifiable outcome
- Nearly 3,200 students enrolled across campus and online programs
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use University of St. Francis
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
University of St. Francis technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature3 records
University of St. Francis partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- VNU University of Economics & BusinesscoreEducational partnership with VNU University of Economics & Business (Vietnam National University) continues, representing an international academic collaboration in business education.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
University of St. Francis competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Dominican University: Private Catholic (Sinsinawa Dominican) university in River Forest, Illinois, with a comparable enrollment profile and emphasis on undergraduate liberal arts, business, and education — directly overlapping USF's mission and program mix.
- Benedictine University: Private Catholic (Benedictine) university in Lisle, Illinois, with similar enrollment size and a comparable mix of undergraduate, graduate, and adult-learner programs. Operates in the same Chicago southwestern suburban corridor as USF.
- Lewis University: Private Catholic (Lasallian) university located in Romeoville, Illinois, roughly adjacent to USF's Joliet campus. Comparable scale, similar faith-based mission, and overlapping program mix including nursing, business, and aviation — making it the closest geographic and mission-aligned peer.
- Saint Xavier University: Private Catholic (Mercy) university in Chicago with similar enrollment scale (~3,000–4,000 students) and comparable program mix in nursing, business, and education. Direct competitor for Catholic-traditional and adult learners in the Chicago metro.
- University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences: Catholic-affiliated, for-profit university specializing in health sciences, including nursing and health administration programs. Directly comparable to USF's Leach College of Nursing and healthcare workforce positioning.
- North Central College: Private nonprofit comprehensive college in Naperville, Illinois, with similar enrollment scale and a broad program portfolio in business, education, and health sciences. Comparable suburban-Chicago private peer competing for the same regional student pool.
- Elmhurst University: Private university in Elmhurst, Illinois, with similar enrollment scale and comparable program breadth including nursing, business, and education. Competes for the same suburban-Chicago undergraduate market.
- Aurora University: Private university in Aurora, Illinois, with similar size and a strong adult-learner, nursing, and education focus. Comparable mission to serve working adults and transfer students in the western Chicago metro.
Broad incumbents
- Concordia University Chicago: Private Lutheran-affiliated university in River Forest, Illinois, with overlapping faith-based mission and comparable program portfolio. A broader incumbent in the Chicago faith-based higher education market.
- Olivet Nazarene University: Private faith-affiliated comprehensive university in Bourbonnais, Illinois, with a larger enrollment scale but similar faith-based mission, nursing and education programs, and adult-learner offerings in the greater Chicago region.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
University of St. Francis social profiles
Digital presenceUniversity of St. Francis financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
University of St. Francis leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles23 records
University of St. Francis funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
University of St. Francis 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 University of St. Francis
What does University of St. Francis do?
The University of St. Francis is a private Catholic Franciscan institution that delivers higher education through bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and professional certificate programs across four colleges: Arts & Sciences, Business & Health Administration, Education, and the Leach College of Nursing. Programs are delivered on its main Joliet, Illinois campus and via online distance learning, supported by admissions counseling, financial aid, career services, and corporate partnership training arrangements. The university serves nearly 3,200 students on-campus and online, with a 54,000+ member alumni network worldwide.
Is University of St. Francis a public or private company?
University of St. Francis is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was University of St. Francis founded?
University of St. Francis was founded in 1920. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is University of St. Francis based?
University of St. Francis is headquartered in Joliet, United States, in the North America region.
How does University of St. Francis make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Tuition and Fees are the primary driver. The others are room and Board and corporate Partnerships.
Who are University of St. Francis's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Dominican University, Benedictine University, Lewis University, Saint Xavier University, University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, North Central College, Elmhurst University and Aurora University. Broad incumbents are Concordia University Chicago and Olivet Nazarene University.
Does University of St. Francis have an API?
No public API is recorded for University of St. Francis.
What industry is University of St. Francis in?
University of St. Francis's product category is Higher Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHABAJ, Faith-Affiliated Private Research Universities, with a secondary code of EDAHALAK, Online Nonprofit Universities. Its NAICS code is 6113 and its SIC code is 8200.