Mount Saint Mary’s University
Mount Saint Mary's University is a private, non-profit women's university founded in 1925 in Los Angeles, serving approximately 2,316 traditional undergraduate, graduate, nursing, and online students across two campuses with career-readiness and social-mobility programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1925
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Mount Saint Mary’s University does
Mount Saint Mary's University is a private, non-profit women's university founded in 1925 by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, operating two Los Angeles campuses—the residential Chalon Campus in the hills west of LA and the Downtown LA Doheny Campus—plus online and weekend/evening modalities. The institution enrolls approximately 2,316 students across traditional undergraduate, graduate, nursing (BSN, ABSN, RN-to-BSN, and a new DNP launching Fall 2026), and Weekend/Evening & Online College programs, with a student body that is 88% female, 67% first-generation, 62% Pell-eligible, and 45% Hispanic. Its core student-experience product is (M)POWER, a four-year career-readiness program embedded into the First-Year Seminar and reinforced via a Career Launch partnership announced in October 2025.
The university generates revenue primarily through tuition and fees across more than 50 undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs, with 100% of students receiving financial aid (average package $50,052) and merit-based scholarships up to full tuition serving as the primary pricing instrument. Distribution runs through dedicated enrollment teams—undergraduate, graduate, nursing, and weekend/evening/online admission—supplemented by campus visits, virtual tours, social media (Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, LinkedIn), and community partnerships such as the Holly J. Mitchell Girls Empowerment Leadership Institute with the California Black Women's Collective Empowerment Institute.
Governance and academic leadership are headed by President Ann McElaney-Johnson, PhD and a new Provost Adam Weyhaupt, PhD who joined in July 2025 from Fontbonne University. The institution carries no fundraising rounds or equity ownership structure consistent with its non-profit status, and its competitive positioning rests on independent rankings for Economic Mobility (#6, NYT), Social Mobility (#2, U.S. News), and Most Transformative Colleges (#3, Money), rather than on technology or platform differentiation.
Mount Saint Mary’s University firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mount Saint Mary’s University
- Legal name
- Mount Saint Mary's University
- Website
- https://msmu.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1925
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Mount Saint Mary's University is a private, non-profit women's university founded in 1925 in Los Angeles, serving approximately 2,316 traditional undergraduate, graduate, nursing, and online students across two campuses with career-readiness and social-mobility programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mount Saint Mary’s University industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Higher Education
- NAICS
- Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Faith-Affiliated Private Research Universities (EDAHABAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs (EDAJALAL)
Keywords
Where Mount Saint Mary’s University is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Mount Saint Mary’s University business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Tuition and Fees: Revenue generated from undergraduate and graduate tuition, with merit-based scholarships available up to full cost of tuition.
- Financial Aid: Average student aid of $50,052; 100% of students receive financial support.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Merit-based scholarships up to full tuition cost |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Mount Saint Mary’s University product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mount Saint Mary's University is a private, non-profit women's university in Los Angeles that delivers undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs across two campuses (Chalon and Doheny) and online. It sells academic instruction in liberal arts, sciences, nursing, business, education, and other disciplines, supplemented by the (M)POWER four-year career success program, financial aid, and student support services.
Product overview
Mount Saint Mary's University offers a portfolio of educational programs and student success initiatives across two campuses in Los Angeles. The core student experience is anchored by (M)POWER, a comprehensive four-year career success program integrated with academic curriculum. The university provides over 50 graduate and undergraduate degree and certificate programs through multiple delivery modes: traditional on-campus, Weekend/Evening & Online College for working adults, and hybrid formats. Nursing education represents a significant portfolio, including BSN, ABSN, RN to BSN, and a new Doctor of Nursing Practice launching in Fall 2026. Programs are offered at the Chalon Campus (traditional undergraduate) and Doheny Campus (downtown LA for graduate and commuter students).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- (M)POWER: A comprehensive four-year plan for career success, building in-demand skills, earning professional credentials and gaining real-world experience with expert mentorship
- Chalon Campus
- Doheny Campus
Products and services
- (M)POWER Career Success Program
Quantifiable outcome
- 94% of alumnae rated student experience as good or excellent
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Mount Saint Mary’s University
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Mount Saint Mary’s University technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Mount Saint Mary’s University partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- California Black Women's Collective Empowerment Institute (CABWCEI)coreThe California Black Women's Collective Empowerment Institute launched the Holly J. Mitchell Girls Empowerment Leadership Institute in partnership with Mount Saint Mary's University. The program aims to prepare Black girls from underserved communities for leadership roles through a seven-month, tuition-free program that includes mentorship and skill development.
- Career LaunchcoreMount Saint Mary's University established a new partnership with Career Launch to enhance student career readiness, starting with embedding the program into its First-Year Seminar curriculum beginning Fall 2025. The initiative aims to prepare students for the job market by developing practical skills, networking, and building confidence, addressing the challenge of the hidden job market. This effort is part of the university's broader (M)POWER student experience to support career success.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Mount Saint Mary’s University competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Loyola Marymount University: Larger Catholic-affiliated private university in Los Angeles with a similar social-justice-oriented mission and broad undergraduate/graduate portfolio. Comparable because it competes for the same LA Catholic-educated student pool but operates at materially greater scale.
- Pepperdine University: Larger private faith-affiliated university in Los Angeles with broad undergraduate and graduate programs. Comparable because it operates in the same LA private university market and overlaps on liberal arts and select graduate programs, though at much larger scale.
Direct peers
- Scripps College: Women's liberal arts college located in Claremont within the greater Los Angeles region. Comparable because it is similarly sized, women's-focused, private, and competes for the same residential first-generation and female student demographic in Southern California.
- University of San Francisco: Jesuit Catholic urban university in California with a comparable social mobility profile and similar mix of undergraduate, graduate, and nursing programs. Comparable because it serves a similar first-generation, urban, diverse student base and competes in the same California private university market.
- Occidental College: Small private liberal arts college in Los Angeles with similar size, small-class model, and diverse student demographics. Comparable because it competes head-to-head for the same pool of LA-based, social-mobility-oriented undergraduates seeking a residential liberal arts experience.
- Whittier College: Small private liberal arts university in greater Los Angeles with a comparable first-generation and Hispanic-serving demographic profile. Comparable because of similar enrollment scale, geographic market, and social mobility positioning relative to MSMU.
- St. Mary's College of California: Catholic liberal arts university in the Bay Area also founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. Highly comparable because of shared religious heritage, similar size, similar undergraduate liberal arts focus, and shared mission emphasis on social mobility and community engagement.
- Simmons University: Private women's university in Boston with a strong social mobility profile and similar focus on undergraduate, graduate, and nursing/health sciences programs. Comparable because of women's-college identity, comparable enrollment scale, and emphasis on career outcomes for first-generation students.
- Spelman College: Historically Black women's liberal arts college in Atlanta consistently ranked among the top institutions for social mobility. Comparable because of single-sex identity, strong career outcomes emphasis, and similar first-generation and Pell-eligible student demographics.
- Bennett College: Small private women's HBCU in North Carolina with comparable enrollment scale and strong social mobility profile. Comparable because of women's-college identity, small enrollment, and similar first-generation and Pell-eligible student base pursuing liberal arts degrees.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Mount Saint Mary’s University social profiles
Digital presenceMount Saint Mary’s University financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mount Saint Mary’s University leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles18 records
Mount Saint Mary’s University funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mount Saint Mary’s University 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 Mount Saint Mary’s University
What does Mount Saint Mary’s University do?
Mount Saint Mary's University is a private, non-profit women's university in Los Angeles that delivers undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs across two campuses (Chalon and Doheny) and online. It sells academic instruction in liberal arts, sciences, nursing, business, education, and other disciplines, supplemented by the (M)POWER four-year career success program, financial aid, and student support services.
Is Mount Saint Mary’s University a public or private company?
Mount Saint Mary’s University is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Mount Saint Mary’s University founded?
Mount Saint Mary’s University was founded in 1925. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Mount Saint Mary’s University based?
Mount Saint Mary’s University is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does Mount Saint Mary’s University make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Tuition and Fees are the primary driver. The others are financial Aid.
Who are Mount Saint Mary’s University's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Loyola Marymount University and Pepperdine University. Direct peers are Scripps College, University of San Francisco, Occidental College, Whittier College, St. Mary's College of California, Simmons University, Spelman College and Bennett College.
Does Mount Saint Mary’s University have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mount Saint Mary’s University.
What industry is Mount Saint Mary’s University in?
Mount Saint Mary’s University's product category is Higher Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHABAJ, Faith-Affiliated Private Research Universities, with a secondary code of EDAJALAL, Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs. Its NAICS code is 6113 and its SIC code is 8200.