What Ithaka S+R does

Ithaka S+R is a non-profit research and consulting organization that serves the higher education sector. Founded as part of ITHAKA, a nonprofit established around 2000, Ithaka S+R produces evidence-based research, longitudinal surveys, and data tools for universities, colleges, academic libraries, foundations, and policymakers. Its work is organized around three programmatic pillars: broadening access to postsecondary education, improving student and workforce outcomes (with particular focus on transfer students, adult learners, and incarcerated individuals), and tracking structural shifts in scholarship such as the adoption of generative AI in teaching and research. The organization is headquartered in New York and operates with 11–50 employees under a governance model funded entirely by philanthropy and institutional contracts.

The organization's core offerings fall into three categories. First, recurring survey instruments — the US Library Survey (triennial since 2010), the US Instructor Survey (annual), and the College Fluency Survey (fielded with 190 administrators at Borough of Manhattan Community College) — that generate longitudinal datasets on library priorities, instructional practices, and student support fluency. Second, interactive data tools, most notably Transfer Explorer (T-Rex), a public systemwide tool deployed across CUNY's 20 undergraduate institutions that maps how courses transfer and apply to degree requirements, which was associated with nearly half a course more applied to degree requirements in studied transfers. Third, AI-adjacent tracking products, including the Generative AI Product Tracker and the Generative AI Licensing Agreement Tracker (launched October 2024), which catalog AI tools marketed to higher education and publisher-AI licensing deals for scholarly content used as LLM training data.

Ithaka S+R does not sell products or services; its research outputs, publications, and interactive resources are distributed publicly at no cost. Revenue is generated through philanthropic grants from a broad slate of major foundations (ECMC, Lumina, Mellon, Arnold Ventures, Gates, Joyce, Strada, Ascendium, Sloan, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and NSF, among others) and through contracts with state agencies and individual institutions for bespoke research and consulting. It also operates year-long community-of-practice cohorts, including the Holistic Credit Mobility Acceleration Cohort with Complete College America, the Defining AI Literacy Cohort launching July 2026, and the Kessler Scholars Collaborative serving over 1,200 first-generation and limited-income students.

Name

Ithaka S+R

Legal name

ITHAKA

Website

https://sr.ithaka.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ithaka S+R is a nonprofit research organization serving higher education institutions, libraries, and policymakers. It produces longitudinal surveys, data tools (notably Transfer Explorer), and AI policy trackers, funded by philanthropic grants and institutional contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Educational Support Services (611710), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Student Information Systems (SIS) & Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) (EDADAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Assessment Analytics & Item/Question Intelligence (IRT, Item Banks, Diagnostic Insights) (EDAFAFAG)

Keywords

• Higher education research
• Academic library surveys
• Credit mobility tools
• Student success research
• Postsecondary policy research

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grants: Funding from foundations such as ECMC Foundation, Lumina Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Arnold Ventures, Gates Foundation, Joyce Foundation, Strada Education Foundation, and others to support research initiatives.
2. Contracts with State Agencies and Institutions: Contracts with state agencies and individual institutions for specific research projects and consulting services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ithaka S+R is a nonprofit research organization that produces evidence-based research, longitudinal surveys, data tools, and frameworks for the higher education sector. Its deliverables include published research reports (US Library Survey, US Instructor Survey, College Fluency Survey), public data tools such as Transfer Explorer (T-Rex) for credit mobility and Generative AI Trackers, interactive resources like the Basic Needs Data guide, and cohort-based professional development programs for institutional leaders.

Product overview

Ithaka S+R is a research organization that provides evidence-based tools, research reports, and interactive resources for higher education stakeholders. The portfolio includes research survey products (US Instructor Survey, US Library Survey, College Fluency Survey), data tools (Transfer Explorer/T-Rex for credit mobility), interactive resources (Basic Needs Data guide), and AI-related tracking tools (Generative AI Product Tracker, Generative AI Licensing Agreement Tracker). These products are standalone research and data offerings rather than a unified platform architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• US Instructor Survey: Annual survey reporting on instructional practices of college faculty in the US, emphasizing open educational resources, technology, and institutional support for teaching.
• Generative AI Licensing Agreement Tracker

Products and services

• Generative AI Product Tracker A publicly accessible tracker providing an up-to-date list of generative AI products developed or marketed for postsecondary teaching, learning, and research in higher education.
• Generative AI Licensing Agreement Tracker A publicly accessible tracker that monitors and catalogs licensing deals between publishers and AI companies for the use of scholarly content as LLM training data.
• Transfer Explorer (T-Rex) A public, systemwide data tool that allows users to see how courses transfer across institutions and whether those courses satisfy specific degree requirements, supporting student credit mobility decisions.
• Basic Needs Data Guide An interactive resource and guide that helps higher education stakeholders create, scale, and maintain data collection processes on students' basic needs including food, housing, childcare, transportation, and internet access.
• Credit Mobility Research Initiative A research and tool development initiative aimed at improving the transfer process through new tools that enable students to chart their higher education journey and improve credit mobility outcomes.
• Defining AI Literacy Cohort A collaborative cohort program that helps higher education institutions explore the information needs of their campuses and design actionable AI literacy initiatives.
• US Library Survey A triennial online survey of academic library deans and directors providing foundational data on both longstanding and emerging priorities for library leaders, conducted since 2010.
• US Instructor Survey Annual survey reporting on evolving instructional practices of college faculty in the US, with emphasis on adoption of open educational resources, instructional technology, and institutional support for teaching.
• College Fluency Survey Survey research measuring college fluency, defined as knowledge of non-curricular student support services, among community college administrators, librarians, and faculty.
• Holistic Credit Mobility Acceleration Cohort A year-long community of practice developed with Complete College America that examines credit mobility improvement strategies across institutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• T-REX use was associated with an increase of nearly half a course applied to major, minor, or general education requirements
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Credit Mobility Technology Collaboration and Interoperability PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 August 2024Partnership including AACRAO, NASH, Arizona State University, ITHAKA Transfer Explorer, and the AI Transfer and Articulation Infrastructure Network to explore and co-develop solutions for interoperability and data standards in credit mobility systems.
• Complete College AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Complete College America to develop the national Holistic Credit Mobility Acceleration Cohort, a year-long community of practice to examine credit mobility improvement strategies.
• The Chronicle of Higher EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on The Library and Institutional Success professional development program tailored to library leaders, including seminars on national trends and AI impact.
• ITHAKA (Parent Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIthaka S+R is part of ITHAKA, a nonprofit with a mission to improve access to knowledge and education for people around the world.
• City University of New York (CUNY)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCUNY partners with Ithaka S+R on the Transfer Explorer (T-Rex) tool, a public systemwide tool showing how courses transfer across CUNY's 20 undergraduate institutions.
• Kessler Scholars CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration supporting the Kessler Scholars Program for first-generation, limited-income students, including over 1,200 students nationwide.
• Vera Institute of JusticeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership related to Postsecondary Education in Prison programs and Best Interest Determination process research.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• American Institutes for Research (AIR): One of the largest US nonprofit behavioral and social science research organizations, conducting education policy and postsecondary evaluation work very similar to Ithaka S+R's research and consulting practice, and competing for the same foundation grants.
• Complete College America: Nonprofit focused on improving college completion and credit mobility; an active partner of Ithaka S+R on the Holistic Credit Mobility Acceleration Cohort and a near-direct peer on equity, transfer, and completion research.
• National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS): Nonprofit policy and research center focused on postsecondary outcomes, performance funding, and institutional effectiveness — directly comparable to Ithaka S+R's evidence-based research and advisory model for higher-ed leaders.
• HCM Strategists: Policy consulting firm working with foundations and higher-ed systems on postsecondary strategy, policy design, and evidence use — overlapping with Ithaka S+R's applied research, cohort facilitation, and stakeholder engagement work.
• Excelencia in Education: Nonprofit focused on accelerating Latino student success in higher education through research, policy analysis, and institutional practice — a comparable research-to-practice organization serving similar foundation and institutional funders.

Broad incumbents

• RAND Corporation: Global policy research organization with a substantial education and workforce division producing reports, surveys, and policy analyses for foundations and government clients — overlapping directly with Ithaka S+R's applied higher-ed research.
• College Board: Large nonprofit with research and assessment products for students and institutions (e.g., annual reports on higher-ed trends), serving overlapping audiences but at much greater scale and with a broader portfolio.
• American Council on Education (ACE): Major higher-ed association producing research, briefs, and leadership programs for college presidents and policymakers — overlapping with Ithaka S+R's higher-ed leadership, policy, and survey offerings.

Emerging players

• EDUCAUSE: Nonprofit association advancing the role of technology in higher education; overlapping with Ithaka S+R on AI-in-higher-ed research, faculty technology surveys, and library/IT leadership programs.

Others

• NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education: Professional association that conducts research and professional development on student success, basic needs, and equity in higher education — a related ecosystem partner whose research and convening functions complement Ithaka S+R's work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IthakaSR
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ithaka-s-r

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Ithaka S+R