What Averett University does

Averett University is a private, nonprofit institution of higher education headquartered in Danville, Virginia, founded in 1859. It serves traditional undergraduate residential students, graduate students, adult learners, military-affiliated students, and transfer students through a portfolio of more than 80 specialized undergraduate and graduate programs delivered both on campus in Danville and online via the Averett Online (GPS) sub-brand. The university positions itself on affordability, claiming student costs less than 80% of other Virginia private colleges, an average scholarship package that lowers four-year program cost by nearly 40%, and over $20 million in annual financial aid awarded to 99% of traditional students.

The university's product surface is anchored on a standard higher-education SaaS stack rather than proprietary technology. Canvas (LMS) delivers online and hybrid courses, Okta provides single sign-on across the student and faculty application portfolio, Touchnet (TouchNet) handles tuition billing and payment plans, and LiveSafe drives emergency notifications. Supporting tools include NetTutor (online tutoring), Turnitin (originality checking), WEPA (campus printing), Follett (bookstore and All Access textbook program at $25/credit hour), Flywire (international payments), and Dude Solutions (facilities and event management). The Galesi Family Student Success Center and Averett Central provide in-person academic and administrative support, with no in-house AI or machine-learning capabilities documented.

Revenue is generated primarily through tuition and fees across the residential and online programs, supplemented by auxiliary services (housing, dining, bookstore), donations, and the recent January 2026 $18.15 million sale-leaseback of the North Campus athletic facility. The institution is currently in a financial turnaround posture following spring 2024 discovery of endowment mismanagement that triggered bond defaults and operational cuts, and the sale-leaseback was executed to secure liquidity for long-term survival under a buyback provision.

Name

Averett University

Legal name

Averett University

Website

https://averett.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1859

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Averett University is a private nonprofit university in Danville, Virginia, founded in 1859, offering 80+ undergraduate, graduate, and online programs to traditional students, adult learners, and military-affiliated students, with an explicit affordability and financial aid positioning.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Online Nonprofit Universities (EDAHALAK)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate degree programs
• Online university education
• Private university programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Danville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Averett University is a private nonprofit university that delivers undergraduate and graduate degree programs through traditional on-campus instruction in Danville, Virginia, and through Averett Online (GPS), an online division offering accelerated eight-week courses. The university serves traditional residential undergraduates, adult learners, military and veteran students, and transfer students with more than 80 specialized academic programs, supported by comprehensive student services including academic advising, tutoring, career services, financial aid counseling, and on-campus housing.

Product overview

Averett University is a private university in Danville, Virginia, offering undergraduate, graduate, and online programs. Its student-facing product portfolio centers on a unified service architecture combining a Learning Management System (Canvas), identity management (Okta SSO), financial services (TouchNet/Touchnet billing), academic support (Galesi Family Student Success Center), and a central service hub (Averett Central). The university operates two main program tracks: traditional on-campus programs and Averett Online (GPS), which delivers accelerated eight-week online courses for adult learners. Supporting add-on services include plagiarism/originality checking (Turnitin), online tutoring (NetTutor), emergency safety communication (LiveSafe), print services (WEPA), bookstore integration (Follett), international payment processing (Flywire), and the All Access textbook program. All student-facing systems are accessed through the Okta single sign-on portal, providing a consolidated digital experience across academic, financial, housing, and administrative services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Averett Online (GPS) - Graduate, Professional, and Sciences Online Programs Online undergraduate and graduate degree programs for adult learners, featuring accelerated eight-week courses, with separate financial aid processes, staff directory, and admissions portal at gps.averett.edu.
• Canvas Learning Management System Digital learning platform for course delivery, assignments, quizzes, gradebook, discussions, ePortfolios, collaborations, and mobile access, accessed by students and faculty through Okta SSO.
• Galesi Family Student Success Center (SSC) Academic support center located on the second floor of Bishop Hall offering computer labs, quiet and group study spaces, ADA accommodations, success coaching, tutoring, study skills remediation, and writing support, with appointments scheduled through an online booking system.
• Averett Central One-stop student service center in Main Hall handling inquiries, scheduling, payments, Registrar services, Student Accounts, and Residence Life questions, open Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., accessible by phone and email.
• Housing and Residence Life On-campus housing service managing Bishop Residence Hall, Fugate Residence Hall, Main Residence Hall, Danville Residence Hall, and Averett Commons Apartments, including Housing Portal access, maintenance requests, residency requirements, and RA selection.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% of traditional program students receive financial aid
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Feature7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Liberty University: Large private nonprofit university in Lynchburg, Virginia offering traditional undergraduate, graduate, and extensive online programs (Liberty University Online). Directly comparable to Averett as a Virginia-based nonprofit with dual residential/online delivery and a strong faith-informed heritage.
• University of Lynchburg: Private nonprofit university in Lynchburg, Virginia offering undergraduate and graduate programs with a strong residential, small-class experience. Comparable to Averett in size, geography, mission, and student-segment focus.
• Regent University: Private nonprofit Virginia university in Virginia Beach offering undergraduate, graduate, and online programs with a faith-based heritage. Directly comparable to Averett on geography, nonprofit structure, and dual online/residential delivery model.
• Randolph College: Small private nonprofit liberal-arts college in Lynchburg, Virginia serving primarily residential undergraduates. Comparable to Averett on size, geography, and historic private-college positioning in the Virginia market.
• Ferrum College: Small private nonprofit college in Ferrum, Virginia serving primarily traditional undergraduates with a similar Southern-Virginia regional footprint and small-institution enrollment profile to Averett.
• Roanoke College: Private nonprofit liberal-arts college in Salem, Virginia with a residential undergraduate focus and select graduate programs. Comparable to Averett on Virginia private-college market positioning and small-institution scale.
• Mary Baldwin University: Private nonprofit university in Staunton, Virginia offering undergraduate, graduate, and adult-learner/online programs. Comparable to Averett in the Virginia private-nonprofit market with both traditional and adult/online tracks.
• Bridgewater College: Private nonprofit liberal-arts college in Bridgewater, Virginia with a residential undergraduate focus. Comparable to Averett on Virginia private-college peer positioning, similar enrollment scale, and regional draw.

Broad incumbents

• Western Governors University: Large-scale nonprofit online university serving adult learners nationally with competency-based degree programs. Comparable to Averett's GPS adult/online division as a benchmark for scale and operating model in online higher education.
• Southern New Hampshire University: Large nonprofit university with a substantial online division serving adult and undergraduate learners nationally. Comparable to Averett's GPS online track as a scaled nonprofit competitor in adult-learner online higher education.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/averettcougars
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/theaverettchannel
• Facebookfacebook.com/AverettU
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/averett-university
• Instagraminstagram.com/averettnews

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Averett University