Converse University

What Converse University does

Converse University is a private, nonprofit doctoral university headquartered in Spartanburg, South Carolina, founded in 1889 as Converse College and reclassified to university status in 2021. The institution delivers undergraduate majors, minors, and certificates alongside 28 graduate programs across five academic schools: Business and Data Science, Education, Liberal Arts and Sciences, the School of the Arts, and the Graduate School. Converse guarantees full-time undergraduate students graduation within four years and post-graduation employment or graduate-school acceptance within six months; the operating model is built on a 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio, with 98% of full-time faculty holding terminal degrees and 86% of courses taught by full-time faculty. The university segments its student base across traditional undergraduates, graduate students, and adult learners via the Converse II program, and operates a secondary delivery site at the University Center of Greenville.

The institution's core technology infrastructure is the Canvas Learning Management System, a third-party platform standard in higher education. Converse's technology moat is not proprietary — competitive differentiation is driven by faculty credentials, small class sizes, outcome guarantees, and brand heritage in the Upstate South Carolina market. Auxiliary product lines include the Lawson Academy of the Arts, a wholly-owned community music and dance school founded in 1944 that serves students of all ages with instruction priced at $22-$32 per 30-minute lesson, and the Converse College for Women program, a women's college experience retained within the broader university structure.

Converse's revenue model is tuition-and-fee driven, with annual subscription billing across undergraduate, graduate, and Converse II cohorts, supplemented by auxiliary revenue from Lawson Academy unit-priced lessons, donor and alumni contributions, and grant income (including a five-year $674,500 NIH research grant). The go-to-market is admissions-led: prospective students apply through standard processes and engage with the university via a mix of social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter/X, YouTube), on-campus events including campus tours and an annual Women's Leadership Conference, virtual tours, and the institutional website. The institution is Title IX and Clery Act compliant and is governed by an independent board of trustees; no external ownership, parent company, or equity backing is identified.

Name

Converse University

Legal name

Converse University

Website

https://converse.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1889

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Converse University is a private, nonprofit doctoral university in Spartanburg, South Carolina, founded in 1889, offering 40+ undergraduate majors and 28 graduate programs across five academic schools to traditional, graduate, and adult learners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Spartanburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue generated from undergraduate and graduate tuition and fees for academic programs. The university offers financial aid and scholarships to support student enrollment.
2. Lawson Academy Classes: Revenue from community music and dance lessons offered by the Lawson Academy of the Arts, serving students of all ages in the Spartanburg community since 1944.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Converse University is a private liberal arts university that sells undergraduate and graduate degree programs across five academic schools, plus an adult degree-completion program (Converse II) and a community arts school (Lawson Academy of the Arts). The university charges tuition and fees for academic instruction and unit-based fees for community music and dance lessons.

Product overview

Converse University is a single-institution liberal arts university in Spartanburg, SC, offering a comprehensive portfolio of academic programs through five distinct schools: the School of Business and Data Science, School of Education, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, School of the Arts, and The Graduate School. The university provides undergraduate majors, minors, and graduate programs spanning more than 40 majors, 8 career tracks, and 28 graduate programs. Its subsidiary programs include the Lawson Academy of the Arts (a community music and dance school founded in 1944) and Converse II (adult undergraduate program). The institution guarantees undergraduate students will graduate in four years and guarantees employment or graduate school acceptance within six months after graduation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Converse College for Women: Program offering women's college experience within the university
• Lawson Academy of the Arts
• Nisbet Honors Program
• University Center of Greenville (UCG)

Products and services

• Converse University Undergraduate and Graduate Degree Programs A liberal arts university offering more than 40 undergraduate majors, 8 career tracks, and 28 graduate programs, with tuition-based enrollment for residential and commuter students.
• School of Business and Data Science One of the five academic schools, offering business and data science programs with award-winning faculty.
• School of Education Prepares future educators, administrators, and researchers for careers in education.
• School of Liberal Arts and Sciences School covering humanities, sciences, and interdisciplinary studies to help students develop skills for lifelong success.
• School of the Arts A nationally recognized arts school providing real-world experience for careers in the arts.
• The Graduate School Houses all master's and doctoral graduate programs at the university.
• Converse College for Women
• Converse II (Adult Undergraduate Program)
• Lawson Academy of the Arts Community arts school offering music and dance lessons to students of all ages, including keyboard, strings, wind and brass, vocal study, and music therapy programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of full-time undergraduate students guaranteed to graduate in 4 years
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Furman University: Private university in Greenville, SC, serving traditional undergraduates with a strong liberal arts and pre-professional portfolio; directly comparable in scale, market, and mission to Converse.
• Gardner-Webb University: Private Christian university in Boiling Springs, NC (just across the SC border), offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs in a similar size and demographic footprint as Converse.
• Anderson University: Private university in Anderson, SC, offering a comparable mix of undergraduate majors, graduate programs, and adult degree completion — a close peer in size and program breadth.
• Presbyterian College: Private liberal arts college in Clinton, SC, with similar student-to-faculty orientation, traditional undergraduate focus, and Upstate/Midlands SC draw competing for the same applicant pool.
• North Greenville University: Private Christian university in Tigerville, SC, with undergraduate and graduate programs targeting the same Upstate SC and broader Southern Baptist student market.
• Wofford College: Private liberal arts college also located in Spartanburg, SC, competing directly with Converse for the same regional undergraduate pool with a similar size and tuition-driven model.
• Erskine College: Private liberal arts college in Due West, SC, with comparable enrollment scale, liberal arts curriculum, and small-institution economics to Converse.
• Bob Jones University: Private university in Greenville, SC, with undergraduate, graduate, and faith-based programming that competes with Converse for Upstate SC students.

Regional players

• USC Upstate: Public regional university in Spartanburg, SC, that competes with Converse for local undergraduates and adult learners, but operates on a public funding model with lower tuition and a different mission mix.
• Lander University: Public university in Greenwood, SC, offering comparable undergraduate and graduate programs at lower tuition; competes with Converse for in-state students but with a substantially different cost structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ConverseUniv
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ConverseCollege
• Facebookfacebook.com/ConverseUniversity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/converseuniversity
• Instagraminstagram.com/converseuniversity

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Converse University