Southwestern University

What Southwestern University does

Southwestern University is a private nonprofit liberal arts university founded in 1840 and located on a 560-acre residential campus in Georgetown, Texas. It serves prospective and current undergraduate students (and a smaller graduate cohort), along with their families and alumni, through 43 majors and 36 minors across 26 academic departments. The institution generates revenue primarily through tuition and fees, supplemented by alumni donations and gifts, and federal/state grants and research funding. It operates a traditional admissions-led go-to-market model targeting prospective students and families through campus visits, online inquiry forms, high school outreach, college fairs, and community events.

The university's technology-enabled service portfolio centers on career and student-life platforms rather than academic delivery: Handshake for job and internship matching, the proprietary PirateConnect alumni networking platform under the Pirate2Pro career-services brand, Indeed Job Search Academy and Jobscan as third-party job-search tooling, mySouthwestern as the student portal, Pirate Card as the campus ID and spending account, and Unimarket's Procure-to-Pay platform (selected April 2026) for administrative procurement modernization. The institution operates under a 2021-2026 Tactical Plan and has recently expanded its international footprint through articulation agreements with Durham University (UK) and a dual-degree engineering partnership with Washington University in St. Louis for aerospace engineering.

Revenue mechanics combine subscription-style recurring tuition income with one-time donation flows and grant-based professional services funding. Student employment wages are tiered ($8-$20/hour across four skill levels), but overall tuition pricing is not publicly disclosed. The institution's competitive position rests on brand reputation (Top 100 National Liberal Arts Colleges per U.S. News; #1 Career Services in Texas and #19 in the U.S. per Princeton Review), strong student outcomes (nearly 100% employment or graduate school placement within six months), and a 560-acre mixed-use development partnership with the City of Georgetown signaling expansion of both physical and economic footprint.

Name

Southwestern University

Legal name

Southwestern University

Website

https://southwestern.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1840

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Southwestern University is a private nonprofit liberal arts university founded in 1840 in Georgetown, Texas, offering 43 majors across 26 departments to undergraduate and graduate students, with revenue from tuition, donations, and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Secular/Nonsectarian Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Residential Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAH), Selective/Highly Selective Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAJ)

Keywords

• Liberal arts education
• Undergraduate programs
• Career development services
• Study abroad programs
• Higher education

Headquarters

HQ city

Georgetown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: The university generates primary revenue through tuition and fees from enrolled students across undergraduate and graduate programs.
2. Donations and Gifts: Alumni and supporter donations contribute to university funding through annual giving, major gifts, and endowed scholarships.
3. Grants and Research Funding: Federal and state grants, along with research funding, support academic programs and initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Southwestern University is a private liberal arts university offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs across 26 academic departments with 43 majors and 36 minors. It delivers residential, campus-based education in Georgetown, Texas, supplemented by career and professional development services, study abroad programs, dual-degree engineering partnerships, and an Outdoor Adventure program. Core student support is provided through career platforms, alumni networking, and student self-service portals.

Product overview

Southwestern University is a higher education institution offering undergraduate liberal arts and professional education through 26 academic departments with 43 majors and 36 minors. The university's technology-enabled services include career development platforms (Handshake for job/internship matching, PirateConnect for alumni networking, Indeed Job Search Academy for virtual job search training, Jobscan for resume optimization), student self-service systems (mySouthwestern portal, Pirate Card, Student Employment Policy system), and administrative operations (Unimarket Procure-to-Pay platform for procurement). The institution operates a centralized student support infrastructure integrating these platforms for career services, student employment, and campus operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PirateConnect: A networking and job-discovery platform built around the Pirate community for professional networking, industry guidance, and career discoveries.
• The Pirate Plan
• Pirate2Pro

Products and services

• Undergraduate Liberal Arts Programs
• Graduate Degree Programs
• Study Abroad Programs
• Dual Degree Engineering Program
• Master's Degree Pathways at Durham University
• Outdoor Adventure Program World-class outdoor leadership program providing global expedition opportunities, including climbs of Mount Kilimanjaro and trips into the Grand Canyon, for Southwestern students.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 100% of graduates employed or in graduate school within six months
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UnimarketcoreTechnology or Integration · 7 April 2026Southwestern University selected Unimarket's Procure-to-Pay and Payments solutions to modernize procurement and accounts payable operations. Implementation will establish a centralized digital platform to eliminate manual paper-based processes, improve operational efficiency, and reduce costs. Unimarket will also provide pre-implementation consulting services.
• Durham UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArticulation agreement providing Southwestern University students pathways to pursue master's degrees at England's Durham University. Partnership expands international education opportunities.
• Washington University in St. LouiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDual degree engineering program partnership allowing Southwestern students to complete undergraduate studies at SU and pursue master's in aerospace engineering at WashU.
• IIE (Institute of International Education)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerGrant recipient of IIE American Passport Project to empower U.S. students to study abroad. 25 Pell-eligible students awarded grant funding for first U.S. passport.
• HandshakecoreTechnology or IntegrationCareer development platform used by Southwestern students for personalized job and internship recommendations, on-campus jobs, and direct employer engagement.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Trinity University: A private liberal arts university in San Antonio, TX, and Southwestern's most direct Texas-based competitor for selective private liberal arts students seeking close faculty mentorship and strong career outcomes.
• Austin College: A private liberal arts college in Sherman, TX, directly comparable in size, mission, and Texas-focused recruitment against Southwestern for traditional undergraduate liberal arts students.
• Amherst College: An elite secular private liberal arts college in Massachusetts, directly comparable to Southwestern in mission, residential model, and selective admissions, serving as a benchmark for top-tier liberal arts positioning.
• Pomona College: A top-ranked private liberal arts college in California with a highly selective admissions profile and similar residential liberal arts mission, offering a near-perfect comparability for academic profile benchmarking.
• Williams College: A leading private liberal arts college in Massachusetts and a peer benchmark for residential liberal arts brand strength, endowment scale, and academic reputation in national rankings.
• Bowdoin College: A selective private liberal arts college in Maine with comparable academic profile, residential model, and emphasis on undergraduate research and career outcomes.
• Oberlin College: A private liberal arts college and conservatory in Ohio, directly comparable as a secular residential liberal arts institution with strong academic reputation and interdisciplinary focus.

Regional players

• Texas Christian University (TCU): A larger private university in Fort Worth, TX, that competes with Southwestern for in-state liberal arts students but operates with broader program offerings and a larger athletic brand.

Broad incumbents

• Baylor University: The largest private university in Texas and a broad incumbent; competes with Southwestern for top in-state students seeking private higher education with religious-affiliated roots and stronger research output.
• Rice University: A top-tier Houston-based private research university that competes with Southwestern for the most selective Texas liberal arts candidates seeking stronger STEM and graduate-program pipelines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/southwesternu
• Facebookfacebook.com/26778368456
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southwestern-university

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Southwestern University