Woodbury University

What Woodbury University does

Woodbury University is a private, non-profit higher education institution founded in 1884 and headquartered at 7500 N Glenoaks Blvd, Burbank, California. The university operates four academic units — the School of Architecture, School of Business, School of Media : Culture : Design, and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences — delivering 21 undergraduate and 5 graduate programs, including a five-year NAAB-accredited Bachelor of Architecture, an AACSB-accredited BBA and MBA, and a Master's in Interdisciplinary Design. Student services are built on standard third-party infrastructure including Canvas LMS (delivered through Instructure), TimelyCare for 24/7 virtual health and counseling, and the Los Angeles Times Library; the on-campus Making Complex provides a fabrication and maker space across design disciplines. The university serves degree-seeking undergraduate, graduate, transfer, and international students from 40+ countries, plus a smaller pre-college summer cohort, with mandatory internships embedded in graduation requirements.

The institution's business model is tuition-driven, with more than 96% of students receiving financial aid and an average aid package exceeding $21,000 during the 2024-2025 academic year. Ancillary revenue includes a $125-per-semester Student Life Fee generating approximately $150,000 per semester, on-campus housing for roughly 200 students across two residence halls, Woody's Cafe dining services, a bookstore, summer programs, and facility rentals. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via a rolling admissions process supporting the Woodbury Application, Common Application, and automatic merit-based scholarships for international and MBA students. The university markets through a multi-channel funnel including its website, school-specific Instagram accounts, virtual and in-person campus tours, portfolio workshops, a Student Ambassador program, the Studio 7500 podcast, and high school counselor engagement, leveraging its LA/Burbank location near major entertainment studios and accreditations from NAAB, AACSB, CIDA, and WSCUC as primary differentiators.

Name

Woodbury University

Legal name

Woodbury University

Website

https://woodbury.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1884

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Woodbury University is a private, non-profit institution in Burbank, California, founded in 1884, offering 21 undergraduate and 5 graduate programs across Architecture, Business, Media/Culture/Design, and Liberal Arts to domestic, international, and transfer students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Humanities & Creative Research Universities (EDAHABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

STEM-Focused Research Universities (Engineering & Applied Sciences) (EDAHABAB), Secular/Nonsectarian Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAG)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate degree programs
• Architecture education
• Creative arts education

Headquarters

HQ city

Burbank

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 from undergraduate and graduate tuition and mandatory fees. More than 96% of students receive some form of financial aid with average student financial aid package over $21,000 during 2024-2025 academic year.
2. Student Life Fee: $125 per semester charged to all full-time undergraduate students at Burbank campus. Generates approximately $150,000 per semester. Funds campus activities, student organizations, and events.
3. Housing and Dining: On-campus housing for approximately 200 students in two residence halls, plus dining services through Woody's Cafe.
4. Auxiliary Services: Bookstore, summer programs, and campus event/facility rental services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Woodbury University is a private, non-profit higher education institution delivering accredited undergraduate and graduate degree programs across four academic units: the School of Architecture, School of Business, School of Media Culture & Design, and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The university also offers pre-college summer programs, community continuing-education bootcamps, mandatory internship experiences, and student support services including virtual health, library, and maker-space resources.

Product overview

Woodbury University is a higher education institution offering a portfolio of academic programs across four schools/colleges. The School of Media : Culture : Design offers creative programs in Animation + VFX, Fashion Design, Filmmaking, Game Art & Design, and Experience Design (Graphic Design). The School of Architecture provides NAAB-accredited Architecture degrees, Interior Design (CIDA-accredited), and Construction Management programs, all STEM-designated. The School of Business holds AACSB accreditation and offers BBA programs in Accounting, Fashion Marketing, Management, and Marketing, plus an accelerated BBA-MBA program and standalone MBA. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences provides Interdisciplinary Studies and Public Safety Administration degrees with minors in Cyber Security, Philosophy, and others. The university also offers pre-college summer programs, community entrepreneurship bootcamps, and student support services including TimelyCare virtual health, the Los Angeles Times Library, and mandatory internship opportunities. With 21 undergraduate and 5 graduate programs across three schools and one college, Woodbury serves approximately 200 residential students on its Burbank campus.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School of Media : Culture : Design Academic school offering undergraduate programs in Animation + VFX, Fashion Design, Filmmaking (BA and BFA), Game Art & Design, Experience Design (Graphic Design), and a Master's in Interdisciplinary Design, targeting creative students pursuing careers in entertainment, fashion, and design industries.
• School of Architecture Academic school offering NAAB-accredited BArch and M.Arch degrees, CIDA-accredited BFA and MID in Interior Design, BS in Construction Management, and MS in Architecture—all STEM-designated and targeting students pursuing careers in architecture and built environment fields.
• School of Business AACSB-accredited academic school offering BBA programs in Accounting, Fashion Marketing, Management, and Marketing, plus an accelerated BBA-MBA Program and a standalone MBA focused on Responsible Leadership, Sustainable Business, and Self-Empowerment.
• College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Academic college offering BS/BA in Interdisciplinary Studies and BS in Public Safety Administration, plus minors in Art History, Cyber Security, Philosophy, Professional Writing, and Urban Studies, targeting students seeking flexible liberal arts education.
• Master of Business Administration (MBA) Graduate business degree focusing on Responsible Leadership, Sustainable Business, and Self-Empowerment, with automatic $22,000 RISE Scholarship, no GMAT/GRE requirement, and CORE MBA comprising 9 courses that can be completed in as little as 1 year for students with a business undergraduate degree.
• BBA-MBA Accelerated Program A 3+1 accelerated degree program enabling students to earn both a BBA in Management and an MBA in four years, requiring a minimum 3.0 GPA, and targeting high-achieving undergraduates seeking accelerated graduate credentials.
• Summer of Build & Design (Pre-College Academy) Pre-college summer academy open to rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors aged 15-18, providing portfolio development and creative skills exploration in architecture and design disciplines.
• 8-Week Entrepreneur Bootcamp An 8-week community program offered by Woodbury University that helps participants transform ideas into viable businesses, open to community members with a $75 registration fee.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked #6 in Social Mobility by US News and World Report
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Cumulus AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWoodbury University joined Cumulus, the leading global association of art and design education and research, expanding its international network and visibility in the creative education sector.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Loyola Marymount University: Larger LA private Jesuit university offering undergraduate and graduate programs in business, communication, and liberal arts. Competes for the same LA-area private-university applicants but at much greater scale and broader scope.
• Pepperdine University: Malibu-based private university with AACSB-accredited business school and broad liberal arts programs. Competes for Southern California private-university applicants with a larger brand and deeper resources.

Direct peers

• ArtCenter College of Design: Pasadena-based private design school with strong programs in graphic design, illustration, entertainment design, and industrial design. Highly comparable creative-industry focus and small-class-size model in the same LA metro.
• Otis College of Art and Design: Los Angeles-based private art and design college with comparable programs in animation, fashion, graphic design, and architecture-adjacent fields. Closest direct competitor in the LA creative-education cluster with similar size, tuition model, and target student.
• Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc): LA private architecture school offering B.Arch and M.Arch programs. Direct peer to Woodbury's NAAB-accredited School of Architecture in the same metropolitan market.
• NewSchool of Architecture & Design: San Diego-based private architecture and design school with NAAB-accredited programs. Comparable STEM-designated architecture portfolio and similar small-private institution profile.
• California Institute of the Arts (CalArts): Valencia, CA private art school offering BFA/MFA programs in animation, film, graphic design, and interdisciplinary arts. Direct competitor for Woodbury's Media, Culture & Design students, especially in animation and filmmaking.
• FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising): LA private college specializing in fashion design, fashion marketing, and entertainment industry programs. Direct competitor for Woodbury's Fashion Design and Fashion Marketing majors.

Regional players

• National University: San Diego-headquartered private non-profit university with strong online and adult-learner focus and a School of Business with MBA programs. Comparable in non-profit, tuition-driven model and California geographic concentration, though less creative-program-focused.

Emerging players

• Columbia College Hollywood: Tarzana, CA private college focused on filmmaking, animation, and entertainment industry programs. Partial overlap with Woodbury's Filmmaking and Animation offerings in the same LA region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/woodburyu
• YouTubesoundcloud.com/woodburyu
• Facebookfacebook.com/55067899046
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/woodbury-university
• Instagraminstagram.com/woodbury_university

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Woodbury University