Francis Marion University

What Francis Marion University does

Francis Marion University is a public, state-supported university founded in 1970 and headquartered in Florence, South Carolina, serving more than 4,500 students across four academic schools: the College of Liberal Arts, the School of Business, the School of Health Sciences, and the School of Education. The institution offers over 60 majors and courses of study built on a traditional liberal arts core, supplemented by 15 NCAA athletic teams, Greek life, study abroad programs, and dedicated research and student-life facilities including the Freshwater Ecology Complex, the Dooley Planetarium, the Smith University Center, and Rogers Library. A new Forestry Program is scheduled to launch in Fall 2026, anchored to an 8,500-acre university forest along the Great Pee Dee River and supported by the Darla Moore Forestry Scholarship. Operating infrastructure includes Blackboard Ultra as the LMS with SAML SSO, Touchnet-powered Patriot Marketplace for student payments, an EAB Navigate 360 application account system implemented in 2025, Cognito Forms for campus tour registration, and the Patriot Portal for student self-service.

The business model is a multi-stream public-university revenue structure: tuition and mandatory fees (set annually by the Board of Trustees for in-state and out-of-state students), more than $9 million in FMU-specific institutional scholarships with average aid packages above $2,100 per year, auxiliary revenue from housing, dining, the Patriot Bookstore, and campus recreation, and donations channeled through the FMU Development Foundation. The go-to-market is a hybrid of traditional admissions (rolling admissions, regional counselors covering South Carolina territories, campus tours, open houses) and community engagement (Evening College for working adults, dual enrollment with high schools, regional economic development through the Kelley Center, and facility rentals). Student lifecycle technology is delivered through direct on-campus instruction, Blackboard-mediated online and hybrid formats, and the Patriot Portal/Patriot Marketplace for administrative services. The university is governed by a Board of Trustees, holds regional accreditation, and is GDPR- and CCPA-compliant.

Name

Francis Marion University

Legal name

Francis Marion University

Website

https://fmarion.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Francis Marion University is a public, state-supported university in Florence, South Carolina, founded in 1970, serving over 4,500 students through four academic schools with 60+ majors, 15 NCAA teams, and an upcoming Fall 2026 Forestry Program.

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

Public Research Universities with Comprehensive Graduate & Professional Schools (EDAHAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Research Universities with Engineering/Polytechnic Emphasis (EDAHAAAD), Applied Research & Innovation Universities (EDAHAEAE)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate education programs
• Liberal arts education
• Public university education

Headquarters

HQ city

Florence

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue from tuition and mandatory fees for undergraduate and graduate programs. The university offers affordable education positioned as the most affordable in South Carolina.
2. Financial Aid and Scholarships: The university provides over $9 million in FMU-specific scholarships with an average student aid package exceeding $2,100 per year, funded through endowment income and donor contributions.
3. Auxiliary Services: Revenue from housing, dining services, bookstore operations, and campus recreation facilities serving students and the university community.
4. Donations and Foundation: Institutional advancement through the FMU Development Foundation receiving charitable contributions from alumni and community supporters.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Francis Marion University is a public, state-supported university in Florence, South Carolina, offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs across four academic schools: the College of Liberal Arts, the School of Business, the School of Health Sciences, and the School of Education. The university also operates Evening College for working adults, the McNair Scholars research program, 15 NCAA athletic teams, and a new Forestry Program launching Fall 2026. Supporting services include housing, dining, a Career Center, Patriot Marketplace, and Blackboard LMS-enabled online and hybrid learning.

Product overview

Francis Marion University is a public university in Florence, South Carolina, serving over 4,500 students. The university offers a comprehensive portfolio of educational products and services organized into four academic schools: the College of Liberal Arts (with a traditional liberal arts core curriculum), School of Business (business administration, accounting, computer science, economics, and more), School of Health Sciences (nursing, occupational therapy, physician assistant, speech pathology), and School of Education (teacher preparation). Additional offerings include Evening College for working adults and the McNair Scholars research program. A new Forestry Program is launching in Fall 2026. Supporting infrastructure includes Blackboard LMS, Rogers Library, Freshwater Ecology Complex, Dooley Planetarium, Smith University Center for student activities, Patriot Marketplace for payments, Patriot Portal for student self-service, Career Center, and Housing and Residence Life. The university also fields 15 NCAA athletic teams. The portfolio operates as a unified university experience with academic programs as the core product supplemented by student life, athletics, research facilities, and administrative technology services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• College of Liberal Arts The foundational college offering traditional liberal arts education with a core curriculum as the building block for successful careers. Students can add majors from a growing selection of professional programs.
• School of Business Professional business education including undergraduate and graduate programs in accounting, business administration, computer science, economics, finance, human resource management, information systems management, marketing, and supply chain management.
• School of Health Sciences Health professions education including healthcare administration, nursing, occupational therapy, physician assistant studies, and speech language pathology programs.
• School of Education Teacher preparation and education programs including undergraduate and graduate degrees in education, autism studies, and teacher retention initiatives.
• Evening College Flexible evening classes for working adults and non-traditional students, providing opportunity to pursue higher education outside traditional daytime hours.
• Forestry Program New forestry program launching Fall 2026 offering hands-on training in the university's 8,500-acre forest along the Great Pee Dee River. Addresses workforce demand in South Carolina's $23 billion forest products industry.
• McNair Scholars Program Research preparation program for first-generation, low-income students who show strong academic potential, providing mentorship and research opportunities.
• NCAA Athletics (15 Teams) Student athletics program with 15 NCAA teams including basketball, volleyball, softball, soccer, baseball, cross country, and more, providing competitive sports opportunities for students.
• Housing and Residence Life On-campus residential options in wooded settings with amenities including dining facilities, convenience stores, and laundry centers with video monitoring. Multiple housing complexes including Forest Villas and Village Apartments.
• Career Center Career services providing job placement assistance, resume writing support, interview preparation, and connection to employment opportunities for students and alumni.
• Dooley Planetarium Astronomy education facility supporting the astronomy program, offering public shows and educational programs about astronomy and space science.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 4,500 students enrolled from around the world
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• South Carolina Forest Products IndustrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe new forestry program addresses workforce needs for South Carolina's forest products industry, which represents nearly 13 million acres of forests supporting a $23 billion industry. The university is partnering with industry stakeholders to prepare trained foresters for the region.
• North Eastern Strategic Alliance (NESA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional economic development partnership focused on the northeastern region of South Carolina, with FMU serving as an institutional partner in regional initiatives.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• University of South Carolina Upstate: USC system's regional campus in Spartanburg, SC, with similar enrollment scale, NCAA Division I athletics, and a comparable mix of liberal arts and professional undergraduate programs.
• Coastal Carolina University: Another mid-sized public regional university in South Carolina with comparable enrollment scale, NCAA Division I athletics, and a similar mix of liberal arts and professional programs; competes with FMU for the same in-state applicant pool.
• Anderson University (SC): South Carolina private university with comparable enrollment scale, NCAA athletics, and traditional liberal arts plus professional programs; competes with FMU for regional students in upstate SC and neighboring areas.
• Georgia College & State University: Georgia's designated public liberal arts university with similar enrollment size and a liberal-arts-plus-professional-program portfolio; closely comparable to FMU in mission, scale, and student demographics.
• University of North Carolina at Pembroke: Regional public university in the Carolinas with similar enrollment scale, NCAA Division II athletics, and an explicit social-mobility mission — making it a strong structural analog to FMU's positioning.
• Lander University: Small South Carolina public university with comparable enrollment size and a portfolio that includes business, education, and health sciences — closely aligned with FMU's positioning as an affordable regional public.
• College of Charleston: Public liberal arts-oriented university in South Carolina with undergraduate focus, NCAA athletics, and similar comprehensive school structure; competes with FMU for in-state students seeking traditional campus experiences.
• Winthrop University: South Carolina public university of similar size and program mix (liberal arts core plus business, education, and health-related programs), making it one of the closest direct enrollment and mission competitors to FMU.
• Charleston Southern University: South Carolina private university of similar size with NCAA athletics and faith-affiliated positioning; competes with FMU for in-state students prioritizing affordability and campus experience over flagship-brand prestige.

Broad incumbents

• University of South Carolina: South Carolina's flagship public university; not a direct scale match but the dominant in-state competitor that defines the upper bound of the market FMU competes in for tuition-paying students and state funding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FrancisMarionU
• Facebookfacebook.com/86674182130
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/francis-marion-university

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Francis Marion University