Concord University

What Concord University does

Concord University is a public, state-assisted liberal arts university chartered by the West Virginia Legislature on February 28, 1872 and located in Athens, Mercer County, West Virginia. The institution operates with a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio across over 70 programs of study organized into two colleges — the College of Professional and Liberal Studies and the College of Science, Mathematics, and Health — and serves a primary service region covering eight West Virginia counties (Fayette, Greenbrier, McDowell, Mercer, Monroe, Raleigh, Summers, Wyoming) and two Virginia counties (Bland, Giles), with additional international student enrollment and study-abroad activity. Programs span undergraduate, graduate, and accelerated three-year (CU RISE) pathways, plus specialized offerings such as Nursing, Social Work, and a federally funded TRiO Student Support Services program serving 206 students annually.

The university runs a conventional higher-education technology stack: Ellucian Banner as the core ERP, Blackboard as the LMS, Microsoft 365 for communications, WordPress for the public web, Slate for admissions CRM, and Qualtrics/Wufoo/MachForm for survey and form workflows, with an internal IT Help Desk (no public or partner-facing API). Its business model is a mix of state appropriations, tuition and fees (including the Pell-eligible CU FREE tuition-free program), federal financial aid, grants administered through the Office of Sponsored Programs and the Concord University R&D Corp, and philanthropic fundraising through the Concord University Foundation, Inc. (with sub-brand CU Ascend). Ancillary revenue streams include the Barnes & Noble College Bookstore, Aramark CampusDish dining services, athletics (the Mountain Lions brand, 17 varsity sports as of the 2025-26 cycle), and the licensed Concord University Child Development Center.

Governance is through a Board of Governors under the West Virginia public higher education system, with no private parent or equity holders. Recent operating posture is oriented toward financial self-sufficiency and enrollment growth, with $3M+ of cost-out achieved by FY2018 and a strategic plan (2020-2026) actively extended under new president Dr. Bethany Meighen (July 2025). Strategic investments include new varsity sports (inaugural women's wrestling in December 2025), differentiated student-success programs (CU ASPIRE, CU RISE, CU FREE, Concord Complete Textbook Program), and athletic leadership refresh (Jayson Gee, April 2026). Headcount is reported at 251-500 employees; specific revenue and enrollment figures are not disclosed in the available source material.

Name

Concord University

Legal name

Concord University

Website

https://concord.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1872

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Concord University is a public, state-assisted liberal arts university in Athens, West Virginia, chartered in 1872, serving students across southern West Virginia and southwest Virginia with over 70 programs, a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio, and a 17-sport Mountain Lions athletics program.

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

General Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Residential Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAH)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Liberal arts education
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate degree programs
• Veteran student services

Headquarters

HQ city

Athens

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Core offering

Concord University is a public, state-assisted liberal arts university that delivers undergraduate and graduate degree programs across two academic colleges (College of Professional and Liberal Studies and College of Science, Mathematics, and Health). It supports students through 17 varsity sports, on-campus housing, a Child Development Center, student support services, and study abroad opportunities for a regional student population in southern West Virginia and southwest Virginia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CU Ascend: Philanthropic advancement initiative under the Concord University Foundation
• CU FREE
• CU ASPIRE
• CU RISE
• Concord Complete Textbook Program
• Jean & Jerry Beasley Student Center

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programs More than 70 undergraduate programs of study delivered through the College of Professional and Liberal Studies and the College of Science, Mathematics, and Health; targeted at high school graduates and transfer students seeking a four-year liberal arts degree.
• Graduate Degree Programs Master's-level graduate programs in Social Work, Teaching, and Health Sciences, targeted at working adults and credential-seeking professionals.
• Online Degree Programs Online-delivered undergraduate and graduate degree programs that allow remote learners to earn a Concord University degree without on-campus attendance.
• CU RISE Three-Year Accelerated Degree Programs Three-year accelerated bachelor's degree pathways that allow students to complete a four-year degree in three years; targeted at cost- and time-sensitive students.
• CU FREE Tuition Program Tuition-free degree pathway for Pell-eligible students, providing the cost of tuition coverage to qualifying low-income learners.
• TRiO Student Support Services (SSS) Federally-funded TRiO Student Support Services program that has been serving Concord University students since 1973 and assists 206 qualified students annually with academic and student support.
• Bonner Program Service-scholarship program providing students with financial scholarships in exchange for community service work, leadership, and personal development activities; engages 80 participants annually.
• Concord University Child Development Center Licensed child care center serving children ages 6 weeks to 12 years old with a developmentally-based curriculum; serves children of students, staff, faculty, and the broader community.
• Concord University Athletics (Mountain Lions) NCAA intercollegiate athletics program (Mountain Lions) with 17 varsity sports, providing competitive athletic opportunities for enrolled students.
• CU Ascend (Philanthropic Advancement Initiative) Philanthropic advancement initiative of the Concord University Foundation, Inc. supporting donor engagement, alumni giving, and fundraising.
• International Student Programs and Study Abroad Programs supporting international student enrollment and outbound study abroad opportunities for enrolled Concord students.

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration14 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Shepherd University: Public West Virginia liberal arts university of comparable enrollment size and program breadth; competes for the same in-state student pool and is governed under the same state higher-education framework.
• Fairmont State University: Public West Virginia regional university of similar scale offering undergraduate and graduate programs; comparable in mission, governance (Board of Governors), and reliance on state appropriations.
• West Liberty University: Small public West Virginia university with similar program mix and rural Appalachian setting; directly comparable on enrollment scale and mission as a regional state-assisted institution.
• Glenville State University: Small public West Virginia university with similar rural Appalachian setting, comparable enrollment scale, and analogous liberal-arts/career-oriented mission; competes for the same regional college-bound population.
• University of Virginia's College at Wise: Public liberal arts college in southwest Virginia serving overlapping counties (Bland, Giles) with Concord's service area; directly comparable on geography, mission, and student demographics.
• Bluefield State University: Public West Virginia university sharing Concord's service region in southern WV; former administrative merger partner (1973-1976). Most directly comparable institution by geography, size, and mission as an accessible regional public university.
• West Virginia State University: Public West Virginia HBCU with similar size and regional mission; offers undergraduate and graduate programs and competes for state-funded enrollment pools across West Virginia.

Broad incumbents

• Marshall University: Larger West Virginia public research university offering significantly broader program and athletic portfolios; competes for in-state students who might otherwise attend Concord and serves as a statewide flagship alternative.
• Radford University: Larger public Virginia university that competes with Concord for southwest Virginia students; broader program portfolio but overlapping regional recruitment footprint and public institution status.

Regional players

• Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College: Public WV two-year institution overlapping Concord's southern WV service area; competes for cost-sensitive and non-traditional learners, particularly those served by Concord's CU FREE and TRiO programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/112581907779
• Xx.com/CampusBeautiful
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/concord-university

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Concord University