Dougherty Family College

What Dougherty Family College does

Dougherty Family College (DFC) is a private two-year college operating within the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, founded in 2017 and named after co-founding benefactors Mike and Kathy Dougherty and their daughters. DFC offers a single core academic program — an Associate of Arts (AA) degree in liberal arts, with an optional Pre-STEM concentration — designed to serve first-generation college students and students with high financial need as a structured pathway toward earning a bachelor's degree. The college enrolls approximately 150 first-year students annually into cohorts of ~25, with a stated maximum total enrollment of about 300 across both years. DFC operates on the downtown Minneapolis campus of St. Thomas and is supported by wraparound services including a Summer Enrichment Program orientation, the Scholar's Resource Center (tutoring and mentoring), a First-Year Experience seminar, and a Professional Internship Program placing students at employer partners such as Target, U.S. Bank, Ryan Companies, and Maxfield Elementary.

DFC's business model combines tuition revenue with substantial need-based financial aid and donor philanthropy. For the 2024-2025 academic year, published tuition and fees were $15,036 per year, but the average out-of-pocket cost to students is reduced to approximately $2,095 per year through federal and state aid (FAFSA, MN Dream Act) and donor-funded scholarships — including the DFC Excellence Scholarship, a full-tuition award for top-performing graduates continuing into bachelor's programs at St. Thomas. The go-to-market motion is sales-led and relationship-driven: admissions counselors conduct direct outreach to high school counselors, host group and individual campus visits, and recruit through community partnerships; application is free and admissions are rolling. Marketing is delivered through the DFC website, social media channels (Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok), virtual tours, family newsletters, and the TommieBot AI search assistant.

The college is governed and resourced as a unit within the University of St. Thomas, does not operate as an independent entity, and is not separately capitalized through equity markets. Strategic partnerships span both employer-facing internship hosts (Target, U.S. Bank, Ryan Companies, Maxfield Elementary) and foundation funders (notably ECMC Foundation, which provided a grant recorded in July 2024). DFC's stated leadership includes Dean Buffy Smith and a small staff complement (11–50 employees) supporting instruction, advising, admissions, internship coordination, and student support functions.

Name

Dougherty Family College

Legal name

Dougherty Family College at the University of St. Thomas

Website

https://dfc.stthomas.edu/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dougherty Family College is a private two-year college within the University of St. Thomas offering an Associate of Arts degree program serving first-generation and high financial need students in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, with wraparound support, paid internships, and a pathway to bachelor's completion.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education (Two-Year College)

NAICS

Junior Colleges (6112)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAH)

Keywords

• Two-year college education
• Associate degree programs
• Liberal arts education
• First-generation student support
• College preparatory program

Headquarters

HQ city

Minnesota City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Private 2-year college tuition model. In 2024-2025, tuition and fees were $15,036 per year. However, most students receive significant need-based financial aid bringing average out-of-pocket cost to $2,095 per year.
2. Financial Aid: Federal and state funding through FAFSA and MN Dream Act, plus donor-supported financial aid packages
3. Donor Contributions: Generous donor support enabling affordable education and scholarships such as the DFC Excellence Scholarship (full-tuition award)

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Dougherty Family College offers a two-year Associate of Arts degree in liberal arts with an optional Pre-STEM concentration, providing students with academic, personal, and financial support including free meals, laptops, textbooks, transportation, cohort-based learning, and a Professional Internship Program. Graduates have a clear pathway to continue into bachelor's degree programs at the University of St. Thomas, with top performers eligible for the DFC Excellence Scholarship (full-tuition award).

Product overview

Dougherty Family College is a two-year private college at the University of St. Thomas offering a single core program: the Associate of Arts (AA) degree in liberal arts. The college also offers a Pre-STEM concentration for students interested in STEM fields. Student support is provided through multiple integrated modules including the Summer Enrichment Program (required orientation), Professional Internship Program (paid work experience), Cohort Program (students take classes together in groups of ~25), First-Year Experience seminar, and The Scholar's Resource Center (tutoring/mentoring). The DFC Excellence Scholarship provides full-tuition pathways for graduates to continue at St. Thomas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Associate of Arts (AA) Degree in Liberal Arts A two-year liberal arts associate degree program designed to propel students towards success and provide a smooth transition to a four-year college degree, primarily serving first-generation college students and students with significant financial need.
• Pre-STEM Concentration An optional concentration track within the AA degree for students interested in sciences, math, engineering or health careers, delivered during the summer prior to a student's first year at DFC on the St. Paul campus.
• Professional Internship Program A program that pairs DFC students with professional development coursework and paid internship opportunities at organizations throughout the Twin Cities (e.g., Target, U.S. Bank, Ryan Companies).
• DFC Excellence Scholarship A full-tuition scholarship awarded to DFC graduates that allows them to continue directly into bachelor's degree programs at the University of St. Thomas.

Quantifiable outcome

• 15 DFC graduates earned full-ride Excellence Scholarships to continue at St. Thomas (2026 class)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Maxfield ElementarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThree-year partnership hosting DFC student interns for valuable in-classroom experience and firsthand exposure to education careers. Scholars work directly with young learners while developing skills and confidence.
• Ryan CompaniesminorOthersCorporate internship partner hosting DFC students for professional development and workforce experience.
• TargetminorOthersTarget Headquarters hosts DFC interns, providing exposure to retail corporate environment and multiple departments. Student Khadra Sharif interned at Target developing cross-departmental knowledge.
• U.S. BankminorOthersU.S. Bank hosts DFC interns for professional experience in financial services. Student DeAmonte Block learned professionalism and workplace skills.
• Lutzie 43 FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoad safety education initiative partnership bringing Safe Driving Summits to Dougherty County High Schools (Georgia). Note: This is Dougherty County School System partnership, not DFC Minnesota.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• College Track: Comprehensive college-readiness and college-completion program for first-generation students from underserved communities. Highly comparable to DFC's multi-year wraparound academic, financial, and personal support model.
• Bottom Line: Nonprofit delivering one-on-one college access and success advising to first-generation students from low-income backgrounds. Closely comparable to DFC's advising-intensive, persistence-oriented model.
• College Possible: Nonprofit providing near-peer coaching to help low-income students get into and graduate from college. Shares DFC's intensive-coaching, persistence-focused approach for first-generation and high-need students.
• Questbridge: National nonprofit that matches high-achieving, low-income students with selective colleges and provides scholarship support. Highly comparable to DFC's mission of serving first-generation, high-need students and creating a clear pathway to a bachelor's degree.
• Posse Foundation: Identifies and supports cohorts of first-generation college students through leadership development and full-tuition scholarships at partner colleges. Directly comparable to DFC's cohort-based, wraparound-support model for high-need students.
• OneGoal: College persistence program for low-income high school students, focused specifically on postsecondary enrollment and bachelor's completion. Closely aligned with DFC's mission and outcome metrics.
• iMentor: Pairs low-income students with college-educated mentors to support college graduation. Directly comparable to DFC's one-on-one advising and mentorship model for first-generation students.
• Bard High School Early Colleges: Network of public early colleges that allow students to earn an associate degree alongside a high school diploma. Directly comparable in its use of an AA-equivalent degree as a free, supported on-ramp to a four-year credential.
• InsideTrack: Provides student-success coaching for higher education institutions to improve persistence and completion. Highly comparable to the advising, tutoring, and Scholar's Resource Center functions that DFC delivers in-house.

Broad incumbents

• St. John's College: Four-year liberal arts college with a Great Books curriculum that also offers a two-year pre-masters/transfer option. Comparable as a small, mission-driven liberal arts institution with a 2-year pathway, though serving a different student segment than DFC.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/stthomasdfc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCSFEyis_hTphbn3suigLCxg
• Facebookfacebook.com/StThomas.Dougherty
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/showcase/st-thomas-dougherty-family-college
• Instagraminstagram.com/stthomasdfc
• TikToktiktok.com/@universityofstthomas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Dougherty Family College