University Center of Lake County

What University Center of Lake County does

The University Center of Lake County is a nonprofit educational consortium headquartered in Grayslake, Illinois, founded in 1998 by the Illinois Board of Higher Education. It operates as a multi-university partnership platform that aggregates 110+ accredited programs from 14 member universities—including DePaul, University of Illinois Chicago, Governors State, Northern Illinois, and others—delivering bachelor's completion, master's, doctoral, certificate, and endorsement programs at a single physical campus. Students pay tuition directly to their chosen university partner rather than to the University Center itself; the center's direct revenue sources are limited and not publicly disclosed, though it secured a $13.9 million Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) federal grant in November 2023 to operate the El Centro community schools program in partnership with Diamond Lake School District 76 and North Chicago School District 187.

The center serves working adults, transfer students, K-12 educators seeking professional development (through the Educators' Center), and underserved populations including first-generation college students. Programs are offered in flexible formats—evening, weekend, online, and hybrid—designed for nontraditional learners who cannot attend traditional daytime campus classes. Notable specialized offerings include CAHIIM-accredited Health Information Management programs (BS and MS through UIC), the ENLACE Higher Education Master's Program focused on first-generation student leadership, and the Mini-Medical School youth pipeline initiative in partnership with Rosalind Franklin University.

Go-to-market relies on community events (University Fairs, info sessions), school district partnerships, academic advising, and digital channels (website, social media, email newsletter). The organization employs 11-50 staff and operates without proprietary technology, functioning as a coordination hub and physical facility rather than a technology platform. Its primary assets are institutional partnerships, 25 years of brand equity in Lake County, and state-government founding legitimacy.

Name

University Center of Lake County

Legal name

University Center of Lake County

Website

https://ucenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The University Center of Lake County is a nonprofit educational consortium that aggregates 110+ degree programs from 14 accredited Illinois universities at a single Grayslake campus, serving working adults, transfer students, K-12 educators, and underserved learners across Lake County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Educational Support Services (611710), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Community Colleges (Transfer + Workforce) (EDAHADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Transfer/University-Parallel Community Colleges (EDAHADAF), Rural/Regional Community Colleges (EDAHADAK)

Keywords

• Higher education consortium
• University partnership programs
• Bachelor degree completion
• Graduate education access
• Community schools initiative

Headquarters

HQ city

Grayslake

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Educational Program Coordination: The University Center coordinates educational programs from multiple partner universities at its Grayslake facility. Students pay tuition directly to their chosen university partner, not to the University Center.
2. Grant Funding: The University Center received a $13.9 million Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) grant from the U.S. Department of Education, providing $2.7M per year for five years (starting November 2023) to support the El Centro program serving Lake County school districts.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The University Center of Lake County is a nonprofit educational consortium that coordinates bachelor's completion, master's, doctoral, certificate, and endorsement programs from 14 accredited university partners at its Grayslake, IL campus facility. Students apply and pay tuition directly to their chosen partner university while accessing flexible scheduling (evening, weekend, online, hybrid). The Center also operates community programs including the El Centro Full-Service Community Schools initiative and the Educators' Center.

Product overview

The University Center of Lake County is a nonprofit educational consortium founded in 1998 that serves as a multi-university partnership platform offering bachelor completion, graduate, doctoral, certificate, and endorsement programs from 14 accredited university partners. Rather than a single product, it operates as a unified platform that aggregates academic programs from partner institutions including DePaul University, Dominican University, Governors State University, Lewis University, National Louis University, North Park University, Northeastern Illinois University, Northern Illinois University, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, University of Illinois Chicago, University of Illinois Springfield, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The Center offers over 110 accredited programs including undergraduate business programs (Accounting, Business Administration, Digital Marketing, Hospitality Management, Human Resource Development, Nonprofit Management, Supply Chain Management), health programs (Health Information Management BS and MS through UIC), education programs (ENLACE Master's, HRD Bachelor's, Special Education Master's), and professional certificates (Workplace Learning & Performance). Programs are delivered in flexible formats (online, hybrid, evening, in-person) designed for working adults. The Center also operates specialized initiatives including the Educators' Center, El Centro FSCS community schools program, and Mini-Medical School youth outreach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• El Centro FSCS: Full-Service Community Schools program providing comprehensive services to students and families in Lake County schools

Products and services

• Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management (BSHIM) 100% online bachelor's completion program designed to prepare graduates for the Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) exam. Covers management and use of healthcare information systems, coding, systems analysis, and data quality management.
• Master of Science in Health Information Management (MSHIM) 100% online master's program that equips students with advanced skills for shaping effective health information management strategies, improving patient care quality, and safeguarding electronic health records. 39-credit hour program that can be completed in 20 months.
• Bachelor of Arts in Human Resource Development (HRD)

Quantifiable outcome

• Served over 13,815 students since founding in 1998
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• Governors State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Joined as the 14th member institution in October 2025, launching Bachelor's in Interdisciplinary Studies program.
• Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and SciencestrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 July 2025Partnership for Mini-Medical School program hosting middle school students for hands-on introduction to medical careers. Led by RFU's Chicago Medical School and CPASS Foundation.
• University of Illinois ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 January 2025Joined as 13th member institution in January 2025. Offers Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management (BSHIM) and Master of Science in Health Information Management (MSHIM), both CAHIIM accredited.
• Diamond Lake School District 76coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 November 2023Partner in FSCS El Centro grant program, receiving three site coordinators at Diamond Lake Elementary, West Oak Intermediate, and West Oak Middle School.
• North Chicago School District 187coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 November 2023Partner in FSCS El Centro grant program, receiving two site coordinators for Evelyn Alexander Elementary and Forrestal Elementary.
• DePaul UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember university partner offering business and other professional programs through the University Center. Students can pursue degrees from DePaul while attending classes at the Grayslake facility.
• Dominican UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember university partner offering various undergraduate and graduate programs at the University Center location.
• Lewis UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember university partner offering programs including Hospitality Management at the University Center.
• National Louis UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember university partner offering education, business, psychology, and other programs. Alumni include Dr. Venoncia Baté-Ambrus who earned PhD in Community Psychology.
• North Park UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember university partner offering business programs including Business Administration, Digital Marketing, Nonprofit Management, and Supply Chain Management.
• Northeastern Illinois UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember university partner offering Human Resource Development programs, ENLACE Higher Education Master's Program, and other education-related degrees.
• Northern Illinois UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember university partner offering Applied Management: Instructional Technology, Training & Evaluation program.
• Southern Illinois University CarbondalecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember university partner offering Accounting, Business and Administration, Hospitality/Tourism/Event Management, and Organizational Learning programs.
• Southern Illinois University EdwardsvillecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember university partner offering various degree programs at the University Center.
• University of Illinois SpringfieldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember university partner offering Business Administration (BBA) and other programs through online delivery.
• University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember university partner representing one of Illinois' premier research universities offering select programs at the University Center.
• College of Lake CountystrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Educators' Center initiative along with member institutions, school districts, and Regional Office of Education.
• Regional Office of EducationstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Educators' Center initiative supporting teacher recruitment and retention in Lake County.
• CPASS FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Mini-Medical School program providing funding and support for the initiative alongside Rosalind Franklin University.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Great Plains IDEA: Multi-state consortium of public universities (Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, and others) that shares online programs across member institutions — conceptually analogous to the University Center's consortium model, but operating virtually rather than at a single physical hub.

Regional players

• College of DuPage: Illinois' largest single-campus community college, headquartered in Glen Ellyn (DuPage County, immediately south of Lake County). Operates a similar mission of accessible postsecondary education for working adults in the Chicago suburbs and serves as a regional comparator for program breadth and student services.
• Harper College: Public community college in Palatine, IL (Cook County) serving the northwest Chicago suburbs. Operates a similar mix of associate degree transfer pathways and workforce-aligned technical programs targeted at working adults, comparable in mission and demographic.
• Elgin Community College: Fox Valley community college serving Elgin-area residents with two-year degrees, university-transfer programs, and career-technical education. Comparable as a regional Illinois community college serving a similar working-adult population.
• McHenry County College: Adjacent-county community college in Crystal Lake, IL, serving McHenry County residents with two-year degrees, transfer pathways, and workforce credentials. Comparable in scale and mission as a nearby suburban Illinois community college reaching nontraditional learners.
• Waubonsee Community College: Public community college in Sugar Grove, IL (Kane County), serving the far western Chicago suburbs with transfer degrees and workforce credentials. Comparable in scale and mission, and one of the closest geographic community college peers.

Direct peers

• National Louis University: One of the University Center's 14 member university partners, NLU is a Chicago-based nonprofit university that offers education, business, and psychology programs both directly and through satellite sites. Comparable as a mission-aligned nonprofit higher-education institution serving working adults via flexible scheduling.
• Northern Illinois University: A member university partner offering Applied Management: Instructional Technology, Training & Evaluation through the University Center. As a regional public research university serving nontraditional learners statewide, it is comparable in mission to broaden degree access within Illinois.
• College of Lake County: The primary community college partner of the University Center and Lake County's main two-year public college. CLC and the University Center share geography, target overlapping working-adult and transfer-student populations, and jointly coordinate transfer-pathway programs, making it the closest regional peer.
• Lone Star College-University Park: Lone Star College's University Park campus in Texas operates the LSC-University Park Center, which hosts programs from multiple partner universities (e.g., University of Houston, Sam Houston State) at a single site serving working adults and transfer students — directly analogous to the University Center of Lake County's consortium-based model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/UniversityCenterofLakeCounty
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/university-center-of-lake-county_2
• Instagraminstagram.com/universitycenterlc
• Xx.com/univctrlakeco

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about University Center of Lake County