University Center of Lake County
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersGrayslake, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
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.
University Center of Lake County firmographics
Firmographics- 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
University Center of Lake County industry classification
Industry- 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
Where University Center of Lake County is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Grayslake
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
University Center of Lake County business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- 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.
- 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
University Center of Lake County product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use University Center of Lake County
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
University Center of Lake County technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
University Center of Lake County partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.
- Governors State UniversitycoreJoined as the 14th member institution in October 2025, launching Bachelor's in Interdisciplinary Studies program.
- Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and SciencestrategicPartnership 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 ChicagocoreJoined 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 76corePartner 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 187corePartner in FSCS El Centro grant program, receiving two site coordinators for Evelyn Alexander Elementary and Forrestal Elementary.
- DePaul UniversitycoreMember 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 UniversitycoreMember university partner offering various undergraduate and graduate programs at the University Center location.
- Lewis UniversitycoreMember university partner offering programs including Hospitality Management at the University Center.
- National Louis UniversitycoreMember university partner offering education, business, psychology, and other programs. Alumni include Dr. Venoncia Baté-Ambrus who earned PhD in Community Psychology.
- North Park UniversitycoreMember university partner offering business programs including Business Administration, Digital Marketing, Nonprofit Management, and Supply Chain Management.
- Northeastern Illinois UniversitycoreMember university partner offering Human Resource Development programs, ENLACE Higher Education Master's Program, and other education-related degrees.
- Northern Illinois UniversitycoreMember university partner offering Applied Management: Instructional Technology, Training & Evaluation program.
- Southern Illinois University CarbondalecoreMember university partner offering Accounting, Business and Administration, Hospitality/Tourism/Event Management, and Organizational Learning programs.
- Southern Illinois University EdwardsvillecoreMember university partner offering various degree programs at the University Center.
- University of Illinois SpringfieldcoreMember university partner offering Business Administration (BBA) and other programs through online delivery.
- University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaigncoreMember university partner representing one of Illinois' premier research universities offering select programs at the University Center.
- College of Lake CountystrategicPartner in the Educators' Center initiative along with member institutions, school districts, and Regional Office of Education.
- Regional Office of EducationstrategicPartner in the Educators' Center initiative supporting teacher recruitment and retention in Lake County.
- CPASS FoundationminorPartner 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
University Center of Lake County competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging 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
University Center of Lake County social profiles
Digital presenceUniversity Center of Lake County compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
University Center of Lake County financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
University Center of Lake County leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
University Center of Lake County funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
University Center of Lake County M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about University Center of Lake County
What does University Center of Lake County do?
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.
Is University Center of Lake County a public or private company?
University Center of Lake County is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was University Center of Lake County founded?
University Center of Lake County was founded in 1998. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is University Center of Lake County based?
University Center of Lake County is headquartered in Grayslake, United States, in the North America region.
How does University Center of Lake County make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Educational Program Coordination is the primary driver. The others are grant Funding.
Who are University Center of Lake County's main competitors?
Great Plains IDEA is listed as an emerging player. Regional players are College of DuPage, Harper College, Elgin Community College, McHenry County College and Waubonsee Community College. Direct peers are National Louis University, Northern Illinois University, College of Lake County and Lone Star College-University Park.
Does University Center of Lake County have an API?
No public API is recorded for University Center of Lake County.
What industry is University Center of Lake County in?
University Center of Lake County's product category is Higher Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHADAE, Comprehensive Community Colleges (Transfer + Workforce), with a secondary code of EDAHADAF, Transfer/University-Parallel Community Colleges. Its NAICS code is 611310 and its SIC code is 8200.