Burman University
Burman University is a private Seventh-day Adventist university in Lacombe, Alberta, offering undergraduate degree programs in sciences, humanities, psychology, and religious studies with faith-integrated curriculum, small classes, and a national SDA ministry training mandate.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1890
- HeadquartersLacombe, Canada
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Burman University does
Burman University is a private, faith-based Seventh-day Adventist university located on a hilltop campus in Lacombe, Alberta, Canada, founded in 1890 as Canadian Junior College and rebranded under its current name in 2007. It offers undergraduate degree programs across Behavioural Science, Biology, Business, Education, General Arts, General Science, International Studies, Music, Nursing, Psychology, Religious Studies, and Wellness, alongside specialized certificates (Art Therapy, Crisis Intervention, Gerontology, Sports Psychology, Substance Abuse, Research). The institution emphasizes a non-competitive admissions policy, class sizes under 20 students, and a faith-integrated curriculum, with 70% of new students receiving scholarships and reported student satisfaction rates of 94% (feel welcome) and 90% (expectations met or exceeded). A distinctive offering is the Pre-Allied Health Lifestyle Medicine & Flourishing Track, described as the only undergraduate track of its kind in Canada. The Burman Ministry Centre extends the university's role into nationwide Seventh-day Adventist ministry training, including a recording studio for digital evangelism content.
The university's operations are organized around four functional pillars: academic delivery (using Desire2Learn as its LMS, CAMS as its campus information system, Google Workspace, and Microsoft Azure AD), residential campus life (Lakeview, Maple, and Riverton residence halls), community recreation through the PE Centre (a 9,000 sq. ft. fitness centre, 25-meter pool, gymnasium, rock wall, and gymnastics program), and research partnerships (notably a January 2026 Mitacs partnership backed by $15M of Alberta government funding over three years). Revenue streams include tuition and fees (primary), PE Centre memberships and program fees (ranging from $3 climbing passes to $1,099.95 family annual memberships), private swimming lessons, summer camps, facility rentals (including Casey's Cabin), parking permits, and grant-funded research via Mitacs. Customer acquisition is event-driven (Open House, UExperience weekends, campus visits with up to $250 CAD travel reimbursement) and digital (on-demand webinars, YouTube livestreams), targeting high school graduates, transfer students, home-schooled students, mature students, and international recruits, with a feeder pipeline anchored in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada.
Governance is led by President Dr. Loren Agrey, with Dr. Chloe Weir appointed VPAA in June 2026; the institution has no parent company, no venture backing, and no public financial disclosures, operating as an independent private university under SDA church affiliation.
Burman University firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Burman University
- Legal name
- Burman University
- Website
- https://burmanu.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1890
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Burman University is a private Seventh-day Adventist university in Lacombe, Alberta, offering undergraduate degree programs in sciences, humanities, psychology, and religious studies with faith-integrated curriculum, small classes, and a national SDA ministry training mandate.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Burman University industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Private Higher Education
- NAICS
- Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Religiously Affiliated Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Campus Spiritual & Religious Life (EDALAHAI)
Keywords
Where Burman University is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lacombe
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Burman University business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Tuition and Fees: Burman University generates primary revenue through tuition charges for undergraduate degree programs. Non-competitive admission policy with scholarship opportunities for 70% of new students.
- PE Centre Memberships and Programs: Gwen Bader Fitness Centre memberships ranging from daily passes to annual family memberships. Aquatic programs including swimming lessons, lane swimming, aquacize classes. Gymnastics classes (Jr. Acronaires), summer camps, and facility rentals generate additional recreation revenue.
- Research Partnerships and Grants: Partnership with Mitacs provides access to funding for academic-industry collaboration, enabling research projects with local students and organizations. Mitacs has invested over $147 million into Alberta research since 2018.
- Community Recreation Services: Summer day camps, birthday party packages, home school PE classes, rock climbing wall, private swimming lessons, and facility rentals for community members and external organizations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Gwen Bader Fitness Centre memberships include pool, gymnasium, and racquetball access |
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | Pool, gymnasium, and racquetball public access with daily rates |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Aquacize group fitness classes in pool |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Summer day camps for ages 7-14 with half-day and full-day options |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Rock climbing wall access with equipment rental options |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Private swimming lessons taught by certified instructors |
| Subscription | Annual | Campus parking permit fees for students, faculty, and staff |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Casey's Cabin event venue rental on campus lake |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Burman University product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Burman University is a private, faith-based Seventh-day Adventist university that delivers undergraduate degree programs and certificate programs across disciplines including Behavioural Science, Biology, Business, Education, Music, Nursing, Psychology, Religious Studies, and Wellness. Beyond academics, it operates the Physical Education Centre offering fitness, aquatic, gymnastics, rock climbing, and summer camp programs to students and the broader Lacombe community, and the Burman Ministry Centre providing ministry training, internships, and a recording studio for digital evangelism across Canada.
Product overview
Burman University is a faith-based Seventh-day Adventist university in Lacombe, Alberta, offering undergraduate degree programs across multiple disciplines. The institution operates as a single integrated university with various service divisions including the PE Centre (recreation and fitness facilities), Library services, Burman Ministry Centre (for faith-based ministry training and resources), and Student Services. Technology-enabled learning is supported through Desire2Learn (D2L) as the learning management system. The university also provides community programs including summer camps, swimming lessons, and gymnastics instruction through its Physical Education Centre.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Burman University Academic Degree Programs
- Burman Ministry Centre
Quantifiable outcome
- 70% of new students receive scholarships
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Burman University
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Burman University technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Burman University partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- MitacsflagshipBurman University partnered with Mitacs to strengthen its role as a hub for academic-industry collaboration and innovation capacity. Through this partnership, Burman gains access to Mitacs funding to deploy expertise into Alberta's economy, enabling local organizations to tap into top-tier talent for workforce development in priority sectors including Health, Life Sciences, Biotechnology, Agriculture, Natural Resources, Energy, Technology, AI, and ICT. The collaboration prioritizes research projects involving local students for hands-on experience solving real-world challenges while contributing to regional economic growth.
- Government of AlbertacoreAlberta government announced $15 million investment over three years to Mitacs in May, supporting the partnership with Burman University and reinforcing Mitacs' commitment to growing Alberta's economy. This agreement marks a significant milestone for Burman University.
- North American Division Office of Volunteer MissionsminorBurman Ministry Centre works with NAD Office of Volunteer Missions to provide international service opportunities for Canadian church members. Connects volunteers with hundreds of worldwide mission opportunities through www.hesaidgo.com platform.
- Seventh-day Adventist Church in CanadacoreBurman University is a Seventh-day Adventist institution with Burman Ministry Centre supporting ministries across Canada through research, internships, evangelistic strategies, and resource development. Partnership enables nationwide ministry training and mission coordination.
- Alberta Enterprise Partners (1,400+)minorThrough Mitacs partnership, Burman connects with nearly 1,400 enterprise partners across Alberta for collaborative research projects and student internship placements.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Burman University competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Pacific Union College: Pacific Union College is a small Seventh-day Adventist liberal arts college in California offering undergraduate programs across arts, sciences, and pre-professional tracks — directly comparable to Burman in scale, faith affiliation, and academic structure.
- Ambrose University: Ambrose University is a small Christian private university in Calgary, Alberta, offering undergraduate programs with faith integration. It is a close regional and conceptual peer, competing for similar faith-seeking Alberta students.
- The King's University: The King's University is a small Christian liberal arts university in Edmonton, Alberta, with comparable enrollment scale, undergraduate program breadth, and faith-based mission. Direct competitor for Alberta faith-seeking students.
- Southern Adventist University: Southern Adventist University is a private SDA liberal arts institution offering similar undergraduate degree programs in a faith-integrated environment. Comparable in mission, size, and program structure to Burman.
- Canadian Mennonite University: Canadian Mennonite University is a small private Christian university in Winnipeg offering liberal arts and sciences undergraduate programs with faith integration. Comparable in mission and scale to Burman within the Canadian private-faith-university segment.
- Andrews University: Andrews University is the flagship Seventh-day Adventist institution in North America, offering the same faith-integrated undergraduate degree structure as Burman and serving as a primary academic pipeline (e.g., PhD placements) for Burman graduates. It is the most directly comparable peer given shared SDA affiliation, mission, and academic model.
- Walla Walla University: Walla Walla University is a private Seventh-day Adventist liberal arts university with comparable enrollment scale, faith-based curriculum integration, and undergraduate program mix. It operates as a sister SDA institution within the same North American higher-education network.
- Concordia University of Edmonton: Concordia University of Edmonton is a small private university in Alberta offering undergraduate programs across arts, science, and management. It competes with Burman for the same regional student pool with similar institutional scale.
Broad incumbents
- Trinity Western University: Trinity Western University is a larger Christian liberal arts university in British Columbia offering a wider portfolio of undergraduate and graduate programs. Comparable in faith-based positioning and Canadian private-university context, but at significantly larger scale than Burman.
- Loma Linda University: Loma Linda University is a major Seventh-day Adventist health-sciences university in California. While much larger and health-focused, it shares the SDA affiliation and is a destination for graduates of institutions like Burman pursuing advanced health and psychology degrees.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Burman University social profiles
Digital presenceBurman University financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Burman University leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Burman University subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Burman University funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Burman University 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 Burman University
What does Burman University do?
Burman University is a private, faith-based Seventh-day Adventist university that delivers undergraduate degree programs and certificate programs across disciplines including Behavioural Science, Biology, Business, Education, Music, Nursing, Psychology, Religious Studies, and Wellness. Beyond academics, it operates the Physical Education Centre offering fitness, aquatic, gymnastics, rock climbing, and summer camp programs to students and the broader Lacombe community, and the Burman Ministry Centre providing ministry training, internships, and a recording studio for digital evangelism across Canada.
Is Burman University a public or private company?
Burman University is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Burman University founded?
Burman University was founded in 1890.
Where is Burman University based?
Burman University is headquartered in Lacombe, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Burman University make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Tuition and Fees are the primary driver. The others are PE Centre Memberships and Programs, research Partnerships and Grants and community Recreation Services.
Who are Burman University's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Pacific Union College, Ambrose University, The King's University, Southern Adventist University, Canadian Mennonite University, Andrews University, Walla Walla University and Concordia University of Edmonton. Broad incumbents are Trinity Western University and Loma Linda University.
Does Burman University have an API?
No public API is recorded for Burman University.
What industry is Burman University in?
Burman University's product category is Private Higher Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHACAF, Religiously Affiliated Liberal Arts Colleges, with a secondary code of EDALAHAI, Campus Spiritual & Religious Life. Its NAICS code is 611310 and its SIC code is 8200.