University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts

What University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts does

The College of Liberal Arts (CLA) is the largest college within the University of Minnesota system, a public land-grant research university headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded in 1868 as part of UMN's land-grant mission, CLA delivers 60+ undergraduate majors and 30+ graduate and professional degrees across 31 academic departments and 13 collegiate research centers, with a current enrollment of approximately 14,000 students (12,665 undergraduates and 1,387 graduate students in 2024) supported by 461 tenured and tenure-track faculty. The institution serves prospective and current undergraduate students, graduate students, transfer students, first-generation, Pell-eligible and BIPOC students (who together account for a majority share of the Twin Cities student populations in CLA), employer and community partners, alumni and donors, and K-12 students through fee-based community programming such as the Twin Cities Saxophone Camp and Alexander Technique Workshops. CLA's physical footprint spans the Twin Cities Minneapolis campus, with department offices distributed across the East Bank and West Bank.

CLA's core product portfolio centers on undergraduate and graduate degree delivery, supplemented by a proprietary career readiness stack consisting of the 10 Core Competencies Framework, the RATE (Reflect, Articulate, Translate, Evaluate) self-assessment tool, and the MyCareerManagement recommendation platform, all developed internally to help students translate liberal arts learning into employer-relevant language. Auxiliary products include Learning Abroad Programs (serving roughly one-third of CLA students through the UMN Learning Abroad Center), the Liberal Arts Engagement Hub in Pillsbury Hall anchored by the Office for Diversity, Inclusion, Community Engagement, and Equity (DICEE), and a portfolio of student organizations, scholarships ($3.5M+ annually), and graduate assistantships. The institution does not develop external software products and offers no public APIs or developer tools.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid model: tuition and fees supported by state appropriations, private donations channeled through the Dean's Circle ($1,000+ annual giving or $84/month recurring) and Heritage Society planned gifts ($29,168,889 raised from 3,334 donors in FY 2024-25), research grants and fellowships, community program fees (e.g., $375–$500 for Alexander Technique workshops, $350–$400 for the Saxophone Camp, $56–$66/night for Middlebrook Hall housing), and on-campus housing revenue. Distribution is executed through the central UMN admissions office for undergraduates and graduates, a dedicated transfer admissions team (serving roughly one-third of CLA undergraduates who entered as transfers), an Employer Engagement team operating on the Handshake platform, and direct-to-consumer community program registration.

Name

University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts

Legal name

Regents of the University of Minnesota

Website

https://cla.umn.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1868

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

The College of Liberal Arts is the largest college in the University of Minnesota system, offering 60+ undergraduate majors and 30+ graduate degrees across 31 departments. It serves approximately 14,000 students in Minneapolis through degree programs, proprietary career readiness tools, learning abroad, and employer engagement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAAAEAA

University/College Continuing Education (Extension) Programs

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Continuing Education (Noncredit) & Lifelong Learning Programs

SECONDARYEDAKANAF

Work-Based Learning Programs (Internships, Apprenticeships, Community-Based Instruction)

Education/Special Education & Learning Support Services/Transition Services (Post-Secondary, Employment & Independent Living)

SECONDARYEDAIAFAO

Credentialing, Academic Credit, Assessment & Transcript Services

Education/International Education & Study Abroad/International Internships, Co-ops & Work Placement Programs

Keywords

• Liberal arts education
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate degree programs
• Career readiness programs
• Study abroad programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Public university tuition revenue from undergraduate and graduate students, supported by state funding and student fees. The college is the largest college in the University of Minnesota system with over 14,000 total student enrollment.
2. Private Donations and Gifts: Philanthropic contributions from alumni, friends, and supporters through the Dean's Circle ($1,000+ annual giving), planned gifts, estate gifts (Heritage Society), and general fund donations. FY 2024-2025: 3,334 donors contributed $29,168,889.
3. Grant Funding: Research grants and fellowships supporting faculty research and graduate student funding, including Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships, Graduate Assistantships, and departmental research grants.
4. Community Program Fees: Fee-based community programming including the Alexander Technique Workshop ($375 basic, $500 with extension), Twin Cities Saxophone Camp ($350-400), and other community education programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The College of Liberal Arts (CLA) at the University of Minnesota is the largest college in the UMN system, delivering undergraduate and graduate degree programs across 31 departments and 13 research centers in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. It supplements classroom instruction with career readiness tools (10 Core Competencies, RATE self-assessment, MyCareerManagement), experiential learning such as internships and study abroad, and community engagement programming. CLA also operates fee-based community programs (e.g., Twin Cities Saxophone Camp, Alexander Technique Workshop) and engages employers as hiring partners.

Product overview

The College of Liberal Arts (CLA) at the University of Minnesota is an educational institution offering a portfolio of undergraduate majors (60+), graduate degrees (30+), and professional programs across the arts, humanities, and social sciences. CLA's primary 'product' is its academic education supplemented by career readiness tools (RATE, MyCareerManagement, Core Competencies Framework), experiential learning programs (Learning Abroad, Internships), and community engagement initiatives. The institution does not offer software products in the traditional SaaS sense but provides educational programs and proprietary career readiness tools developed internally for student use. Programs include undergraduate majors across 31 departments, graduate degrees (master's and doctoral), and community programs such as the Twin Cities Saxophone Camp and Alexander Technique Workshops.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CLA Undergraduate Majors

Quantifiable outcome

• 89% first- to second-year retention rate
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Washington CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCLA partners with The Washington Center's Academic Internship Program allowing students to spend a summer or semester in Washington D.C. with personalized career coaching, hands-on internship, and access to professional networks. Political Science department facilitates credit transfer for participating students.
• HandshakecoreTechnology or IntegrationUniversity of Minnesota's free job and internship search database exclusively for UMN students and alumni. Employers post positions and register for career fairs through this platform. CLA Employer Engagement team uses Handshake to connect students with employment and internship opportunities.
• Twin Cities Fortune-500 CompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCLA's location in the Twin Cities provides proximity to 18 Fortune-500 companies that serve as internship and employment partners, offering experiential learning opportunities and career pathways for CLA graduates.
• University of Minnesota Learning Abroad CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity-wide center that administers learning abroad programs. CLA integrates international study into liberal arts curriculum with approximately one-third of CLA students participating. Center provides program search, advising, financial planning, and scholarship administration.
• International Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (I-UROP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScholarship program promoting learning abroad opportunities to CLA and UMTC undergraduates by providing funding for students enrolled in select credit-bearing learning abroad programs involving research projects.
• Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool of Statistics and Division of Biostatistics & Health Data Science host annual reception for students, faculty, staff, and alumni attending JSM conference. Provides networking opportunity and celebrates UMN presence at major statistical conference.
• National Student ExchangeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDomestic exchange program allowing students to study at other colleges and universities in the United States. Political Science department connects students with this program for credit transfer toward degrees.
• Liberal Arts Engagement Hub PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHub housed in renovated Pillsbury Hall serves as vehicle to deepen culture of engagement with community. Partnerships with community organizations for reciprocal collaboration addressing important social problems, embedded within Office for Diversity, Inclusion, Community Engagement, and Equity.

Scale indicators19 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill College of Arts and Sciences: Core academic college of top-tier public research university UNC-Chapel Hill, housing arts, humanities, and social sciences at scale. Comparable in prestige, public-university status, and selective admissions profile.
• University of Washington College of Arts and Sciences: Largest college at fellow top-25 public research university UW, providing arts, humanities, and social science degree programs at scale with selective admissions. Comparable in research profile and public-university scale.
• UCLA College of Letters and Science: UCLA's largest undergraduate college, covering arts, humanities, and social sciences at a top-25 public research university. Comparable in scale, public-university positioning, and strong graduate program rankings.
• University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts: The foundational college of a top-tier Big Ten public research university, housing arts, humanities, and social sciences with nationally ranked graduate programs and a large residential liberal arts undergraduate experience. Closest peer in selectivity, ranking profile, and scale.
• Indiana University College of Arts and Sciences: Largest college at fellow Big Ten public research university Indiana, offering comparable arts, humanities, and social science programs with strong career services infrastructure. Comparable scale and public-university mission.
• University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts: Largest college at top-25 public research university UT Austin, with broad arts, humanities, and social science offerings and nationally ranked programs. Comparable institutional scale and mission.
• University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Letters & Science: The largest college at fellow Big Ten public research university Wisconsin, offering similar breadth of arts, humanities, and social science majors with strong career outcomes emphasis. Most directly comparable peer in mission, scale, and Big Ten context.
• Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences: Largest college at Ohio State, another Big Ten public research university with broad arts and sciences offerings. Comparable in scale, public-university structure, and Big Ten employer-recruitment footprint.
• Penn State College of the Liberal Arts: Liberal arts college at fellow Big Ten public research university Penn State, offering similar arts, humanities, and social science degree programs at scale with broad employer engagement. Closely analogous institutional structure.
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Liberal Arts & Sciences: Largest college at fellow Big Ten public research university Illinois, providing comparable arts, humanities, and social science degree programs and employer engagement infrastructure. Direct scale and structure analog within the same athletic and academic conference.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/umncla
• Facebookfacebook.com/umncla

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 of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts