Barrett, The Honors College

What Barrett, The Honors College does

Barrett, The Honors College is a residential honors college embedded within Arizona State University, serving academically outstanding undergraduates across ASU's four metropolitan Phoenix campuses (Downtown Phoenix, Polytechnic, Tempe, West Valley) and, beginning Spring 2027, ASU Online. Founded as a standalone residential complex in 2009, Barrett delivers an honors-only curriculum integrated into any ASU undergraduate degree: a year-long interdisciplinary first-year seminar called The Human Event, a parallel one-semester History of Ideas course for upper-division transfers, exclusive upper-division Honors seminars (HON 394), and a culminating Honors Thesis under a faculty committee. Underlying technology is modest and largely inherited from ASU: the college uses ASU Canvas for course delivery and maintains a Barrett Digital Repository (housed within ASU Library) for thesis archiving and access.

The college's go-to-market runs through ASU's central admissions funnel: prospective students first apply to ASU, then submit a separate, free Barrett application. Tuition and fees follow ASU's published structure; financial support is layered on through merit- and need-based Barrett scholarships, research and travel awards (up to $3,000 each), the Bidstrup Foundation Research Fellowship (up to $2,000), and the ONSA national-scholarship advising office, which has helped ASU students win over 500 national awards. Distinctive programmatic extensions include Project Excellence (cross-enrollment in ASU's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law courses for Honors credit), the Mayo Clinic U-BRI and HonorHealth research internship programs, and the Barrett Summer Development Program (up to $1,500 international / $1,000 domestic).

Because Barrett is a constituent college of a public state university rather than an independent commercial entity, it has no separate revenue line, no equity ownership, and no venture or private-equity capital. Operations are funded through ASU's institutional budget, student fees, and donor contributions solicited through the ASU Foundation's Changing Futures campaign. Leadership is Dean Tara Williams, supported by Vice Dean Kristen Hermann, Assistant Dean Laura Jakubczak, Assistant Dean of Students Dawn Rendell, campus-specific Associate Deans, and Faculty Chair Jenny Brian. The college's customer base is horizontal and undifferentiated by industry: individual ASU undergraduates applying to an honors experience rather than enterprise or institutional buyers.

Name

Barrett, The Honors College

Legal name

Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University

Website

https://barretthonors.asu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Barrett, The Honors College is a residential honors college within Arizona State University serving academically outstanding undergraduates across four Phoenix-area campuses and ASU Online, offering signature interdisciplinary seminars, an honors thesis program, research partnerships, and scholarships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Honors Liberal Arts Colleges (Honors College/Program-Led) (EDAHACAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Selective/Highly Selective Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAJ), Alumni Benefits, Membership & Affinity Programs (EDALAOAM), Resume / Activities List / Portfolio Development (EDANAEAG)

Keywords

• Honors college education
• Undergraduate honors program
• Residential college community
• Honors thesis program
• Signature honors curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Tempe

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Barrett, The Honors College is a residential honors college within Arizona State University that delivers an enriched undergraduate honors education to academically outstanding students. It provides signature interdisciplinary seminars (The Human Event, History of Ideas), exclusive upper-division honors seminars (HON 394), a culminating honors thesis, three-pronged academic advising, and programs for research, internships, and study abroad across four ASU campuses and ASU Online.

Product overview

Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University is a residential college community for academically outstanding undergraduates, offering a comprehensive honors education program. The core academic experience consists of signature courses—The Human Event for first-year students and History of Ideas for transfers—which form the foundation of honors education. Students access exclusive upper-division seminars (HON 394) and complete a culminating Honors Thesis. The college provides specialized programs including Project Excellence (law school partnership), research opportunities (Mayo Clinic, HonorHealth), and the Summer Development Program. Student support encompasses mandatory three-pronged academic advising, scholarships/grants, newsletters, and campus facilities including room reservations. The college operates across four ASU campuses: Downtown Phoenix, Polytechnic, Tempe, and West Valley, with dedicated residential communities and student life programming.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked #1 honors college in the U.S. on 30+ lists in the last 3 years
• +3 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Purdue University Honors College: Purdue's residential honors college within a large public research university, featuring signature first-year programs, a research/thesis requirement, and dedicated honors residence halls—closely comparable in scale and structure to Barrett.
• Indiana University Honors College: IU's residential honors college inside a large public research university, offering signature seminars, a thesis requirement, and dedicated honors housing—a direct structural peer to Barrett.
• Virginia Tech Honors College: Virginia Tech's residential honors college within a large public research university, with a thesis requirement, signature common-read seminars, and dedicated honors residential communities—structurally parallel to Barrett.
• University of Maryland Honors College: Maryland's living-learning honors college within a large public research university, with a required thesis, dedicated honors housing, and signature programs—closely aligned with Barrett's residential-honors-college structure.
• Penn State Schreyer Honors College: Penn State's residential honors college within a large public research university, offering signature honors seminars, a thesis requirement, and dedicated honors housing—the closest structural analog to Barrett within a Big Ten context.
• University of Michigan Honors Program: Michigan's honors program within a large public research university, requiring a thesis and offering dedicated advising and research opportunities—a comparable honors-within-a-research-university model.
• University of Georgia Honors Program: UGA's honors program within a large public research university, with a thesis requirement, signature small seminars, and dedicated honors experiences—a comparable model of honors-within-a-research-university.
• Baylor University Honors College: Baylor's residential honors college with a required Great Texts curriculum (signature seminar sequence) and thesis component—directly comparable to Barrett's The Human Event / History of Ideas signature courses and thesis requirement.
• University of South Carolina Honors College: South Carolina's stand-alone honors college nested in a large public research university, with a required thesis, dedicated honors housing, and signature interdisciplinary seminars—directly comparable to Barrett's organizational model.
• Texas A&M University Honors Program: Texas A&M's residential honors experience within a large public research university, offering dedicated honors housing, undergraduate research, and a thesis-style culminating project—a peer in scale and structure to Barrett.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/barretthonors

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Barrett, The Honors College