The Universities at Shady Grove

What The Universities at Shady Grove does

The Universities at Shady Grove (USG) is a public higher education campus located in Rockville, Montgomery County, Maryland, operating as part of the University System of Maryland. USG operates a multi-university collaborative model, hosting nearly 80 degree programs from nine Maryland public universities — Bowie State, Salisbury, Towson, University of Baltimore, University of Maryland Baltimore, UMBC, University of Maryland College Park, UMES, and UMGC — on a single shared campus. The institution serves approximately 4,000 students with stated capacity to grow to 7,500, offering programs in high-demand fields including healthcare, business, STEM, public administration, and life sciences. Student services include academic coaching, career advising through Hire U at USG, internship placement, and a Patient Care Facility for clinical training, with 88% of graduates working in the region in their intended career field and 52% receiving scholarships.

The campus's core technology is its shared infrastructure model — makerspaces, an Entrepreneurship Lab, collaborative learning spaces, and the award-winning Biomedical Sciences and Engineering Education Facility — which supports interdisciplinary instruction across partner institutions. USG's product portfolio includes the Discover U career-matching platform (powered by Lightcast), Google NASH Career Certificates, USG Makerspaces, Inter-Institutional Enrollment allowing cross-university course access, and event services with catering. The business model is primarily tuition-driven, with students paying tuition and fees directly to their degree-granting partner university rather than to USG itself. USG additionally generates revenue through corporate sponsorships, tax-deductible donations administered by the Universities at Shady Grove Foundation (processed via cash, stocks, securities, or planned giving), and event services/catering for external campus events. Technology infrastructure includes a Salesforce-based inquiry form and the Lightcast-powered Discover U tool as the principal digital platforms. The institution is led by Executive Director Dr. Anne Khademian and governed by a Board of Advisors, with no private equity, venture capital, or external investment ownership structures applicable to this state-entity educational institution.

Name

The Universities at Shady Grove

Legal name

The Universities at Shady Grove

Website

https://shadygrove.umd.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Universities at Shady Grove is a public higher education campus in Rockville, Maryland that hosts nearly 80 degree programs from nine Maryland public universities, serving approximately 4,000 students with workforce-aligned programs, career advising, and shared facilities under the University System of Maryland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Higher Education

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Universities with Strong Industry Partnerships (EDAHAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Technical Universities with Specialized Engineering Domains (EDAHAEAI)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Public university programs
• Degree program offerings
• Workforce development programs
• Transfer student pathways

Headquarters

HQ city

Rockville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Students pay tuition and fees directly to their respective university (one of the nine partner institutions) for degree programs delivered at the USG campus. Financial aid, scholarships, and payment plans are available.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorship program building partnerships between business community, academia and students, providing brand exposure and workforce development investment.
3. Donations and Planned Giving: Tax-deductible donations administered by University System of Maryland Foundation for student scholarships, processed through cash, stocks, securities, or planned giving vehicles.
4. Event Services and Catering: Campus event services including catering for external events held at USG facilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

USG is a collaborative regional higher education campus that delivers nearly 80 undergraduate and graduate degree programs from nine Maryland public universities at a single Rockville, Maryland location. Students enroll through one of the nine partner universities (Bowie State, Salisbury, Towson, University of Baltimore, UMB, UMBC, UMD College Park, UMES, UMGC) and attend classes on the USG campus, with academic coaching, career advising, internship placement, and specialized facilities such as makerspaces, an Entrepreneurship Lab, a Patient Care Facility, and the Biomedical Sciences and Engineering Education Facility supporting their studies.

Product overview

The Universities at Shady Grove (USG) is an educational campus model that serves as a unified platform bringing together nearly 80 degree programs from nine Maryland public universities. The core offering consists of academic degree programs across multiple disciplines, supported by specialized facilities and services including Discover U (career matching platform), USG Makerspaces (hands-on fabrication facilities), Google NASH Career Certificates (professional credentials), the Entrepreneurship Lab (startup support), Inter-Institutional Enrollment (cross-university course access), and a Patient Care Facility (clinical training). These products work together to provide students with academic education, career preparation, practical skills development, and workforce readiness on a single campus.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Degree Programs (nearly 80 from nine Maryland public universities) Undergraduate and graduate degree programs across high-demand fields including healthcare, business, STEM, public administration, and life sciences, offered by nine Maryland public universities (Bowie State, Salisbury, Towson, University of Baltimore, UMB, UMBC, UMD College Park, UMES, UMGC) at the USG campus in Rockville, Maryland. Students earn degrees from their home university.
• Discover U Career and Major Matching Platform An online career and major matching tool that pairs student interests with careers and degree programs, showing salary ranges and job openings to help prospective and current students plan their academic path. Powered by Lightcast.
• Google NASH Career Certificates Professional certificate programs offered in partnership with Google and the National Association of System Heads (NASH), providing students with industry-recognized credentials in technology and business fields.
• USG Makerspaces A growing network of makerspaces providing hands-on facilities for students to create, test, and build projects across various disciplines, supporting prototyping and applied learning.
• Entrepreneurship Lab A dedicated space and program supporting student entrepreneurship, providing resources and guidance for launching new ventures.
• Inter-Institutional Enrollment Program allowing students to take courses at multiple partner universities within the University System of Maryland, expanding academic options across the nine partner institutions.
• Patient Care Facility An on-campus clinical training facility providing hands-on patient care experience for health sciences students.
• Hire U at USG Career Services Career services program connecting regional employers with USG students for internships and recruitment, supporting workforce pipelines and regional employment outcomes.
• USG Event Services and Catering Campus event services including catering for external events held at USG facilities in Rockville, Maryland.

Quantifiable outcome

• 88% of graduates working in the region in their intended career field
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Manna Food CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood security partnership providing Manna Choice Market at the Grove, USG Mobile Market, and Grover Essentials food access programs for students facing food insecurity. Manna Food Center is Montgomery County's primary food bank.
• Capital Area FoodbankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting food access programs including USG Mobile Market and Grover Essentials for students in need of emergency food assistance.
• Maryland Life Sciences Education and Innovation PartnershipflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership bringing Maryland's public higher education institutions into close working relationship with industry for life sciences workforce development. Involves University of Maryland, Baltimore and other USM institutions.
• Cooper Carry and Lake | FlatominorOthersDesign firms that partnered with USG on the Biomedical Sciences and Engineering Building, which received AIA Maryland Excellence in Design Awards in 2021.
• READY InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerData collection and sharing initiative led by USG's Executive Director to revolutionize education and career preparation through data analytics, involving collaboration among schools, employers, and students in Montgomery County.
• Google NASH Career CertificatesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership offering Google Career Certificates at USG, providing students with industry-recognized credentials in technology and business fields.
• Nine Maryland Public UniversitiesflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCore partnership with Bowie State University, Salisbury University, Towson University, University of Baltimore, University of Maryland Baltimore, UMBC, UMD College Park, UMES, and UMGC to deliver nearly 80 degree programs at the USG campus in Rockville, MD.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• edX (2U): Online university-partnered degree and credential platform — alternative channel competing for the same working-professional learner USG targets through its flexible programs.
• Florida Polytechnic University: Newer Florida public university with a STEM/industry-aligned mission and a smaller commuter campus — a comparable emerging, tech-and-industry-partnered public university model.
• Coursera: Online degree and credential platform partnering with universities to deliver flexible programs — competes for USG's working-adult and career-changer segments on convenience and price.

Broad incumbents

• SUNY Polytechnic Institute: Public state university with a STEM, engineering, and industry-partnered focus — comparable on the applied-sciences/industry-partnership thesis that defines USG's value proposition.
• Georgia State University: Large urban-serving public university with a strong focus on workforce outcomes and transfer-student throughput — comparable to USG on outcomes-driven, urban-commuter higher education.

Direct peers

• University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC): A USG partner institution and Maryland public university system member delivering flexible, working-adult-oriented degree programs — overlaps with USG on continuing education and workforce credentialing missions.
• University of Washington Bothell: Regional UW campus serving the Eastside metro with a cross-disciplinary, commuter-focused model — directly comparable to USG's Montgomery County commuter-campus positioning.
• UMBC (University of Maryland, Baltimore County): A USG partner institution and fellow Maryland public university with a strong STEM/health-sciences profile — directly comparable on academic portfolio and regional employer engagement.
• Penn State Behrend: Regional Penn State campus delivering STEM, business, and nursing degrees to a metro commuter population — same single-site, multi-program, partner-university-affiliated higher education model.
• University of Washington Tacoma: Regional upper-division and graduate campus of the University of Washington serving the Puget Sound metro from a single site — same multi-program, multi-university-system, regional-access model as USG.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/UatShadyGrove
• YouTubeyoutube.com/uatshadygrove
• Facebookfacebook.com/uatshadygrove
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/edu/universities-at-shady-grove-150038
• Instagraminstagram.com/uatshadygrove

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 The Universities at Shady Grove