Bentley University
Bentley University is a private, non-profit business-focused university in Waltham, Massachusetts, offering undergraduate, MBA, MS, Executive Education, and Executive PhD programs to career-oriented students, with employer recruiting partnerships integrated through its career services platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1917
- HeadquartersWaltham, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Bentley University does
Bentley University is a private, non-profit co-educational university located in Waltham, Massachusetts, approximately ten miles west of Boston. Founded in 1917 as the Bentley School of Accounting and Finance, the institution has evolved into a business-focused university offering undergraduate degrees, MBA and specialized MS programs, an Executive PhD in Business, and Executive Education for working professionals. Core customers are prospective undergraduate and graduate business students seeking specialized career preparation, alongside corporate partners who recruit through the university's career services infrastructure.
The university's academic operations are supported by a standard enterprise technology stack — Brightspace (LMS), Workday (HR/finance/academic ERP), Zoom (collaboration), ServiceNow (IT service management), EMS (facility scheduling), Navigate 360 (student success), Qualtrics (experience management), LinkedIn Learning, Office 365, and career platforms Handshake and HireGrad (powered by 12twenty). Specialized programs include the FirstGen Presidential Fellows Program (full cost-of-attendance coverage), BentleyFirst (UMass-tuition price-matching for Massachusetts residents), First Falcons Connect (first-year experience), the Women's Leadership Program, and the Pulsifer Career Development Center.
The business model is tuition-and-fee based with annual billing, supplemented by auxiliary revenue from housing, dining, and athletics. Distribution is primarily through dedicated undergraduate and graduate admissions offices, with career services functioning as a secondary channel that connects students to employers via career fairs, the Handshake/HireGrad platforms, and on-campus recruiting. Bentley reported a 98% job placement rate within six months of graduation (since 2008), a $75,000 median undergraduate starting salary, and 90% of undergraduates completing at least one internship, supporting the institution's career-outcomes positioning. The university maintains FERPA, GLB, and PCI-DSS compliance and is led by President E. LaBrent Chrite under a Board of Trustees governance structure.
Bentley University firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bentley University
- Legal name
- Bentley University
- Website
- https://bentley.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1917
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Bentley University is a private, non-profit business-focused university in Waltham, Massachusetts, offering undergraduate, MBA, MS, Executive Education, and Executive PhD programs to career-oriented students, with employer recruiting partnerships integrated through its career services platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bentley University industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Higher Education - Business School
- NAICS
- Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- MBA & Executive MBA Programs (EDAHAHAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Undergraduate Business Schools (BBA/BSBA Programs) (EDAHAHAA)
Keywords
Where Bentley University is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Waltham
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Bentley University business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Tuition and Fees: As a private university, Bentley University generates primary revenue from undergraduate and graduate tuition, fees, and related educational services. The university offers various financial aid programs including the BentleyFirst program for Massachusetts residents.
- Career Development Services: The university provides career services that connect employers with students for recruiting, internships, and full-time employment, generating relationships that support the institution's value proposition.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Undergraduate tuition at Bentley |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Bentley University product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bentley University is a private business-focused university offering undergraduate business degrees, graduate MBA and specialized MS programs, an Executive PhD in Business, and Executive Education for working professionals. The university delivers education through its Waltham, Massachusetts campus and provides embedded career development through the Pulsifer Career Development Center, ranked #1 for Best Career Services by Princeton Review.
Product overview
Bentley University is a business-focused private university offering a comprehensive portfolio of educational programs and student support services. The core offerings include undergraduate business programs, graduate MBA and MS programs, Executive Education, and Executive PhD programs. These academic programs are supported by specialized career development through the Pulsifer Career Development Center (ranked #1 for Best Career Services by Princeton Review) and the HIRE Education program. Bentley provides targeted support programs including the FirstGen Presidential Fellows Program (with full financial aid coverage), First Falcons Connect first-year experience, the Women's Leadership Program, and the BentleyFirst scholarship program for Massachusetts residents. The university also hosts cultural programming including CultureFest and maintains research centers and labs across various business disciplines.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Undergraduate Programs
Quantifiable outcome
- 98% job placement rate within six months of graduation since 2008
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Bentley University
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Bentley University technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration11 records
AI capability4 records
Feature2 records
Bentley University partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- HandshakecoreHandshake serves as the primary career platform for Bentley University, enabling job postings, internship listings, career fair management, and on-campus interview scheduling for undergraduate and graduate students.
- EpsiloncoreEpsilon is a major employer partner that recruits Bentley students for internships and full-time positions. Epsilon has stated Bentley is one of their top partner universities to work with and hire from due to student preparedness.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Bentley University competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bryant University: Bryant is a private business-focused university in Smithfield, RI, with a comparable small-campus, business-only model and similar emphasis on career placement and internships for undergraduate business majors.
- Babson College: Babson is a private business-focused college in Wellesley, MA, near Bentley's Waltham campus. Both compete for the same Boston-area undergraduate and graduate business talent with similar career-oriented, business-only positioning.
- Suffolk University (Sawyer Business School): Suffolk's Sawyer Business School in downtown Boston competes directly with Bentley for undergraduate and MBA students seeking business degrees in the Boston metropolitan area. Both schools target similar career-focused, applied business curriculum.
- Baruch College (CUNY): Baruch College's Zicklin School of Business is one of the largest AACSB-accredited business schools in the US and serves a similar career-focused, diverse undergraduate business student population with strong placement outcomes. Comparable model: business-focused, career-services-emphasized, urban commuter campus.
- Simmons University (formerly Simmons College): Simmons is a Boston-area private university with a business school (Simmons University School of Business) serving a similar undergraduate and graduate business student demographic, with comparable career-services emphasis.
Regional players
- University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston): UMass Boston's College of Management is the direct public-university alternative referenced by Bentley's BentleyFirst scholarship program. It competes for in-state Boston students on price while Bentley competes on outcomes.
- Boston College Carroll School of Management: Boston College's Carroll School of Management is a Boston-area competitor for top undergraduate business applicants and MBA talent, though as part of a broader university. Both schools draw from the same New England applicant pool and compete on placement outcomes.
- Northeastern University (D'Amore-McKim School of Business): Northeastern's D'Amore-McKim business school is a Boston-area competitor with a strong co-op/internship model similar in spirit to Bentley's 90% internship rate. Both target career-driven business undergraduates in the Boston metro.
Emerging players
- Pepperdine Graziadio Business School: Pepperdine's Graziadio Business School is a private West Coast business school emphasizing career preparation and applied learning for working professionals, comparable in scale and graduate-program emphasis to Bentley's MBA and Executive Education offerings.
- Quantic School of Business: Quantic is an online-only MBA and business education provider competing for the same working-professional market as Bentley's graduate and Executive Education programs. Represents the emerging digital alternative threatening traditional campus-based business degrees.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses1 record
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Bentley University social profiles
Digital presenceBentley University compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Bentley University financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bentley University leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Bentley University funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bentley 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 Bentley University
What does Bentley University do?
Bentley University is a private business-focused university offering undergraduate business degrees, graduate MBA and specialized MS programs, an Executive PhD in Business, and Executive Education for working professionals. The university delivers education through its Waltham, Massachusetts campus and provides embedded career development through the Pulsifer Career Development Center, ranked #1 for Best Career Services by Princeton Review.
Is Bentley University a public or private company?
Bentley University is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Bentley University founded?
Bentley University was founded in 1917. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Bentley University based?
Bentley University is headquartered in Waltham, United States, in the North America region.
How does Bentley University make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Tuition and Fees are the primary driver. The others are career Development Services.
Who are Bentley University's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bryant University, Babson College, Suffolk University (Sawyer Business School), Baruch College (CUNY) and Simmons University (formerly Simmons College). Regional players are University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston), Boston College Carroll School of Management and Northeastern University (D'Amore-McKim School of Business). Emerging players are Pepperdine Graziadio Business School and Quantic School of Business.
Does Bentley University have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bentley University.
What industry is Bentley University in?
Bentley University's product category is Higher Education - Business School. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHAHAB, MBA & Executive MBA Programs, with a secondary code of EDAHAHAA, Undergraduate Business Schools (BBA/BSBA Programs). Its NAICS code is 6113 and its SIC code is 8200.