Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce

What Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce does

The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW Georgetown) is a non-profit research and policy institute within Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy, established in 2008. The Center studies the linkages between education, career qualifications, and workforce demands, producing data-driven analysis organized around three core themes: Jobs, Skills, and Equity. It serves four primary audiences — students and families, policymakers and government, educators and institutions, and employers and industry — through research publications and interactive data tools that quantify the economic value of credentials, project skills shortages, and surface equity gaps by race, ethnicity, class, and gender.

CEW's analytical output is anchored in comprehensive federal datasets, including the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, Census Bureau data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections. Its product portfolio includes the College ROI Rankings Tool (4,600 colleges and universities), the College Major ROI Data Tool (37,000 majors at 4,400 institutions), the Major Payoff analysis (152 bachelor's degree majors), and a stream of thematic reports on underemployment, middle-skills credentials, graduate-degree economics, and skills shortages projected through 2032 across 561 occupations. Recent work has extended into state-specific policy analysis (California postsecondary attainment) and dedicated ROI studies of business programs and law degrees.

The organization operates a free public-access distribution model in which all reports, data tools, and resources are available at no cost via cew.georgetown.edu. As a non-profit embedded within Georgetown University, CEW derives operating support from university resources and research grants rather than commercial revenue. A small team of approximately 17 employees executes a community-led go-to-market approach centered on research dissemination through the website, newsletter, press releases, and earned media coverage.

Name

Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce

Legal name

Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce

Website

https://cew.georgetown.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Non-profit research and policy institute within Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy producing data-driven analysis on education-workforce linkages, serving students, parents, educators, and policymakers through free research reports and interactive ROI and skills-shortage data tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Research Institute Funding: As a research and policy institute within Georgetown's McCourt School of Public Policy, the center operates as a non-profit academic research organization. Funding comes from university support and likely government/private research grants.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW Georgetown) is a research and policy institute within Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy that conducts research and publishes reports and interactive data tools on the links between education, career qualifications, and workforce demands. Its work focuses on three core areas — Jobs, Skills, and Equity — and includes ROI rankings of colleges and majors, skills shortage projections, equity analyses by race/ethnicity/class/gender, and policy recommendations. All outputs are disseminated free of charge through the institute's website and digital channels.

Product overview

The Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW Georgetown) is a research and policy institute within Georgetown's McCourt School of Public Policy that produces research reports, data tools, and analysis on the links between education, career qualifications, and workforce demands. The organization offers a portfolio of research products centered on three core areas: Jobs, Skills, and Equity. Key offerings include the College ROI Rankings Tool (ranking 4,600+ institutions by return on investment), specialized research reports on skills shortages, middle-skills credentials, underemployment, and college major earnings outcomes, and interactive data visualization tools for exploring education-to-career outcomes. The organization does not sell a unified software platform but rather publishes research reports and data tools as discrete products available through its Resource Library.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• College ROI Rankings Tool Interactive data tool that ranks 4,600+ U.S. colleges and universities by return on investment, allowing comparisons by institution, degree type, state, and institutional control (public, private nonprofit, for-profit). Used by prospective students, families, and institutional researchers.
• ROI Research Reports Research reports analyzing return on investment for college degrees across undergraduate majors, graduate degrees, law degrees, and business programs, including equity analysis. Audience includes students, parents, educators, and policymakers.
• Middle-Skills Gap Research Research analysis of shortages in middle-skills credentials (certificates and associate's degrees) aligned with high-paying occupations, covering 107 high-paying middle-skills occupations across five occupational groups. Targets workforce planners, policymakers, and educators.
• Skills Shortages Research Research projecting skills shortages through 2032, covering 561 occupations (including 171 occupations facing shortages) and estimating 5.25 million additional workers with postsecondary education will be needed. Audience includes federal, state, and local policymakers.
• Major Payoff Analysis Comprehensive analysis of earnings and employment outcomes across bachelor's degrees, covering 152 majors for prime-age workers and 142 majors for early-career bachelor's degree holders, with an accompanying interactive data tool. Used by students, parents, and advisors.
• Underemployment Research Analysis of three methodological approaches to measuring underemployment among college graduates and the implications for policy. Targets education and workforce policy researchers and decision-makers.
• College Major ROI Data Tool Interactive data visualization tool presenting first-year earnings and debt for 37,000 college majors across 4,400 institutions, with state rankings and institutional comparisons. Used by prospective students, families, advisors, and institutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5.25 million additional workers with postsecondary education needed through 2032
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Institutes for Research (AIR): Non-profit behavioral and social science research organization conducting education and workforce research for federal, state, and institutional clients; comparable in its rigorous quantitative approach to education-career outcomes.
• Urban Institute (Education Policy program): Non-profit research organization producing evidence-based studies on US education, workforce, and economic mobility; shares CEW's focus on data-driven policy recommendations for federal and state audiences.
• Brookings Institution (Brown Center on Education Policy): A major US policy think tank with a dedicated Brown Center on Education Policy that produces data-driven research on education equity, returns on investment, and workforce outcomes — directly comparable to CEW's mandate and methodology.
• RAND Corporation (Education and Labor research): Global non-profit research institution with significant education and workforce research portfolios analyzing labor market outcomes and credential value, directly comparable to CEW's evidence-based policy research model.
• Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP): Non-profit organization dedicated to increasing access and success in postsecondary education through research and policy advocacy — highly comparable to CEW's focus on postsecondary value and equity.
• National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) — Education and Labor Studies: Premier private non-profit research organization producing working papers on education economics, returns to schooling, and labor market outcomes — directly aligned with CEW's data-driven ROI and skills analyses.

Broad incumbents

• College Board Advocacy & Policy: Large established organization that publishes data and research on college access, affordability, and outcomes; broader portfolio than CEW but overlapping mission in providing data on higher education value.
• Center for American Progress — Education Policy: Public policy research and advocacy organization with an extensive education and workforce policy portfolio; comparable in audience (policymakers) and policy-recommendation orientation.

Regional players

• Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy: CEW's parent institution; the broader McCourt School of Public Policy conducts research and policy analysis on workforce and economic issues that intersect with CEW's domain.

Emerging players

• National Skills Coalition: Non-profit focused specifically on middle-skills workforce development, directly comparable to CEW's Bridging the Middle-Skills Gap research and skills-shortages projections.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/georgetowncew

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce