David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh
The David C. Frederick Honors College is an academic unit of the University of Pittsburgh, founded in 1987 and renamed in 2022, that delivers enhanced coursework, undergraduate research, and competitive-fellowship preparation to over 3,000 high-achieving students across the Pittsburgh and Greensburg campuses.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1987
- HeadquartersPittsburgh, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh does
The David C. Frederick Honors College is an academic unit within the University of Pittsburgh that provides enhanced coursework, research opportunities, and competitive-scholarship preparation to high-achieving undergraduates. Founded in 1987 as the University Honors College and renamed in July 2022 following a multimillion-dollar naming gift from alumnus David C. Frederick (Pitt's first Rhodes Scholar) and Sophie Lynn, the college serves a student body that has grown to over 3,000 since the renaming. Its core academic products include the Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil) degree, the Honors Distinction track, and the Honors Degree pathway, supported by the Electus Faculty Fellows program (50+ faculty), dedicated research programs (Brackenridge Fellowship, Spring Research Symposium), and global learning and internship offerings. Specialized service offices include the Office of National Scholarships and Post-Graduation Success (Fulbright, Truman, Marshall, Boren, Goldwater), the Office of Social Innovation, the Office of Global Learning, and the Office of Research.
The college's business model is non-commercial: it does not collect tuition directly or generate product revenue, but operates as a cost center within the University of Pittsburgh's academic budget, supplemented by philanthropic gifts. Cumulative named philanthropic commitments since 2022 total approximately $42 million, including a $10M naming gift (Frederick/Lynn, 2022), a $2M gift from John H. Martinson (2023), and a $30M gift from alumnus Michael Rees (November 2025) to launch the Rees-Chancellors Scholars program. The college expanded to a second campus (Pitt-Greensburg) in Fall 2024, extending the same programming and advising to a regional site. Distribution is via the University of Pittsburgh's direct-admit admissions funnel, with go-to-market consisting of earned-media coverage (PittWire), organic social channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), segmented email newsletters, the dedicated website, and an annual report.
The college's primary "customers" are high-achieving prospective and enrolled undergraduates; secondary stakeholders include University of Pittsburgh faculty (course developers, thesis advisors) and Pitt-Greensburg regional students. It has produced 69 Goldwater Scholars all-time, has been recognized as a top Fulbright producer 10 times since 2013-2014, and has delivered Pitt's first Rhodes Scholar, first Mitchell Scholar, and first Soros Fellow. It was ranked No. 11 nationally by College Transitions in 2024 (first appearance on that list) and No. 13 by Road2College in 2026.
David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh
- Legal name
- David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh
- Website
- https://frederickhonors.pitt.edu
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1987
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- The David C. Frederick Honors College is an academic unit of the University of Pittsburgh, founded in 1987 and renamed in 2022, that delivers enhanced coursework, undergraduate research, and competitive-fellowship preparation to over 3,000 high-achieving students across the Pittsburgh and Greensburg campuses.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Higher Education - Honors College
- 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
- Graduate & Professional School Admissions Counseling (MBA/MD/JD/MS) (EDANAEAD), Portfolio, Capstone & Project-Based Program Support (EDAMAKAD)
Keywords
Where David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Pittsburgh
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Educational Services: Provides honors education programs including honors courses, research opportunities, and scholarship support to enrolled University of Pittsburgh students
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The David C. Frederick Honors College is an academic unit within the University of Pittsburgh that delivers an enhanced, honors-level undergraduate education to high-achieving students. It offers specialized degree pathways (Bachelor of Philosophy, Honors Degree, Honors Distinction), competitive national and international scholarship preparation through a dedicated Office of National Scholarships, undergraduate research programs (including the Brackenridge Fellowship), faculty-led honors courses, and global learning and internship opportunities.
Product overview
The David C. Frederick Honors College is a single, unified educational program that offers enhanced academic opportunities to high-achieving University of Pittsburgh students. The portfolio includes the core Honors College experience, the prestigious Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil) degree, Honors Distinction, and Honors Degree pathways. Supporting services include the Office of National Scholarships (managing Fulbright, Truman, Marshall, Boren, Goldwater applications), the Electus Faculty Fellows Program, Experts-in-Residence Program, Research Programs (including Brackenridge Fellowship), and Global Learning/Internship opportunities. In Fall 2024, the college expanded to include Pitt-Greensburg as a regional campus partner.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil) Degree
- Honors Degree
- Honors Distinction
- Office of National Scholarships and Post-Graduation Success
- Electus Faculty Fellows Program
- Experts-in-Residence Program
- Undergraduate Research Programs (Brackenridge Fellowship, Summer Research Conference, Scholar Communities)
- Global Learning and Internships
- Frederick Honors College at Pitt-Greensburg
Companies that use David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- University of Pittsburgh at GreensburgcoreHistoric collaboration establishing Frederick Honors College at Pitt-Greensburg starting Fall 2024, expanding honors education to regional campus students with access to same programming, funding and support.
- Allen L. Cook Spring Creek Preserveminor20th anniversary of the preserve gift celebrated in January 2026. Located in southeastern Wyoming, the preserve provides field research opportunities for honors students.
- Carnegie Mellon UniversitycorePartnership since 2013 for DataJam program development. Carnegie Mellon University and Pitt collaborated with the joint Pitt-CMU Supercomputer Center to mentor students about big data science and statistics.
- OracleminorCorporate partner in DataJam nonprofit, which was formed to mentor middle school, high school, and community college students about big data science and statistics.
- IBMminorCorporate partner in DataJam nonprofit formed in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University and the joint Pitt-CMU Supercomputer Center.
- TeradataminorCorporate partner in DataJam nonprofit focused on mentoring students about big data science and statistics.
- IqviaminorCorporate partner in DataJam nonprofit formed to mentor students about big data science and statistics.
- Pitt-CMU Supercomputer CentercoreJoint research center between University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University that partners on DataJam program development since 2013.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Purdue University Honors College: Honors college at a major public research university with scholarship-focused recruitment. Comparable structure, scale, and pipeline emphasis on national fellowships.
- Indiana University Hutton Honors College: Named honors college at a large public university with comparable scholarship advising infrastructure and live-learning community model.
- Michigan State University Honors College: Standalone honors college at a large public research university, also founded in the same era and operating with similar direct-admit and scholarship recruitment models. Closely comparable in structure and target student.
- University of Maryland Honors College: Public R1 honors college with live-learning community emphasis and scholarship pipeline. Comparable in scale, public-university setting, and direct-admit model.
- Rutgers University Honors College: Public R1 honors college in the Northeast with similar scale and emphasis on scholarship mentorship. Competes for overlapping high-achieving applicant pools.
- Penn State Schreyer Honors College: Honors college within Penn State, another Pennsylvania public R1 university. Most direct geographic and structural peer — also Pennsylvania-based, public, and competing for the same regional honors talent pool.
- University of Connecticut Honors Program: Honors program at UConn, a public R1 university in the Northeast. Comparable in selective admissions, scholarship advising focus, and competition for the same regional high-achiever pool.
- University of Michigan College of LSA Honors Program: Honors program within a top-tier public R1 university with similar direct-admit model and scholarship pipeline focus. Comparable scale, public-university context, and emphasis on competitive national fellowships.
Broad incumbents
- Cornell University Honors Program: Honors program at an Ivy League institution. Operates in the same space but with materially deeper resources and brand, representing the upper-bound peer on prestige and scholarship outcomes.
- University of Virginia Echols Scholars: Highly selective scholars program at UVA, a top-tier public R1. Functionally comparable but with stronger underlying brand and resources — a benchmark for top-tier honors competition.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh social profiles
Digital presenceDavid C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh
What does David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh do?
The David C. Frederick Honors College is an academic unit within the University of Pittsburgh that delivers an enhanced, honors-level undergraduate education to high-achieving students. It offers specialized degree pathways (Bachelor of Philosophy, Honors Degree, Honors Distinction), competitive national and international scholarship preparation through a dedicated Office of National Scholarships, undergraduate research programs (including the Brackenridge Fellowship), faculty-led honors courses, and global learning and internship opportunities.
Is David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh a public or private company?
David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh founded?
David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh was founded in 1987. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh based?
David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh is headquartered in Pittsburgh, United States, in the North America region.
How does David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh make money?
One revenue line is on record: educational Services.
Who are David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Purdue University Honors College, Indiana University Hutton Honors College, Michigan State University Honors College, University of Maryland Honors College, Rutgers University Honors College, Penn State Schreyer Honors College, University of Connecticut Honors Program and University of Michigan College of LSA Honors Program. Broad incumbents are Cornell University Honors Program and University of Virginia Echols Scholars.
Does David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh have an API?
No public API is recorded for David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh.
What industry is David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh in?
David C. Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh's product category is Higher Education - Honors College. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHACAL, Honors Liberal Arts Colleges (Honors College/Program-Led), with a secondary code of EDANAEAD, Graduate & Professional School Admissions Counseling (MBA/MD/JD/MS). Its NAICS code is 6113 and its SIC code is 8200.