Georgia State Honors College

What Georgia State Honors College does

Georgia State Honors College is an undergraduate honors program unit within Georgia State University, established in 2011 to serve high-achieving students. The college offers an honors curriculum, small class sizes, undergraduate research opportunities, and scholarship support, with a Fall 2022 entering cohort of 384 first-year students drawn from 238 high schools and total enrollment of approximately 2,100 students. Programmatic offerings include cross-college pathways such as the HExB program in partnership with the Robinson College of Business, and externally funded undergraduate research via the Beckman Scholars Program (renewed in 2024 for a three-year term). The college operates approximately 42 staff/faculty positions and is led by Dean Sarah Cook, who succeeded founding dean Larry Berman in 2022.

As a non-commercial academic unit, the Honors College does not generate independent revenue. It is funded through Georgia State University institutional allocations, state appropriations, and external grants/partnerships (e.g., the Beckman Foundation). The Perimeter College Honors program was consolidated into the Honors College in 2022, extending the pipeline across GSU's multi-campus system. The college's strategic posture centers on program expansion, cross-college integration, and sustaining external research funding rather than commercial monetization.

Business model is structurally inapplicable to a commercial revenue framework: this is a cost center within a public research university, with value delivered through educational outcomes, scholarship disbursements (approximately $2M referenced in the data as an outflow, not revenue), and reputational differentiation for the broader GSU brand rather than through pricing or go-to-market mechanics.

Name

Georgia State Honors College

Legal name

Georgia State University Honors College

Website

https://honors.gsu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Georgia State Honors College is an undergraduate honors unit within Georgia State University, serving approximately 2,100 high-achieving students through an honors curriculum, undergraduate research, and scholarship support, with cross-college pathways and external foundation partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Educational Support Services (611710)

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), Merit-Based Scholarships (Academic Excellence) (EDAIAOAA)

Keywords

• Honors undergraduate education
• Undergraduate research programs
• National scholarships fellowships
• Academic advising services
• Leadership development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Honors College participation has no additional fee. Students pay standard Georgia State University tuition and fees. The college is funded through university allocations and private donations.
2. Private Donations and Scholarships: Scholarships funded through alumni donations, private foundations, and corporate sponsors. More than $2,000,000 awarded to Honors students in merit scholarships each year.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Georgia State Honors College provides enhanced undergraduate education to high-achieving students through small seminar-style honors classes (typically fewer than 25 students), undergraduate research opportunities with faculty mentors, an honors thesis pathway, dedicated scholarship programs (Beckman Scholars, Stamps and Presidential Scholarships), leadership development via the Honors College Ambassadors program, the Social Change Leadership Certificate, the Honors Experience in Business (HExB), and dedicated honors housing. The college serves more than 2,100 students across 50+ undergraduate majors from facilities in Centennial Hall at 100 Auburn Avenue, Atlanta.

Product overview

Georgia State Honors College is an academic honors program at Georgia State University offering undergraduate students a selective small-college experience within a large public research university. The program provides specialized academic offerings including honors courses (HON 1000, HON 3260, HON 3280, HON 3750, HON 3800, HON 3900, HON 4500), undergraduate research opportunities, honors thesis completion, scholarship programs (Beckman Scholars, Stamps and Presidential, and numerous named scholarships), the Ambassador Corps leadership program, Social Change Leadership Certificate, Honors Experience in Business program, study abroad opportunities, and dedicated honors housing. The program serves over 2,100 students across 62 undergraduate majors and operates from Centennial Hall at 100 Auburn Avenue, Atlanta.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Honors Curriculum Specialized seminar-style honors courses taught by Georgia State's most expert faculty in classes typically smaller than 25 students, available to admitted high-achieving undergraduate students.
• Beckman Scholars Program Awarded by the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, this program provides $21,000 over 15 months to scholars in biomedical sciences, biology, chemistry, and neuroscience. Faculty mentors receive $5,000 to support educational expenses, and two scholars are named each spring semester.
• Stamps and Presidential Scholarships Merit-based scholarships awarded to top Honors College students, contributing to the more than $2,000,000 in annual merit scholarship support.
• Honors Experience in Business (HExB) Specialized honors program partnership with the J. Mack Robinson College of Business offering immersive experiential learning opportunities for honors students interested in business.
• Social Change Leadership Certificate Certificate program in the Honors College focused on leadership development and social change, available to enrolled honors students.
• Accelerated Bachelor's/J.D. Program Combined accelerated degree pathway allowing honors students to pursue a bachelor's degree and Juris Doctor in a compressed timeline.
• Honors Housing Dedicated honors residential programming in Centennial Hall at 100 Auburn Avenue, Atlanta, with computer lab, student lounge, seminar rooms, and student lockers; includes special residential programming for honors students.
• Honors Thesis Program Formal undergraduate thesis pathway for honors students working with faculty mentors, including research funding and dedicated faculty research associates.
• Office of National Scholarships and Fellowships Support Dedicated office supporting honors students in applying for prestigious national scholarships and fellowships; has supported more than 60 competitive national scholarship and fellowship recipients.
• Honors College Ambassadors Program Leadership program in which Honors College Ambassadors represent the college at recruitment events, student panels, and host prospective students visiting campus.
• University Assistantship Program (UAP) University Assistantship Program providing funded assistantship opportunities to current honors students, with a dedicated program director and faculty recommendation pathway.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 60 competitive national scholarship and fellowship recipients
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Robinson College of BusinesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership provides Honors Experience in Business (HExB) program for honors students interested in business. Offers immersive experiential learning opportunities within the J. Mack Robinson College of Business.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Commonwealth Honors College (UMass Amherst): Honors college within a public flagship research university, offering small classes, honors housing, research opportunities, and dedicated scholarships — parallel to Georgia State's structure within a state system.
• University of South Carolina Honors College: Selective honors college within a Southeastern public research university, offering small seminar-style courses, dedicated scholarships, and research opportunities — highly comparable to Georgia State on geography and program design.
• University of Pittsburgh Honors College: Public-research-university honors college offering small honors courses, dedicated scholarships, research opportunities, and an Office of National Scholarships — a strong structural match to Georgia State's program.
• Honors College at the University of Houston: Selective honors program within a large urban public research university, emphasizing undergraduate research, small classes, and dedicated scholarships — closely aligned with the Georgia State Honors College model.
• Barrett, The Honors College (Arizona State University): The largest honors college in the U.S., Barrett operates as a selective honors college inside a large public research university, offering small classes, dedicated advising, and scholarship programs — the closest structural analog to Georgia State Honors College.
• Newcomb-Tulane College (Tulane University): Honors-level college within a research university that combines a small-college experience with the resources of a major institution — comparable in offering a selective, small-class experience with university-level breadth.
• Schreyer Honors College (Penn State): Selective honors college embedded within a major public research university, combining small seminar-style instruction with university-wide academic breadth and dedicated scholarship funding — directly comparable to Georgia State's model.
• Calhoun Honors College (Clemson University): Public-university honors college serving high-achieving undergraduates with small classes, research, and national scholarship support; closely comparable program offering and recruitment model to Georgia State Honors College.
• Macaulay Honors College (CUNY): Honors college embedded in a large public university system offering dedicated advising, scholarships, and small seminars; comparable structural model, though serving a different state/university system.

Others

• Stamps Scholars Program: Multi-university merit scholarship program that partners directly with the Georgia State Honors College to fund Stamps and Presidential Scholars; adjacent rather than competitive — a funding/ecosystem partner rather than a peer program.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GSUHonors
• Facebookfacebook.com/GSUHonors
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/georgia-state-honors-college
• Instagraminstagram.com/gsu_honors

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Georgia State Honors College