Honors College, University of Maryland

What Honors College, University of Maryland does

The University of Maryland Honors College is a collegiate-level honors program within the University of Maryland, located at Anne Arundel Hall on the College Park campus. It serves high-achieving undergraduate students through eight distinct living-learning programs: Advanced Cybersecurity Experience for Students (ACES), Design Cultures & Creativity (DCC), Gemstone, Honors Global Challenges and Solutions (HGLO), Honors Humanities (HHUM), Integrated Life Sciences (ILS), Interdisciplinary Business Honors (IBH), and University Honors. Each program blends interdisciplinary coursework, experiential learning, residential community living, and research opportunities. The college was formally established in 2025 as the consolidated "premier honors college of the nation's capital area."

The college operates as an academic administrative unit of a public state university rather than as a commercial enterprise. Its funding flows through University of Maryland state appropriations, tuition, and private donations/endowments solicited via a "Make a Gift" program. There are no funding rounds, equity investors, or independent revenue figures; revenue generation in the conventional sense is not applicable. It distributes programs through UMD's central admissions funnel (first-year, transfer, and current-student admissions), the Banneker/Key Scholars scholarship program, and residential assignments within designated halls.

Technology footprint is modest and primarily pedagogical. The flagship student-facing technical initiative is ThinkEx, an AI-powered study platform co-created by two Honors students that aggregates ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude into a single visual workspace for study material management. The college itself does not develop proprietary AI/ML systems; its technical differentiation rests on the living-learning program architecture and its reputation pipeline, which consistently produces national scholarship recipients (Truman, Udall, Goldwater, Hollings) and a high share of university-level honors such as the University Medalist and Senior Marshal designations.

Name

Honors College, University of Maryland

Legal name

University of Maryland Honors College

Website

https://honors.umd.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The University of Maryland Honors College is an academic unit within UMD that serves high-achieving undergraduate students through eight living-learning programs (ACES, DCC, Gemstone, HGLO, HHUM, ILS, IBH, UH), blending interdisciplinary coursework, residential community, and research. It is funded by state appropriations, tuition, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Honors Programs

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHACAL

Honors Liberal Arts Colleges (Honors College/Program-Led)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Liberal Arts Colleges

SECONDARYEDAHACAJ

Selective/Highly Selective Liberal Arts Colleges

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Liberal Arts Colleges

SECONDARYEDAIAOAA

Merit-Based Scholarships (Academic Excellence)

Education/International Education & Study Abroad/Scholarships, Funding & Financial Aid for International Study

Keywords

• Honors education programs
• Living-learning programs
• Undergraduate research opportunities
• Interdisciplinary academic programs
• Scholarship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

College Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: As a college within the University of Maryland, the Honors College generates revenue primarily through tuition and mandatory fees paid by enrolled students. Students in the Honors College pay standard university tuition plus additional program fees for specialized living-learning experiences.
2. Donations and Endowments: Private donations support academic and extracurricular enrichment opportunities for Honors students, including events for living-learning programs. The college actively solicits gifts through its 'Make a Gift' program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Honors College at the University of Maryland delivers an enhanced undergraduate honors education through eight specialized living-learning programs — ACES (cybersecurity), DCC (design), Gemstone (research), HGLO (global challenges), HHUM (humanities), ILS (life sciences), IBH (business), and University Honors — that blend interdisciplinary coursework, residential community living, undergraduate research, and scholarship preparation for high-achieving students. The college also administers selective admissions, the Banneker/Key Scholars program, honors citations, departmental honors, and H-version courses, and provides grants, awards, and study abroad support.

Product overview

The Honors College at the University of Maryland offers eight distinct living-learning programs: Advanced Cybersecurity Experience for Students (ACES), Design Cultures & Creativity (DCC), Gemstone, Honors Global Challenges and Solutions (HGLO), Honors Humanities (HHUM), Integrated Life Sciences (ILS), Interdisciplinary Business Honors (IBH), and University Honors (UH). These programs blend interdisciplinary coursework, experiential learning, research opportunities, and community building for high-achieving students across diverse academic disciplines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advanced Cybersecurity Experience for Students (ACES)

Quantifiable outcome

• 17 UMD students have become Udall Scholars since 1996
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

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

• ThinkEx (Student Startup)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 May 2026AI study platform co-created by Honors students Ibraheem Shaikh '29 and Urjit Chakraborty '29. The platform is developed in the Mokhtarzada Hatchery and offers study tools for fellow students.
• University of Maryland (Parent Institution)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Honors College operates as a college within the University of Maryland system, utilizing university resources including admissions, facilities, faculty, and administrative services. The partnership provides access to UMD's research facilities, global partnerships, and career resources.
• NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNOAA partners with UMD through the Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship program, providing scholarships and internship opportunities for Honors students pursuing oceanic and atmospheric science careers.
• Udall FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation awards scholarships to Honors students demonstrating leadership in environmental, tribal public policy, or health care fields.
• Harry S. Truman Scholarship FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Truman Scholarship Foundation awards scholarships to underclassmen with exceptional leadership potential. Michelle Wang '27 became the 12th UMD Truman Scholar through this partnership.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Echols Scholars Program, University of Virginia: Top public-university honors program with selective admissions, special advising, and priority registration. Directly competes with UMD Honors for the highest-achieving Mid-Atlantic applicants.
• Honors College at Virginia Tech: Public-university honors college offering living-learning communities and a scholar development curriculum. Direct competitor for Mid-Atlantic high-achieving applicants considering Virginia-based options.
• University Honors Program, University of Pittsburgh: Honors college within a major urban public research university. Comparable mission, demographic, and academic profile for high-achieving undergraduates in the Mid-Atlantic region.
• Schreyer Honors College, Penn State University: Schreyer is the closest direct peer: a large, well-endowed honors college within a public research university offering living-learning and scholar programs. It competes with UMD Honors for top in-state and out-of-state high-achieving undergraduates.
• University Honors Program, University of Cincinnati: Mid-sized public research university honors program with themed living-learning pathways. Comparable program structure and student-outcomes focus to UMD Honors.
• Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University: The largest honors college in the U.S., housed within a large public research university with residential and thematic programs. Comparable in scale, structure, and breadth to UMD Honors College.
• Hutton Honors College, Indiana University: A public-university honors college offering living-learning communities, scholar development, and national-scholarship advising. Operates in a similar niche with comparable program design.
• University of Michigan Honors College: Another flagship public-university honors college with multiple specialized programs and a strong national scholarship record. Directly competes for high-achieving applicants in the Mid-Atlantic and beyond.

Broad incumbents

• Robert Day Scholars Program, Claremont McKenna College: Selective, well-funded honors/scholars program within a top liberal arts college. Not a direct competitor (institution type differs), but draws from the same high-achieving applicant pool UMD Honors targets.
• Questrom Honors Program, Boston University: University-wide honors program at a major private research university offering themed pathways and enhanced advising. Comparable to UMD Honors in mission though operating under a private-institution funding model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/terphonors
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/umd-honors-college

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Honors College, University of Maryland