University of Utah Honors College

What University of Utah Honors College does

The University of Utah Honors College is a selective academic unit within the University of Utah, a public R1 research university in Salt Lake City. It enrolls approximately 2,377 undergraduates (10% of the university's undergraduate body) with an average high school GPA of 3.9, 17% first-generation representation, and a 59/41 in-state/out-of-state mix spanning all undergraduate colleges. Its core academic products are Praxis Labs (two-semester, interdisciplinary, community-engaged project courses), Honors Contracts (credit-bearing enhancements of non-Honors courses), Integrated Minors (e.g., Human Rights and Resources, Health), the Honors Thesis, Learning Communities, and the Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships (ONCS). ONCS, established in 2020, centralizes advising across 35+ external scholarships and produced 84 awardees and $550K+ in 2024.

The college's revenue model is structurally that of a public university sub-unit: tuition allocation from enrolled students, state higher-education appropriations routed through the parent institution, endowed scholarships (e.g., the Eccles Distinguished Scholarship), and private donations (e.g., the Katharine B. Garff contribution funding the Words to Live By tradition at Kahlert Village). Specific program-level fees are not publicly disclosed. Distribution is via the University of Utah's standard undergraduate admissions process with a separate Honors application, internal transfer pathways for current U of U students, and the Asia Campus study-abroad channel in Seoul.

On the technology side, the college is not a technology product company, but it operates a notable AI/ML capability inside one Praxis Lab (Environmental Exposure & Health AI) that uses Landsat satellite imagery, EPA BioAtlas data, community surveys, neural networks, and Random Forest algorithms to model urban heat, public health, and energy costs in Salt Lake City. Other Praxis Labs have produced lasting programs outside the college: the Utah Prison Education Project (originating 2016-2017) at the Utah State Correctional Facility and Connect2Health (originating 2011-2012) at partner clinics. Strategic partnerships include the Tanner Center for Human Rights, NOAA, the Salt Lake City Office of Sustainability, Utah Rivers Council, Salt Lake Peer Court, and the Urban Ecology and Sustainability Scholars.

Name

University of Utah Honors College

Legal name

The University of Utah

Website

https://honors.utah.edu

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The University of Utah Honors College is a selective academic unit within a public R1 university, serving approximately 2,377 high-achieving undergraduates through Praxis Labs, Honors Thesis, Integrated Minors, Learning Communities, and the Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Honors Programs

NAICS

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

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

SECONDARYEDAKALAE

Enrichment Programs for Gifted Learners (STEM, Humanities, Arts)

Education/Special Education & Learning Support Services/Gifted Education & Twice-Exceptional (2e) Support

SECONDARYFSAKAEAM

Scholarships, Grants & Education Benefits Administration (Financing-adjacent)

Financial & Insurance/Lending & Consumer Finance/Student Loans & Education Finance

Keywords

• Honors education
• Undergraduate research
• Scholarship advising
• Residential learning communities
• Liberal arts curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Salt Lake City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tuition and State Funding: As a public university honors college, funded through student tuition from the University of Utah and state higher education appropriations. Students pay standard university tuition plus program fees.
2. Scholarships and Endowments: Program receives funding through endowed scholarships such as the Eccles Distinguished Scholarship, which provides financial support to high-achieving students along with cohort-based educational opportunities.
3. Private Donations: Generous donations from supporters like Katharine B. Garff fund special programs and traditions including the Words to Live By tradition in Kahlert Village.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The University of Utah Honors College delivers a residential honors education program for high-achieving undergraduates, combining a foundational curriculum with thesis research, Praxis Labs (real-world interdisciplinary projects), Honors Contracts, Integrated Minors, and Learning Communities. It also operates the Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships (ONCS) to support applications to prestigious external awards such as Rhodes, Fulbright, and Goldwater.

Product overview

The Honors College offers a unified honors education program structured around core components: Praxis Labs (collaborative two-semester project courses), Honors Contracts (flexible credit-earning through enhanced coursework), Integrated Minors (interdisciplinary programs like Human Rights & Resources and Health), The Honors Thesis (capstone scholarly project), Learning Communities (residential and academic support), and the Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships (support for prestigious scholarship applications). Programs such as Utah Prison Education Project and Connect2Health represent long-lasting outcomes of the Praxis Lab model.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 78% of grad-school respondents get into their first-choice graduate program
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tanner Center for Human RightscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrowing partnership between the Honors College and the Tanner Center for Human Rights in the College of Social and Behavioral Science. Students in the Human Rights and Resources Minor receive priority consideration for Community Advocacy Fellowship internships, extending academic learning into professional advocacy.
• Utah Rivers CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental advocacy organization where Honors student Thomas Cooper conducts policy analysis on Great Salt Lake impact through the Community Advocacy Fellowship.
• Salt Lake Peer CourtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRestorative justice program for youth diversion where Honors student Paige Crandall works, gaining experience that inspired her law school aspirations.
• Utah State Correctional FacilityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSite of the Utah Prison Education Project (UPEP), which evolved from a 2016-2017 Praxis Lab and continues to offer college-level courses and academic support to incarcerated students.
• Various Healthcare ClinicsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnect2Health program partners with clinics to address social determinants of health, connecting patients with community resources through personalized 'resource prescriptions.' Program originated from 2011-2012 Praxis Lab.
• Salt Lake City Office of SustainabilityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental Exposure & Health AI Praxis Lab builds on prior Urban Heat Island mapping collaboration with the city's sustainability office.
• NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental Exposure & Health AI Praxis Lab instructor Rob Wilson previously co-created a city-wide Urban Heat Island map with NOAA.
• Urban Ecology and Sustainability ScholarsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent-led honors group researching and implementing sustainability strategies for the University campus and Salt Lake City community.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Boston University Honors College: Private research university honors college with thesis requirements, dedicated housing, and selective admissions. Comparable academic experience to University of Utah Honors College, though operates under private-institution funding dynamics.

Direct peers

• Arizona State University Barrett Honors College: Largest honors college in the US at a major public research university. Shares the small-college-within-large-university model and offers thesis, experiential learning, and scholarship support similar to University of Utah Honors College.
• Penn State Schreyer Honors College: Public research university honors college with selective admissions, thesis requirements, and dedicated honors housing. Comparable structure and mission to University of Utah Honors College at a similar scale.
• University of Maryland Honors College: Public research university honors program with living-learning communities, thesis requirements, and scholarship support. Directly comparable to University of Utah Honors College in program architecture and student outcomes focus.
• University of Michigan College of LSA Honors Program: Selective honors track within a large public research university's liberal arts college, offering thesis work, smaller cohort experience, and research opportunities. Strong functional comparison to University of Utah Honors College.
• University of Arizona Honors College: Public research university honors college in the western US with selective admissions, thesis requirements, and experiential learning tracks. Closely comparable to University of Utah Honors College in mission, scale, and structure.
• University of Colorado Boulder Honors Program: Public research university honors program in the western US offering thesis, experiential learning, and small cohort experiences. Comparable regional positioning and program structure to University of Utah Honors College.

Broad incumbents

• UCLA College Honors: Honors programming within a top-tier public research university with broader scale and resources. Comparable mission but operates at significantly larger scale and brand recognition than University of Utah Honors College.
• UC Berkeley Honors Program: Honors track at a leading public research university with strong research integration. Functions similarly to University of Utah Honors College but at substantially larger scale and with a more selective national brand.
• Texas A&M University Honors Program: Large public research university honors program with thesis requirements and living-learning communities. Operates at larger scale than University of Utah Honors College but shares the public-research-university honors model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UofU_Honors
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/university-of-utah-honors-college
• Instagraminstagram.com/uofuhonors

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about University of Utah Honors College