Liberal Arts & Sciences at Illinois

What Liberal Arts & Sciences at Illinois does

The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (LAS) is the largest college at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a public state university, and operates as a government entity within the University of Illinois System. Founded in 1920, LAS enrolls nearly 15,000 students, including more than 11,000 undergraduates and over 2,600 graduate students, across 70+ majors and 60+ minors spanning life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, humanities, ethnic studies, and social and behavioral sciences. It employs 600+ tenure-system faculty (31.4% of UIUC's total) organized across 37 departments, 5 schools, and 9 centers and institutes, offering more than 1,400 unique classes per semester.

LAS generates revenue through multiple streams: undergraduate and graduate tuition and fees (with the Illinois Commitment program providing free tuition to in-state residents with family incomes at or under $67,100), sponsored research funding ($70.8 million in 2021-2022 from NIH, NSF, DoD, DOE, NASA, and private sources), competitive Title VI federal grants for area and global studies (~$13.2 million), and private donations channeled through advancement programs. The college operates specialized support programs including the James Scholars Honors Program, Access and Achievement Program, Paul M. Lisnek LAS Hub, LAS Career Services, and 276 scholarships totaling $3 million+. Technology platforms include ATLAS (Applied Technologies for Learning in the Arts & Sciences) and research infrastructure such as the CyberGIS Center and the national I-GUIDE Institute for Geospatial Understanding.

The college pursues a sales-led and event-driven go-to-market motion through student recruitment channels including campus visits, the LAS Insider blog, social media (Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok), pre-college summer programs for students aged 9 through high school, and the centralized University of Illinois undergraduate admissions process. Distribution is anchored by the UIUC admissions system with intercollegiate transfer pathways for internal UIUC students. The alumni network of 185,000+ across 150 countries supports post-graduation career outcomes, with 94% of 2021-22 graduates securing a first destination and an average salary of $74,705.

Name

Liberal Arts & Sciences at Illinois

Legal name

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Website

https://las.illinois.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences is the largest college at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, serving nearly 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students across 70+ majors with 600+ tenure-system faculty. It operates as a public university college funded through tuition, research grants, and private philanthropy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

General Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAA)

Keywords

• Liberal arts education
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate research programs
• Academic advising services
• Scholarship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Urbana, Illinois

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue from undergraduate and graduate tuition for LAS programs
2. Research Grants: $70.8 million in research funding in 2021-2022, including NIH ($25.9M), NSF ($13.6M), DoD ($3.8M), DOE ($1.7M), NASA ($2.4M), and private grants ($9.4M)
3. Private Donations: Gifts from alumni and friends supporting students, faculty, and facilities through various giving programs
4. Title VI Federal Grants: Nearly $13.2 million in competitive Title VI federal grants for area and global studies centers within the Illinois Global Institute

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is the largest college on campus, offering undergraduate and graduate academic programs across 70+ majors and 60+ minors spanning humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and mathematical sciences. It also provides student success programs, honors tracks, study abroad opportunities, career services, and faculty-led research initiatives serving nearly 15,000 students.

Product overview

The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is the largest college on campus, offering a comprehensive educational platform centered on its 70+ undergraduate majors and 60+ minors spanning humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and mathematical sciences. The portfolio includes dedicated student success programs (James Scholars Honors Program, Access and Achievement Program), peer support services (LAS Hub), professional development (Educational Excellence programs), international opportunities (Global Classrooms, study abroad), financial support (scholarships), and career services. Students can also access specialized pre-college programs and research funding through initiatives like the C2I Fund. The college serves nearly 15,000 students through interdisciplinary learning and experiential opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Academic Programs (70+ Majors and 60+ Minors) Undergraduate and graduate degree programs across humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and mathematical sciences, including interdisciplinary options and customizable Individual Plans of Study.
• Access and Achievement Program (AAP) Flagship student academic service program offering individualized advising, supportive classes, workshops, and research opportunities for President's Award Program students.
• Paul M. Lisnek LAS Hub Peer mentoring center providing informal experiential learning support, connecting students with professionals and fellow students.
• Pre-College Summer Programs Exploratory camps for students aged 9 through high school covering STEM, languages, and classics disciplines.
• LAS Career Services Career development support including advising, workshops, and networking events for students and alumni.
• Global Classrooms Program Study abroad initiative allowing students to take courses with international partners to gain global perspectives and cross-cultural competencies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 94% of 2021-22 graduates secured a first destination within 6 months with average salary of $74,705
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• University YMCAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with University YMCA for community service and volunteerism programs, including Days of Service events that bring together students and community members for collaborative service projects.
• National Park ServicemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Park Service grant supporting University of Illinois Observatory rehabilitation through Save America's Treasures program for preservation of the national landmark.
• Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterdisciplinary research partnership with Beckman Institute, where LAS faculty serve as affiliate members in Cognitive Neuroscience, and co-chair of Molecular Science and Engineering.
• Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic BiologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLAS faculty lead themes at the Institute for Genomic Biology including Gene Networks in Neural and Developmental Plasticity and Kellner Center for Neurogenomics, Behavior and Society.
• National Institute of Mental HealthmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal research funding partnership supporting mental health research by LAS faculty including Wendy Heller's research on neural mechanisms associated with emotion-cognition interactions.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• College of Arts and Sciences at Penn State University: Penn State's College of Arts and Sciences serves a comparable scale of undergraduate and graduate students across a similarly broad set of humanities, social-science, and STEM-adjacent disciplines at a peer large public research university.
• College of Arts and Sciences at The Ohio State University: Ohio State's largest college, offering the same comprehensive liberal-arts-and-sciences portfolio at a peer Big Ten public research university. Highly comparable in faculty size, research output, and student scale.
• College of Arts and Sciences at University of Texas at Austin: UT Austin's largest college, providing a similarly comprehensive liberal-arts and sciences education at a top public research university with comparable research funding scale. Strong analog in scale and disciplinary breadth.
• College of Arts and Sciences at University of Washington: UW's largest college, offering a broad arts-and-sciences portfolio at a top-tier public research university. Comparable in mission, graduate-program depth, and research intensity to LAS Illinois.
• College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington: IU Bloomington's largest college, housing humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences at a public research university — a peer institution with comparable disciplinary breadth and a similar residential liberal-arts mission.
• College of Liberal Arts at University of Minnesota Twin Cities: CLA is the largest college at the University of Minnesota, offering a comprehensive liberal-arts and sciences portfolio at a fellow Big Ten public research university. Closely matched in mission, scale, and disciplinary mix.
• College of Letters & Science at University of Wisconsin–Madison: The largest college at UW–Madison, L&S offers a similarly comprehensive set of humanities, social-science, and natural-science majors to a comparable student body at a peer Big Ten public research university. Directly comparable in mission, scale, and disciplinary breadth.
• College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) at University of Michigan: LSA is the flagship liberal arts & sciences college at the University of Michigan — a fellow Big Ten public research university with comparable scale (broad majors, large faculty, strong research base). It is the most direct structural analog to LAS Illinois.

Broad incumbents

• Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University: Northwestern's Weinberg College is a private-university analog of LAS Illinois — comprehensive arts and sciences education with comparable faculty credentials and a strong research orientation. Differs in private-university funding model but is comparable in mission and programmatic structure.
• Division of Arts and Sciences at University of California, Berkeley: Berkeley's Arts and Sciences division is a leading public-research-university liberal-arts unit at greater scale and selectivity than LAS Illinois. It shares the same mission of comprehensive arts-and-sciences education and serves as an aspirational benchmark.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/LASillinois
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/collegeoflas
• Facebookfacebook.com/lasillinois
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/lasillinois
• Instagraminstagram.com/lasillinois
• TikToktiktok.com/@lasillinois

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Liberal Arts & Sciences at Illinois