STAR Scholars Network

What STAR Scholars Network does

STAR Scholars Network (legally the Society of Transnational Academic Researchers) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2018 and headquartered in Perry Hall, Maryland, that operates a global academic networking and professional development platform serving over 33,000 scholars, graduate students, and early-career academics across 115+ countries and 2,353 universities. Its product portfolio spans the Annual Global Conference (2026 hosted by O.P. Jindal Global University in Sonipat, India), the STAR Global Futures Forum, multiple award programs (Global Education for Peace Award, A. Noam Chomsky Global Connections Awards, Lighthouse Leadership Award, STAR Luminaries), training and mentorship programs (Millennium Scholars Program, Certified STAR Scholars Program), and STAR Scholars Press—an open-access university press publishing peer-reviewed monographs, edited volumes, book series, and journals. The network also produces the Global AI Guidelines for Higher Education (unveiled February 2026) as a freely available ethical framework for AI adoption in higher education.

The organization's core technology stack is built on the Public Knowledge Project's open-source publishing platforms: Open Monograph Press (OMP 3.4.0.4) used for STAR Scholars Press operations and Open Journal Systems (OJS) for journal hosting, with DOI registration through Crossref and Creative Commons licensing. Its revenue model is diversified across four streams: free membership (base-building rather than revenue-generating), Book Processing Charges for open-access monographs supported by institutional partnerships, paid professional services including manuscript formatting (APA/MLA), English editing, data analysis, academic translation, and dissertation-to-publication conversion, and print book sales through Amazon and authorized regional distributors. Additional monetization includes a $199 Dissertation Writing Workshop application fee and the Humane Letters Grant, which supports open-access publishing through library partnerships.

STAR Scholars Network serves four primary customer segments: individual scholars and graduate students (primary beneficiary of mentorship, training, and fellowship programs), higher education institutions (as award recipients, conference hosts, and content partners), academic publishers and journal editors (seeking open-access publishing partnerships), and libraries and research institutions (supporting open-access initiatives). Distribution is primarily digital through starscholars.org and press.starscholars.org, supplemented by in-person conferences and regional representation across Kathmandu, Reduit, New Delhi, Sydney, and Tokyo. The organization is governed by a 30+ member leadership team including President Dr. Uttam Gaulee and CEO of STAR Scholars Press Dr. Krishna Bista, alongside an advisory board drawing from senior academics at Morgan State University, Stony Brook University, University of Pittsburgh, Central European University, Spelman College, California State University Northridge, and other institutions.

Name

STAR Scholars Network

Legal name

Society of Transnational Academic Researchers (STAR)

Website

https://starscholars.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

STAR Scholars Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2018 that connects over 33,000 scholars and students across 115+ countries through academic networking, professional development programs, annual conferences, awards, and an open-access university press (STAR Scholars Press).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Network & Scholarly Publishing

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Book Publishers (513130), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarly Societies & Conference Proceedings Publishing (MPAJABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Academic & Education Conference Organizers (THAHACAE), Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed) (MPAJABAC), Social Sciences Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAD), Humanities & Arts Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAE), Conference Proceedings & Research Reports Publishing (EDAGAFAL)

Keywords

• Scholarly networking platform
• Open access publishing
• Academic mentorship programs
• Global higher education conferences
• Transnational academic research

Headquarters

HQ city

Perry Hall

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: STAR Scholars Network is a member-supported 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Membership is free and open, suggesting membership serves as a base-building mechanism rather than primary revenue driver.
2. Book Processing Charges (BPCs): STAR Scholars Press charges Book Processing Charges for open access publications. Fees are supported by institutional partnerships with universities and libraries, research grants, and scholarly collaborations.
3. Professional Services: STAR Scholars Press offers paid editing and formatting services including manuscript formatting (APA/MLA), English editing, data analysis, dissertation-to-publication conversion, and academic translation services at various price points.
4. Publishing and Royalties: Sale of print copies (hardcover, paperback) of published books through Amazon and authorized distribution channels. Digital and open access editions available free of charge.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

STAR Scholars Network operates a member-supported 501(c)(3) global academic community of 20,000+ scholars and graduate students across 115+ countries, delivering mentorship (Millennium Scholars Program), professional training (Certified STAR Scholars Program), annual conferences, recognition and awards, and open-access scholarly publishing through its wholly owned STAR Scholars Press. The network provides paid editorial and formatting services (manuscript editing, data analysis, translation, dissertation-to-article conversion), a paid virtual Dissertation Writing Workshop ($199 fee), and free open-access monographs and journals, with revenues reinvested into programming for cross-border academic collaboration.

Product overview

STAR Scholars Network (Society of Transnational Academic Researchers) is a member-supported 501(c)(3) non-profit global academic platform with over 33,000 scholars and students across more than 115 countries. The network operates as a unified platform combining programs and services including: (1) the Global Conference series (annual flagship event); (2) Awards programs — Global Education for Peace Award, A. Noam Chomsky Global Connections Awards, STAR Book of the Year Awards, Lighthouse Leadership Award, and STAR Luminaries distinction; (3) Professional development — STAR Certified Research Scholar Program (module-based training) and Millennium Scholars Program (mentorship); (4) Research infrastructure — Research Cluster (online collaboration), Research Fellowship Program, Global Essay Project, STAR Circles, and Graduate Students & Postdocs Program; and (5) STAR Scholars Press, a university press publishing peer-reviewed monographs, edited volumes, book series, and journals across higher education, AI governance, and global scholarship using Open Monograph Press infrastructure. Supporting services include Editing and Formatting Services, Dissertation Writing Workshop, and Dissertation/Thesis to Journal Article conversion. The network also released the Global AI Guidelines for Higher Education as a freely available ethical framework for AI adoption in higher education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Global Education for Peace Award: Award program recognizing higher education institutions that contribute significantly to the promotion of global peace through education
• STAR Book of the Year Awards
• Certified STAR Scholars Program
• Millennium Scholars Program
• STAR Luminaries
• STAR Global Futures Forum
• STAR Circles
• Global AI Guidelines
• Humane Letters Grant

Products and services

• Millennium Scholars Program Mentorship program that connects scholars with mentors to advance scholarship through cross-border collaboration, designed for graduate students, early-career researchers, and faculty in the global STAR network.
• Certified STAR Scholars Program Module-based professional development program that provides STAR members with hands-on experience in socially driven, transnationally connected, academically rigorous, and ethically sound scholarship, structured around four modules: social-mission driven scholar, transnationally connected leader, academically driven educator, and researcher with ethics and integrity.
• STAR Global Conference Annual international conference convening higher education leaders, scholars, and policymakers to address global transformations in higher education. The 2025 edition was hosted by Istanbul Aydin University and the 2026 edition by O.P. Jindal Global University.
• Global Education for Peace Award Award program recognizing higher education institutions worldwide that contribute significantly to the promotion of global peace through education by integrating global perspectives into their curriculum and fostering global citizenship.
• A. Noam Chomsky Global Connections Awards Award program honoring scholars and leaders for outstanding global academic connections and collaborative scholarship.
• STAR Book of the Year Awards Awards recognizing exceptional books that demonstrate scholarly rigor, narrative excellence, and meaningful global impact across disciplines; open to university presses, trade publishers, independent imprints, and individual authors.
• Lighthouse Leadership Award Prestigious award recognizing visionary global leaders whose work advances higher education, human rights, and international collaboration.
• STAR Luminaries Distinction honoring extraordinary presidents, scholars, policymakers, and innovators whose vision, integrity, and impact have advanced higher education and strengthened the public good. Conferred on the occasion of the STAR Scholars Network's anniversary.
• Research Cluster Collaborative online platform enabling STAR members to engage in research clustering and transnational scholarly collaboration.
• Research Fellowship Program Program providing fellowship opportunities for scholars to engage in research with the STAR Scholars Network.
• Global Essay Project Multilingual essay collection accepting submissions in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Hindi, Russian, German, and Spanish under the 'Lanterns Across The Sky' collection, supporting transnational academic voice.
• STAR Circles Community-building and collaborative engagement circles within the STAR Scholars Network, organized around shared academic themes.
• Graduate Students & Postdocs Program Community and resource hub for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers providing tailored publications, programs, and partnerships to support cross-border academic careers from research and scholarship to teaching and leadership development.
• STAR Scholars Press University press publishing peer-reviewed monographs, edited volumes, scholarly book series, and journals across higher education, AI governance, international education, leadership studies, and global social issues. Operates on Open Monograph Press platform with DOI registration through Crossref and Creative Commons licensing. Hosts over 30 academic book series and multiple journals.
• Humane Letters Grant Grant supporting open-access publishing, enabling STAR Scholars Press to collaborate with libraries and provide open access to essential academic research without Article Processing Charges.
• Editing and Formatting Services Comprehensive paid editorial support services including manuscript formatting (APA/MLA), English editing, data analysis, and academic translation with prices ranging from $500 to $25,000 per project; turnaround times from 2 weeks (articles) to 8 weeks (book translations).
• Dissertation Writing Workshop Virtual writing retreat for graduate students providing structured writing time, expert guidance, and time management techniques; $199 application fee, offered in summer (July) and fall (October) sessions.
• Dissertation/Thesis to Journal Article Conversion Service transforming dissertations or theses into polished journal articles following APA Style Publication Manual guidelines, with a structured template covering abstract, introduction, literature review, methods, results, discussion, and conclusion sections.
• Global AI Guidelines for Higher Education A principled, adaptable framework prepared by the STAR Global AI Taskforce to support ethical, inclusive, and responsible adoption of artificial intelligence across teaching, learning, research, and institutional governance; freely available for higher education institutions worldwide.
• Virtual Conference on Online Teacher Education Annual virtual conference on online teacher education hosted by partner universities, addressing effective practices in online teacher education, digital innovation, ethics and equity, and UN Sustainable Development Goals in online teacher education.

Quantifiable outcome

• Trained 50 scholars from 15 countries (2022) and 48 scholars from 20 countries (2023) through Certified STAR Scholars Program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, major, core and regional.

• O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 December 2026Host of the 2026 STAR Global Conference (December 10-14, 2026) in Sonipat, India. Theme: 'Flourishing and Sustainability in the Age of AI.' JGU is a leading multidisciplinary university with over 450 international partnerships and the Mahatma Gandhi Centre for Peace Studies.
• Arizona State University - Washington DC CampusmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 February 2026Venue host for the STAR Global Futures Forum 2026 at the Barrett and O'Connor Center in Washington, D.C.
• STAR Global AI TaskforcecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Prepared the Global AI Guidelines for Higher Education, a principled framework for ethical, inclusive, and responsible AI adoption across teaching, learning, research, and institutional governance. Guidelines freely available for institutions worldwide.
• University of Southern QueenslandflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 September 2025Host of the 2025 STAR Conference on Online Teacher Education on September 17, 2025. Conference focused on 'Online Teacher Education in the Evolving Technological Landscape: Beyond the Horizon' with key speakers from UTS and Griffith University.
• American Association of Colleges and Universities (AACU)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Conference sponsor for the 2025 STAR Conference on Online Teacher Education, promoting liberal education and academic excellence values.
• Morgan State UniversitymajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Conference sponsor for the 2025 STAR Conference on Online Teacher Education. Morgan State University serves as the institutional affiliation for STAR leadership including President Uttam Gaulee and CEO Krishna Bista.
• Istanbul Aydin UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Host of the 2025 STAR Global Conference in Istanbul, Turkey where Global Education for Peace Awards were presented.
• STAR ArgentinaregionalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Launched 'Global Learning, Sustainable Change' COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) Training program, fostering cross-cultural learning between institutions.
• Lumina FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 October 2023Lumina Foundation partnered with STAR Scholars Network on the 'First in the Family' global book series amplifying first-generation student narratives, and provided financial support for the Transforming Lives equity initiatives book. The foundation's Vice President Courtney Brown participated in book launch events.
• Boston College, Center for International Higher Education (CIHE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 October 2023Co-sponsored the Transforming Lives book launch event. CIHE Research Fellow Jamil Salmi edited the equity promotion book. The event brought together higher education leaders from over 150 institutions across six continents.
• Higher Education Institutions WorldwidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork includes scholars and students working across borders at thousands of universities worldwide. Institutions collaborate on book contributions, equity initiatives, and institutional case studies spanning seven global regions.
• John C. WeidmanmajorOthersProfessor Emeritus of Higher and International Development Education at University of Pittsburgh; chairs the Global Education for Peace Award selection committee.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• NAFSA: Association of International Educators: Large membership association serving international educators and professionals advancing international education and exchange. Most directly comparable professional society to STAR Scholars Network in mission, membership model, and focus on cross-border academic engagement.
• American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U): US membership association advancing liberal education and inclusive excellence across colleges and universities. Direct peer in higher education association structure; already a conference partner of STAR for the 2025 Online Teacher Education conference.
• Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA): Membership association for leaders of international education at colleges and universities. Directly comparable peer serving senior internationalization officers, and explicitly referenced by STAR advisory board member Dr. Darla Deardorff as an audience for STAR resources.
• Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE): UK-based learned society dedicated to advancing research into higher education through conferences, publications, and networks. Closely comparable in combining a scholarly society structure with research-focused publishing and an international member base.
• Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA): US membership association coordinating accreditation and quality assurance in higher education. Comparable membership-association model focused on advancing institutional standards and recognition in higher ed.

Emerging players

• Open Education Network: Nonprofit consortium supporting open textbook publishing and open educational resources in higher education. Comparable in mission and structure for advancing open-access scholarly content in higher education.
• Knowledge Unlatched: Nonprofit enabling open-access scholarly books and journals through library-supported funding models. Directly comparable operating model for open-access humanities and social science publishing.

Others

• Public Knowledge Project (PKP): Simon Fraser University-led initiative that develops the open-source OJS, OMP, and OPS publishing platforms on which STAR Scholars Press runs. Adjacent technology provider and ecosystem enabler for STAR's publishing operations.

Broad incumbents

• Institute of International Education (IIE): Established and much larger nonprofit operating the Fulbright Program and major international exchange and scholarship programs. Overlapping mission in transnational academic mobility but with far broader scale and program scope than STAR.
• Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group): Major academic publisher with extensive higher education and international education book series. Dr. Krishna Bista is a founding series editor of Routledge's Global Student Mobility Book Series. Operates at much greater scale in the same publishing categories STAR Scholars Press targets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/star_scholars
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCSpr3SjC8j9kGM7x74yO6YA
• Facebookfacebook.com/STARscholarsnetwork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/star-scholars-network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about STAR Scholars Network