Vermont Higher Education Council

What Vermont Higher Education Council does

Vermont Higher Education Council, Inc. (VHEC) is a nonprofit membership organization founded in 1944 and incorporated as a nonprofit in 1973, headquartered in Montpelier, Vermont. It is governed by a Board of Directors composed of the presidents and chief executives of its 14 member institutions, which collectively represent all chartered public, proprietary, and independent colleges operating in Vermont — including the University of Vermont, Middlebury College, Norwich University, Vermont State University, Community College of Vermont, and Champlain College, among others. VHEC's principal mandate is to coordinate cooperative activity among Vermont college presidents and to ensure higher education remains a strong and vital resource for the state.

VHEC's core service offerings fall into three categories. First, it operates a statutorily-mandated Certification Review service for the Vermont Agency of Education: when new institutions seek degree-granting status in Vermont, VHEC assembles expert committees of higher education professionals to evaluate institutional readiness and provides recommendations to the State Board of Education. Second, it produces data products including Fall Enrollment Reports (covering residency, enrollment status, distance education, and demographics) published on a multi-year cadence going back to 2014, plus periodic State of Higher Education in Vermont research publications. Third, it facilitates presidential-level convening and policy coordination across the Vermont higher-education sector. The organization employs approximately 15 staff and does not operate any technology platform, software product, or API.

VHEC is a membership-based nonprofit, but no pricing, dues schedule, or revenue figures are publicly disclosed. From 1991 to 2018, VHEC hosted the Consortium of Vermont Colleges, and from 2015 to 2018 it hosted Vermont Campus Compact; both affiliates subsequently became independent or dissolved, returning VHEC to its core certification and data functions. The organization has no parent company, no subsidiaries, no funding rounds, and no disclosed financial information.

Name

Vermont Higher Education Council

Legal name

Vermont Higher Education Council, Inc.

Website

https://vermonthec.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vermont Higher Education Council (VHEC) is a Montpelier-based nonprofit membership organization of all Vermont chartered public, proprietary, and independent colleges. It coordinates presidential-level convening, conducts statutory certification reviews for new degree-granting institutions, and publishes statewide enrollment data.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Montpelier

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

VHEC is a nonprofit membership organization of all Vermont chartered public, proprietary and independent colleges that operates at the presidential level to strengthen higher education in the state. It provides two principal service lines: (1) a statutory Certification Review Service that evaluates the readiness of new higher education campuses seeking degree-granting status in Vermont and delivers recommendations to the Vermont Agency of Education, and (2) statewide higher education data products, including Fall Enrollment Reports and the State of Higher Education in Vermont report covering enrollment, demographics, outcomes, employment, and economic impact.

Product overview

Vermont Higher Education Council (VHEC) is a membership organization of Vermont chartered public, proprietary and independent colleges, established as a non-profit in 1973. Rather than offering a unified software product, VHEC provides service offerings organized around three areas: (1) Data & Research Products including Fall Enrollment Reports and State of Higher Education in Vermont Reports, which collect and publish point-in-time and extensive data on enrollment, demographics, outcomes, employment, and economic impact; (2) Certification Review Services, where VHEC conducts expert reviews of new higher education institutions seeking to operate in Vermont, providing statutory recommendations to the Vermont Agency of Education since 1993; and (3) facilitation of cooperative activity among Vermont college presidents. The organization does not offer a technology platform or software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Certification Review Service Expert review process evaluating the readiness of new higher education campuses to operate successfully according to Vermont State Rules. VHEC Certification Review Committees, made up of higher education professionals from around the state, provide recommendations to the Vermont Agency of Education on whether institutions seeking degree-granting status should be approved; the State Board of Education makes the final certification decision.
• Fall Enrollment Reports Point-in-time data reports on higher education enrollment in Vermont covering residency, enrollment status, distance education, and demographics among Vermont's entire student population from both public and private institutions. Available reports include Fall 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, and Fall 2025 editions.
• State of Higher Education in Vermont Report Periodic extensive research publication covering higher education enrollment, outcomes, employment, and economic impact among other datapoints across Vermont's higher education sector; the 2017 edition is referenced.

Quantifiable outcome

• VHEC publishes Fall Enrollment Reports covering enrollment, residency, enrollment status, distance education, and demographics across all Vermont public and private institutions

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Vermont Agency of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVHEC works with the Vermont Agency of Education to conduct Certification Reviews for institutions seeking degree-granting approval in Vermont. VHEC provides expert perspective on institutional readiness while the State Board of Education makes final certification decisions. The Postsecondary Programs Office of the Agency coordinates the application process.
• Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVSAC publishes regular reports on Vermont residents, particularly on student assistance and financial aid. VHEC data resources page links to VSAC's research and policy influence publications, and VSAC CEO Scott Giles serves as Treasurer on VHEC's Executive Committee.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Others

• Vermont Student Assistance Corporation: Vermont-based nonprofit that provides educational assistance, financial aid administration, and research on Vermont residents. VSAC's CEO Scott Giles serves as Treasurer on VHEC's Executive Committee, and the two organizations collaborate within the same Vermont higher education ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• State Higher Education Executive Officers Association: National membership association of state-level higher education executives and coordinating bodies. SHEEO serves as the national counterpart to state-level bodies like VHEC and represents the broader umbrella in which VHEC-type organizations participate.
• American Council on Education: The major national higher education association representing all types of U.S. colleges and universities. ACE's coordinating and advocacy mission parallels VHEC's role at the state level, though ACE operates nationally rather than within Vermont.

Direct peers

• New England Board of Higher Education: Regional interstate compact organization that brings together New England state higher education leaders and institutions. Directly comparable to VHEC as a multi-state higher education coordinating body operating in the same geography.
• National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities: National membership association for private nonprofit colleges and universities. VHEC represents a structurally analogous constituency of independent colleges at the Vermont state level, including members like Middlebury and Bennington.
• American Association of State Colleges and Universities: National association representing public state colleges and universities. VHEC's role serving Vermont's public institutions — including Vermont State University, University of Vermont, and Community College of Vermont — is structurally analogous to AASCU's national mission.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vermont-higher-education-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Vermont Higher Education Council