Higher educational institutions at all levels of academia are developing competitive advantages such as flexible and hybrid learning environments, modern infrastructure, tailored degree programs and curriculum, or productive faculty to satisfy the individual needs of students, industries, and nations. Consequently, like corporations, higher educational institutions are using traditional business strategies such as information acquisitions to develop an understanding of the markets they serve with the intention of creating the correct competitive advantages to capitalize on those markets. This study will seek to understand the factors that measure, and to what extent, higher educational institutions are creating competitive advantages and how information acquisitions is leading to their successful development; specifically, information acquired through the use of the Freedom of Information (FOIA) Act.