Elon University
Elon University reported $441.4 million in revenue and $435.5 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $85.92 went to program services, $11.98 to management and general costs and $2.10 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was program service revenue such as fees, sales and contracts: 91.2% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $889,064 (President). 301 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 34% between FY2020 and FY2025. Source: Form 990, FY2025.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending May 31, 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $435MFor context, the median across 5,499 covered education charities: $85.56 programs, $13.59 management, $0.85 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
The fiscal year ending May 31, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $441M- Contributions & grants (non-government)$4.47 $20M
- Government grants$1.00 $4.4M
- Program service revenue$91.12 $403M
- Other revenue$3.41 $15M
Investment income was negative: −$465K. The bar shows the positive sources only.
The 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 85.9% | 84.4% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 12.0% | 13.4% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 2.1% | 0.8% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.38 | $0.04 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 5.5% | 19.1% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 1.0% | 1.1% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 91.2% | 69.9% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $889,064 | $331,578 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 0.20% | 1.28% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 301 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 26.5 | 13.3 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 37 of 37 | 100.0% |
A median is context, not a target: hospitals, universities, food banks and grantmakers spend in very different ways. What these measures can and can't tell you.
What the money paid for, in its own words
FY2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseInstruction - expenses related to providing the primary purpose of education for undergraduate and graduate students
Student services - expenses related to the primary purpose of contributing to students' emotional and physical well-being and intellectual, cultural, and social development. Athletics is included within this division
Auxiliary services - expenses related to the function of furnishing goods or services to students, faculty, or staff. Examples are residence halls and food services
Highest reported compensation
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section A · roles as filed; names are in the filing, not here| Role | From this org | From related orgs | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| President Officer, 40.0 hrs/week | $646,310 | $0 | $242,754 | $889,064 |
| Head Men's Basketball Coach Highest compensated employee, 40.0 hrs/week | $467,446 | $0 | $55,350 | $522,796 |
| Vice Pres - Uni. Advancement Key employee, 40.0 hrs/week | $379,079 | $0 | $83,433 | $462,512 |
| Football Coach Highest compensated employee, 40.0 hrs/week | $393,001 | $0 | $49,247 | $442,248 |
| VP for Finance and Administration Officer, 40.0 hrs/week | $382,676 | $0 | $54,352 | $437,028 |
| Director of Athletics Key employee, 40.0 hrs/week | $366,581 | $0 | $66,691 | $433,272 |
| Provost, VP Academic Affairs Officer, 40.0 hrs/week | $360,739 | $0 | $53,040 | $413,779 |
| Dean-School of Bus. Highest compensated employee, 40.0 hrs/week | $357,812 | $0 | $52,440 | $410,252 |
301 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Elon University (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $3.0M (Part IX, line 5).
6 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
FY2025 · the organization's own yes/no answers; explanations, if any, are in Schedule O of the filing · what each means- Voting board members, and how many are independent Part VI, lines 1a–1b37 · 37 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2No
- Aware of a significant diversion of assets Part VI 5No
- Excess benefit transaction with an insider Part IV 25aNo
- Loans to or from insiders outstanding Part IV 26No
- Lobbying, or a 501(h) election in effect Part IV 4No
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18Yes
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bYes
- Employees Part I, line 54,885
- Volunteers Part I, line 63,582
Largest outside contractors
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| Aramark Services Inc Dining Services | $29,766,028 |
| New Atlantic Contracting Inc Construction | $15,918,757 |
| Davie Construction Company Construction | $4,123,118 |
| Edifice LLC Construction | $3,174,722 |
| Accademia Europea Di Firenze Sr Study Abroad | $2,940,105 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 180 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
82 private foundations reported grants to Elon University totaling $3.5M on their tax year 2023 Form 990-PF returns. See which foundations, on WHOFUNDS.
Source: WHOFUNDS open grant graph, matched from Form 990-PF Part XV.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from Elon University's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Elon University, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Elon University spent in FY2025, $85.92 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- University of Oregon FoundationEugene, OR · revenue $441M · programs 84.8% · FY2025
- Wesleyan UniversityMiddletown, CT · revenue $443M · programs 87.0% · FY2025
- The Oxford Funds Endowment MasterUnited Kingdom, · revenue $438M · programs 89.6% · 2024
- Yeshiva UniversityNew York, NY · revenue $444M · programs 86.5% · FY2025
- Washington and Lee UniversityLexington, VA · revenue $436M · programs 71.0% · FY2025
All education charities · Largest charities in North Carolina
Questions people ask
How much of Elon University's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending May 31, 2025, Elon University reported that 85.9% of its $435.5 million in expenses went to program services, 12.0% to management and general and 2.1% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Elon University pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Elon University reported for one person in the fiscal year ending May 31, 2025 was $889,064, for the role of President (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Elon University get its money?
Of $441.4 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending May 31, 2025, 5.5% came from contributions and grants (including 1.0% from government grants) and 91.2% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Elon University a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 56-0532303 as a 501(c)(3) organization (school), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- FY2025: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2025, object 202600999349301205 · read the filing · XML
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2024, object 202540999349300129 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2023, object 202421029349300607 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2022, object 202340979349300724 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2021, object 202211039349300506 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2020, object 202101039349300305 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 56-0532303: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.