University of the South
University of the South reported $246.1 million in revenue and $193.8 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $87.96 went to program services, $10.53 to management and general costs and $1.51 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was program service revenue such as fees, sales and contracts: 59.6% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $628,437 (Vice Chancellor/President). 93 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 53% between FY2020 and FY2025. Source: Form 990, FY2025.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $194MFor 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 June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $246MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 88.0% | 84.4% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 10.5% | 13.4% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 1.5% | 0.8% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.14 | $0.04 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 8.3% | 19.1% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.8% | 1.1% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 59.6% | 69.9% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $628,437 | $331,578 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 0.32% | 1.28% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 93 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 48.6 | 13.3 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 166 of 171 | 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: in the college of arts and sciences, students work closely with distinguished and diverse faculty in a demanding course of humane and scientific study that prepares them for lives of achievement and service. A student-faculty ratio of 11:1 enables close student-faculty interaction in the classroom and allows for faculty guidance in student research
Housing and auxiliary services: the college is a residential liberal arts college. Room and board programs are designed to encourage opportunities for conversation and community building beyond the classroom. Besides traditional residence dormitories, students may also choose to live in a theme house which brings together students with a common interest
Student services: a wide range of co-curricular and recreational opportunities are available to complement the academic experience and support student life. More than a hundred organizations and clubs facilitate social interaction between students and between students and the broader sewanee community
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vice Chancellor/President Officer, 40 hrs/week | $557,102 | $0 | $71,335 | $628,437 |
| Former Vice Chancellor/President Former, 40 hrs/week | $301,686 | $0 | $51,047 | $352,733 |
| Treasurer thru June 30, 2025 Officer, 40 hrs/week | $266,303 | $0 | $35,113 | $301,416 |
| Provost Officer, 40 hrs/week | $262,636 | $0 | $35,439 | $298,075 |
| Former VP University Relations Highest compensated employee, 40 hrs/week | $252,321 | $0 | $33,112 | $285,433 |
| General Counsel Officer, 40 hrs/week | $210,597 | $0 | $27,099 | $237,696 |
| VP Econ Dev Highest compensated employee, 20 hrs/week | $192,777 | $0 | $43,587 | $236,364 |
| Vice President for Community Building and Connections Highest compensated employee, 40 hrs/week | $199,957 | $0 | $26,576 | $226,533 |
93 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from University of the South (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $1.7M (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–1b171 · 166 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14No
- 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 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bYes
- Employees Part I, line 52,150
- Volunteers Part I, line 61,000
Largest outside contractors
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| Hoar Construction LLC Construction | $12,620,448 |
| Hellas Construction Inc Construction | $1,834,155 |
| ONECBI LLC Construction | $740,642 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 96 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
63 private foundations reported grants to University of the South totaling $1.9M 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 University of the South's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for University of the South, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 University of the South spent in FY2025, $87.96 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Virginia Tech FoundationBlacksburg, VA · revenue $246M · programs 91.0% · FY2025
- Roger Williams UniversityBristol, RI · revenue $246M · programs 92.3% · FY2025
- Hampton UniversityHampton, VA · revenue $246M · programs 75.8% · FY2025
- Inter American University of Puerto RicoSan Juan, PR · revenue $246M · programs 66.7% · FY2025
- Trustees of Union College in the Town of Schenectady in the State of New YorkSchenectady, NY · revenue $245M · programs 88.6% · FY2025
Questions people ask
How much of University of the South's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, University of the South reported that 88.0% of its $193.8 million in expenses went to program services, 10.5% to management and general and 1.5% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does University of the South pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation University of the South reported for one person in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 was $628,437, for the role of Vice Chancellor/President (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does University of the South get its money?
Of $246.1 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, 8.3% came from contributions and grants (including 0.8% from government grants) and 59.6% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is University of the South a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 62-0475697 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 June 30, 2025, object 202621319349305942 · read the filing · XML
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024 (amended), object 202541289349302834 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, object 202401499349300520 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, object 202311359349306586 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021 (amended), object 202203469349300335 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, object 202101349349305050 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 62-0475697: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.