These universities have the highest endowments
Harvard University sits atop the list with an endowment of $38.3B
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When it comes time to pick a university, prospective students and their parents may evaluate a variety of factors ranging from financial aid, class size, and location to its athletic facilities.
The other consideration -- one that may be overlooked -- is the value of a university. This can be measured by the size of their endowment, which is the sum total of assets invested into a particular institution.
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Although endowments usually come in the form of money, donations can also come in the form of buildings, land, and other items that attain a high monetary value, according to The Best Schools. In either case, these donations go towards supporting an institution's academic goals.
FILE - In this Dec. 13, 2018, file photo, a gate opens to the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Mass. The U.S. Education Department said Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020, it is investigating foreign gifts made to Harvard and Yale as part of a broader r
The wealthier a university is, the better position it will be in to support professors, graduate students and undergraduate students while creating state-of-the-art facilities fueled with top tier technology.
Not only do wealthier institutions attract a world-class faculty but they also have more financial means to distribute scholarship money and in some cases waive tuition fees, according to The Best Schools which compiled a list of the top ten wealthiest universities in North America as of 2019.
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Sitting atop the list, unsurprisingly so, is none other than Harvard University with an endowment of $38.3 billion, which makes the ivy league school the wealthiest in North America and it also stakes its claim as the wealthiest in the world. The school was founded in 1636 as New College before being renamed after John Harvard, the college’s first benefactor.
The school's extensive list of high profile donors includes the NFL Players Association, David Rockefeller, Emily Rauh Pulitzer, Kenneth C. Griffin and Bill and Melinda Gates, according to the outlet.
Following right behind is the University of Texas system which has a value surpassing $30.8 billion. A majority of its donations derive from individual donors including the Moody Foundation, Hearst Corporation, and Mulva Family Foundation, the outlet reported.
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Here are the top schools and their worth as reported by The Best Schools:
1. Harvard University : $38.3 Billion
2. The University of Texas System : $30.8 Billion
3. Yale University : $29.3 Billion
4. Stanford University : $26.4 Billion
5. Princeton University : $25.9 Billion
6. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: $16.5 Billion
7. University of Pennsylvania : $13.7 Billion
8. Texas A&M University System : $13.5 Billion
9. University of Michigan : $11.9 Billion
10. Northwestern University : $11.08 Billion