Top 10s

Higher education institutions with largest endowments, fiscal 2018

Harvard University tops the list with an endowment of $38.3 billion.
March 26, 2019

Harvard University continues to have the largest endowment of any U.S. higher education institution.

The 2018 NACUBO-TIAA Study of Endowments says that for fiscal 2018, Harvard's endowment was valued at $38.3 billion—more than $7.4 billion larger than the next largest endowment—the University of Texas System.

The Texas endowment moved up to second place in endowment size by growing in size 16.4 percent: from about $26.5 billion in fiscal 2017 to nearly $30.9 billion in fiscal 2018.

The 10 institutions topping the list in 2018 are the same ones that appeared in 2017.

Data from 802 U.S. colleges and universities for the  NACUBO-TIAA Study found that endowments returned an average of 8.2 percent  for the fiscal 2018 (July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018) compared with 12.2 percent growth percent for the 2017 fiscal year.

Here are the 10 higher-education institutions that had the largest endowments in fiscal 2016.

About the Author

Mike Kennedy

Senior Editor

Mike Kennedy, senior editor, has written for AS&U on a wide range of educational issues since 1999.

Sign up for American School & University Newsletters