A Glimpse Inside the Coffers: Endowment Spending at Wealthy Colleges and Universities

Amid intense national conversations on income inequality, this report finds that extreme wealth stratification is occurring not only among individuals, but also among institutions of higher education. This report reveals that in 2013, roughly 3.6 percent of colleges and universities — 138 in all — held 75 percent of all postsecondary endowment wealth. Yet despite their vast wealth, too few of these colleges invest enough in students from low-income families.