Executive Compensation at Pomona College
Pomona College (Pomona) in Claremont, California is often referred to as the Harvard of the West (Forbes ranked Pomona the number one college in America in 2015). With only 1,700 students, Pomona charges about $50,000 for tuition and another $16,000 for room and board annually, which is in line with other top private colleges in the country.
Pomona reported $236 million in revenue in 2016 – about half ($104 million) of which came from tuition, room and board payments. The remaining revenue primarily came from the sale of assets ($75 million) and contributions, gifts and grants ($44 million). Expenses totaled $192 million (net of depreciation) including $38 million in tuition assistance to 973 students (an average of $41,000 each). At year-end, Pomona had $2.4 billion in net fund assets. Read more 
Executive Compensation at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) is a private non-profit 501 (c) (3) college that specializes in engineering, technology, and the sciences. Located on 300 acres in Troy, New York, RPI also has two campuses in Connecticut – in Hartford and Groton. But, what also makes this institute well-known is its inclusion on lists of most highly compensated employees.
About 7,500 students (mostly undergraduate) attend RPI where annual tuition is about $50,000 plus about $17,000 for room and board bringing the total annual cost to $67,000. However, 5,172 recipients received $122 million in tuition discounts (an average of $24,000) while 919 teaching assistants at the graduate level received $35 million in tuition discounts (an average of $38,000 each). Of the total revenue received in 2016 ($538 million), $166 million (or 31% of revenue) was used for tuition discounts. Total expenses were $490 million (not including depreciation) which means expenses did not exceed revenue. RPI had $364 million in net fund assets at year-end. Read more
Executive Compensation at Harvard
Harvard University (Harvard) is one of the most well-respected institutions of higher learning in the United States and consequently, a popular choice among prospective students. With a 5% acceptance rate (40,000 students apply annually and only about 2,000 are accepted), Harvard is also one of the most competitive undergraduate schools in the country even though the cost to attend is about $65,000 annually ($45,000 for tuition and $20,000 for room, board, and fees).
Harvard is a 501 (c) (3) whose legal name is President and Fellows of Harvard College. There is also Harvard Management Company, Inc. (HMC) – a 501 (c) (3) – whose mission is to provide investment management services to Harvard (managing the $41.9 billion in net fund assets). Both of these organizations are key to understanding the financial aspects of what most people think of as “Harvard.” Read more
