Washington University: $7.5 Billion
Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, was established in 1853, and named after the first president of the United States. The school has grown to include seven schools, including the School of Medicine, which is ranked by U.S News & World Report as the 8th best in the country. In 1976, the school added “in St. Louis,” to their name to curb confusion about where the university was located.
The U.S News & World Report also ranked Washington University in St. Louis as the 19th best undergraduate program in the country for 2020, and 11th by The Wall Street Journal for the same category. The school’s endowment this year was just over $7.5 billion, which lends to all of their amazing programs, including all of the research at the McKelvey School of Engineering. The school has more than 150 National Institute of Health inventions to its name and has played a huge role in the Human Genome Project as well.
Duke University: $8.5 Billion
Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, was founded by Quakers and Methodists in the 1800s. It was originally located in what is today known as Trinity, before it moved to its current home in Durham in the 1890s. It also had a few different former names before tobacco and power mogul James Buchanan Duke established The Duke Endowment in 1924, at which time the university was renamed in his honor.
Today, that endowment has no reached an impressive $8.5 billion. The university also enjoys a budget of more than $2 billion each year. The prestigious private research school has seen 46 Rhodes Scholars alumnus, and 25 Churchill Scholars. There have also been over a dozen Nobel Prize winners associated with Duke.
University Of Chicago: $8.9 Billion
This private research university in Chicago, Illinois, has been around since the 1890s. It’s well-known for having renowned professional schools, including the Law School, the Booth School of Business and the Pritzker School of Medicine. The university has campuses all over the world, including in Hong Kong, Delhi, and Paris.
As of this year, there have been over 100 Nobel Prize winners to have been associated with the University of Chicago. They also boast 16 billionaire alumni, alongside members of Congress, Pulitzer Prize winners and 18 graduates who have received the MacArthur Genius Grant.
Emory University: $7.5 Billion
This private research university in Atlanta was founded as Emory College in the 1830s by the Methodist Church. Now, they are divided into nine schools, including Oxford College, Goizueta Business School, the School of Law, School of Medicine and the Candler School of Theology. They have over 15,000 students per year, who come from all over the world to attend.
Emory University Hospital is world-renowned, and its healthcare system is the largest in Georgia. They have seven major hospitals throughout the state, which include their main branch, a Midtown location, and the Winship Cancer Institute. They have the 17th largest endowment in the nation, at nearly $7.3 billion. Emory University is currently ranked 21st in the nation and 73rd in the world on the U.S News & World Report.
Cornell University: $7.2 Billion
This private Ivy League university, located in upstate New York, was established in 1865 by Ezra Cornell, a philanthropist and businessman who wanted to provide a wide range of educational options. The campus is a beautifully scenic 745 acres, but it’s much larger if you count the Cornell Botanic Gardens (which spread out over more than 4,000 acres.)
Today, the university is comprised of seven graduate and seven undergraduate divisions, sprawled out over its Ithaca campus. They also have two medical campuses, one in NYC and one in Education City, Qatar. Nearly 60 Nobel Prize winners have been affiliated with Cornell, along with 55 Olympic medalists and 14 (living) billionaires. Ruth Bader Ginsburg attended Cornell, as did Bill Nye, The Science Guy. They have an endowment of just over $7.2 billion.