Washington and Lee University: $1.451 Billion
As the ninth–oldest institution in the country, the university has an interesting and rather long history. In 1795 it was President George Washington who saved the then struggling university from financial problems.
In 2007, a donation of $100 million was made by alumnus Rupert Johnson Jr. The school currently stands at number 11 in the list of best liberal arts colleges.
Southern Methodist University : $1.627 Billion
Originally founded in 1911, the Southern Methodist University (SMU) has satellite campuses in Plano, Taos, and New Mexico. In 2015 $45 million, the largest single donation in its century-long existence was donated to the school to serve the museum and art school.
The SMU campus also contains the famous Bridwell Library, named after notable benefactor Joseph Sterling Bridwell. The facility is a leader in theological research
Bowdoin College: $1.603 Billion
Some names to come out of Bowdoin College include Joshua Chamberlain, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. There is a reason its number 5 in top liberal arts colleges in America.
The undergraduate campus spans 118–acres and then an additional 200–acres for Kent Island - scientific station. The school has had donations from notable individuals like TV actor Paul Adelstein, Netflix founder, and CEO Reed Hastings, and Peter Puck, the Subway sandwich shop co-founder.
Texas Christian University: $1.5 Billion
Mostly associated with the Disciples of Christ, the Texas Christian University is a private school most famous for its respectable business-related programs.
It's rated as the 80th–best college in the country by U.S. News & World Report and is heavily supported by consistent fundraising and donations, most notably $30 form Spencer Hays in 2014.
University of Iowa: $1.432 Billion
The University of Iowa was founded in 1847, making it one of the oldest universities in the state. Its famous buildings the Van Allen Hall, the Seamans Center for the Engineering Arts and Sciences, and the Voxman Music Building are largely a result of private donations.
Its many prestigious programs make it #89 on the U.S. News & World Report list of National Universities and is even considered another one of the "Public Ivies."