Central European University
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
CEU IS COMMITTED TO PROMOTING THE VALUES OF OPEN SOCIETY AND SELF-REFLECTIVE CRITICAL THINKING. IT AIMS AT EXCELLENCE IN THE MASTERY OF ESTABLISHED KNOWLEDGE, COURAGE TO PURSUE THE CREATION OF NEW KNOWLEDGE IN THE HUMANITIES, THE SOCIAL SCIENCES, LAW AND MANAGEMENT, AND ENGAGEMENT IN PROMOTING APPLICATIONS FOR EACH, IN PARTICULAR THROUGH THEIR POLICY IMPLICATIONS. CEU IS A NEW MODEL FOR INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION, A CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF CONTEMPORARY ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND POLITICAL CHALLENGES, AND A SOURCE OF SUPPORT FOR BUILDING OPEN AND DEMOCRATIC SOCIETIES THAT RESPECT HUMAN RIGHTS AND HUMAN DIGNITY.
- Income
- $82.2 million
- Spending
- $109.1 million
- Spent on programs
- 100%
- Reserves
- 45.2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 96%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 16
Source: Form 990 for the year ending July 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 80 out of 100. Higher than 65% of charities in its peer group (international, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 45.2 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 5% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 33% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 2% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 15100% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending July 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Good: 89 out of 100. Higher than 19% of charities in its peer group (international, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2516 of 16 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
0 of 10Did not give the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending July 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Reports results. Its tax return states measurable results. These are its own figures and nobody has checked them.
Results it reports
- The university hosts more than 500 events a year with distinguished speakers.Work delivered
Read from the return by an AI model and shown only where the wording was found in the return. These are the charity's own figures.
Programs described in its return (4)
- $94.8 million spent. THE UNIVERSITY IS AN INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTION FOR UNDERGRADUATE AND POST-GRADUATE STUDY AND RESEARCH OFFERING BACHELOR, MASTER AND DOCTORAL DEGREE PROGRAMS. THE UNIVERSITY OFFERS NON-DEGREE PROGRAMS OF STUDY AS WELL. THE UNIVERSITY CURRENTLY OFFERS 11 DOCTORAL PROGRAMS, 35 MASTER'S DEGREE PROGRAMS AND 3 UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS IN VIENNA. THE UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS ARE OFFERED IN PHILOSOPHY, POLITICS AND ECONOMICS, CULTURE, POLITICS AND SOCIETY, AND DATA SCIENCE AND SOCIETY. THERE ARE ONE-YEAR AND TWO-YEAR MASTER'S DEGREE PROGRAMS OFFERED IN THE FOLLOWING FIELDS: BUSINESS ANALYTICS, HISTORICAL STUDIES, CULTURAL HERITAGE STUDIES, ECONOMICS, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES AND POLICY, FINANCE, GENDER STUDIES, HUMAN RIGHTS, INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC AFFAIRS, INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, LEGAL STUDIES (COMPARATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL LAW, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND GLOBAL BUSINESS LAW AND REGULATION), MUSEUM STUDIES, NATIONALISM STUDIES, PHILOSOPHY, POLITICS, PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, PUBLIC POLICY, SOCIAL DATA SCIENCE, AND SOCIOLOGY AND SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY. IN ADDITION TO ITS MASTER'S DEGREE PROGRAMS, THE UNIVERSITY OFFERS DOCTORAL PROGRAMS IN COGNITIVE SCIENCE, ECONOMICS, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES AND POLICY, COMPARATIVE GENDER STUDIES, COMPARATIVE HISTORY, LATE ANTIQUE, MEDIEVAL AND EARLY MODERN STUDIES, LEGAL STUDIES, PHILOSOPHY, POLITICAL SCIENCE, SOCIOLOGY AND SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY, AND NETWORK SCIENCE. THE UNIVERSITY HAS TAKEN A LEADERSHIP ROLE IN PROVIDING US-STYLE UNDERGRADUATE AND POST-GRADUATE EDUCATION IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE AND VIEWS EDUCATIONAL INNOVATION AS PART OF ITS CONTINUING CONTRIBUTION TO THE REGION.
- $12.0 million spent. THE VERA AND DONALD BLINKEN OPEN SOCIETY ARCHIVES (OSA) AT CENTRAL EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY IS A COMPLEX ARCHIVAL INSTITUTION. OSA IS BOTH A REPOSITORY OF IMPORTANT COLLECTIONS, PRIMARILY RELATED TO THE HISTORY OF THE COLD WAR AND GRAVE INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, AND A LABORATORY OF ARCHIVAL EXPERIMENTS ON NEW WAYS OF ASSESSING, CONTEXTUALIZING, PRESENTING, AND MAKING USE OF ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTS. OSA IS A RESEARCH INSTITUTE DEALING WITH ARCHIVAL, TAXONOMICAL, INFORMATIONAL AND HISTORICAL PROBLEMS RELATED TO ITS HOLDINGS, AND ALSO REFLECTING ON THE ROLE, OBLIGATIONS, AND LIMITS (AS WELL AS ON OVERCOMING THESE) OF REPOSITORIES THAT PRESERVE IMPORTANT HISTORICAL SOURCES. OSA, ITS HOLDINGS, AND THE RESEARCH BASED ON OUR COLLECTIONS, ARE THE BASIS OF AN EXPANDING TEACHING PROGRAM. OSA RECEIVES STUDENTS FROM THE CEU AND INSTITUTIONS AROUND THE GLOBE, WHO COME HERE TO STUDY THE ROLE AND USE OF ARCHIVAL EVIDENCE, THE CHANGING FUNCTIONS OF THE ARCHIVES, HOW TO BUILD TRUST IN NEW TYPES OF ARCHIVAL INSTITUTIONS, AND THE SPECIAL METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEMS OF STUDYING THE SOURCES OF THE FANTASIES ON WHICH THE COLD WAR WAS CONSTRUCTED. OSA IS AN ARCHIVE OF THE COPY, MEANING THAT WE ARE PRIMARILY INTERESTED IN THE CONTENT, RATHER THAN THE MATERIALITY OF OUR DOCUMENTS; WE ACTIVELY SEEK OUT NON-TRADITIONAL DOCUMENTS MATERIAL PREVIOUSLY MARGINALIZED BASED ON ITS CONTENT, SOCIAL ORIGIN, OR FORM. OSA IS ALSO "AN ARCHIVE OF LAST RESORT," HELPING IMPORTANT ORGANIZATIONS AND INSTITUTIONS WHOSE HOLDINGS ARE IN DANGER FOR ORGANIZATIONAL, IDEOLOGICAL OR POLITICAL REASONS, TO FIND SECURE AND PROFESSIONAL ARCHIVE FOR THEIR ENDANGERED DOCUMENTS. ONE OF OSA'S AIMS IS TO BROADEN ACCESS TO PRIMARY SOURCES BY OVERCOMING TECHNICAL, LEGAL, GEOGRAPHIC, AND SOCIO-CULTURAL BARRIERS.
- $2.0 million spent. THROUGH ITS 13 RESEARCH CENTERS, CEU PROMOTES AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE HIGH-QUALITY RESEARCH CAN TAKE PLACE, WHERE READINESS FOR INTELLECTUAL RISK-TAKING AND FOR RADICAL RETHINKING OF FOUNDATIONS IS STRONGLY ENCOURAGED, AND WHERE VALUES OF OPEN SOCIETY, DEMOCRACY AND CRITICAL, REFLECTIVE THINKING ARE CULTIVATED. CEU RESEARCH CENTERS COMPLEMENT RESEARCH AND TEACHING ACTIVITIES IN CEU DEPARTMENTS, ENHANCING INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS AMONG DIFFERENT ACADEMIC AREAS AND INTERFACING ACADEMIC AND POLICY RELEVANT ACTIVITIES. THE CENTERS SUPPORT CEU'S MISSION BY RAISING THE UNIVERSITY'S INTERNATIONAL VISIBILITY AND DEEPENING ITS REGIONAL EMBEDDEDNESS. BUILDING INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS WITH RESEARCH INSTITUTES, CORPORATIONS, NGOS AND GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES, CEU RESEARCH CENTERS OPERATE LARGE-SCALE RESEARCH PROJECTS, ORGANIZE OUTSTANDING PUBLIC EVENTS, WORKSHOPS AND CONFERENCES, AS WELL AS OFFER FELLOWSHIPS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE RESEARCH AREAS. THE RESEARCH CENTERS ARE: CENTER FOR BELIEF UPDATING AND DEBIASING, CENTER FOR COGNITIVE COMPUTATION, CENTER FOR EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN STUDIES, CENTER FOR ETHICS AND LAW IN BIOMEDICINE, CENTER FOR RELIGIOUS STUDIES, COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT CENTER, INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDY, BLINKEN OSA ARCHIVUM, PASTS INC., SHATTUCK CENTER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, SOCIAL MIND CENTER, CEU DEMOCRACY INSTITUTE, YEHUDA ELKANA CENTER FOR TEACHING, LEARNING, AND HIGHER EDUCATION RESEARCH.
- $42,869 spent. CEU IS COMMITTED TO MAKING TANGIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO SOCIETY. IT DOES SO BY SHARING ITS KNOWLEDGE AND BY COLLABORATING WITH DIVERSE PARTNERS IN ACADEMIA AND ACROSS THE PUBLIC, PRIVATE, AND NONPROFIT SECTORS. COLLABORATION PROJECTS INCLUDE DIRECT FACULTY SUPPORT TO ORGANIZATIONS REQUIRING EXPERT ASSISTANCE AND PARTNERSHIPS WITHIN THE REGION AND WORLDWIDE. CEU ALSO ATTRACTS INTERNATIONALLY DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS TO VIENNA AND BUDAPEST, HOSTING MORE THAN 500 EVENTS A YEAR WHERE PARTICIPANTS DISCUSS SOLUTIONS TO DIVERSE POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CHALLENGES, AS WELL AS EMERGENT QUESTIONS IN SOCIAL SCIENCES AND THE HUMANITIES.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending July 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending July 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since October 1997.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.