Drexel University
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- It reported loans to or from officers, directors or other insiders.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
DREXEL UNIVERSITY FULFILLS ITS FOUNDER'S VISION OF PREPARING EACH NEW GENERATION OF STUDENTS FOR PRODUCTIVE PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC LIVES WHILE ALSO FOCUSING ITS COLLECTIVE EXPERTISE ON SOLVING SOCIETY'S GREATEST PROBLEMS. DREXEL IS AN ACADEMICALLY COMPREHENSIVE AND GLOBALLY ENGAGED URBAN RESEARCH UNIVERSITY, DEDICATED TO ADVANCING KNOWLEDGE AND SOCIETY AND TO PROVIDING EVERY STUDENT WITH A VALUABLE, RIGOROUS, EXPERIENTIAL, TECHNOLOGY-INFUSED EDUCATION, ENRICHED BY THE NATION'S PREMIER CO-OPERATIVE EDUCATION PROGRAM.
- Income
- $1.5 billion
- Spending
- $1.5 billion
- Spent on programs
- 87%
- Reserves
- -3.8 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 79%
- Employees
- 12,301
- Volunteers
- 3,877
- Highest pay
- $1.9 million, president (to 9/30/24)
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Weak: 43 out of 100. Higher than 9% of charities in its peer group (education, over $100m).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
5 of 20It owes 52% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 1% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 5% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1587% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 8 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 90 out of 100. Higher than 14% of charities in its peer group (education, over $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2551 of 57 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
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
0 of 10Reports at least one of: diversion of assets, excess benefits, loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (3)
- $1.1 billion spent. INSTRUCTIONDREXEL IS A COMPREHENSIVE NATIONAL RESEARCH UNIVERSITY DEDICATED TO PROVIDING QUALITY UNDERGRADUATE, GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION FEATURING EXCELLENT ACADEMICS, STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY AND A FOCUS ON REAL-WORLD LEARNING AND SERVICE. DREXEL IS CLASSIFIED AS AN R1 RESEARCH UNIVERSITY IN THE CARNEGIE CLASSIFICATION OF INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION - A RANK THAT DENOTES THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF RESEARCH ACTIVITY, HELD BY JUST 37 PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES AROUND THE COUNTRY. DREXEL DISCLOSED 56 NEW INVENTIONS AND RECEIVED 25 NEW UNITED STATES PATENTS IN FISCAL YEAR 2025. THE UNIVERSITY'S MISSION SERVES TRADITIONAL, ADULT AND ONLINE STUDENTS. DREXEL OFFERS NATIONALLY ACCREDITED PROGRAMS THAT MEET THE CHANGING NEEDS OF SOCIETY, INCLUDING MORE THAN 100 BACHELOR'S DEGREE PROGRAMS AND MORE THAN 120 GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL DEGREE PROGRAMS ORGANIZED IN 17 COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS: COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES; SCHOOL OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, SCIENCE AND HEALTH SYSTEMS; BENNETT S. LEBOW COLLEGE OF BUSINESS; COLLEGE OF COMPUTING & INFORMATICS; SCHOOL OF EDUCATION; COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING; CHARLES D. CLOSE SCHOOL OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP; PENNONI HONORS COLLEGE; THOMAS R. KLINE SCHOOL OF LAW; ANTOINETTE WESTPHAL COLLEGE OF MEDIA ARTS & DESIGN; COLLEGE OF MEDICINE; COLLEGE OF NURSING AND HEALTH PROFESSIONS; RICHARD C. GOODWIN COLLEGE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES; DANA AND DAVID DORNSIFE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH; SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS; GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES AND PROFESSIONAL STUDIES AND PENNSYLVANIA COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY.MOST RECENTLY, FOLLOWING APPROVAL FROM THE MIDDLE STATES COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION (MSCHE) ACCREDITING BODY AND THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, DREXEL COMPLETED A MERGER WITH SALUS UNIVERSITY THAT BRINGS TOGETHER THE COMPLEMENTARY STRENGTHS OF BOTH INSTITUTIONS IN GRADUATE HEALTH SCIENCES EDUCATION, RESEARCH, AND CLINICAL PRACTICE. THE MERGER STRENGTHENS DREXEL'S PLACE AS A LEADER IN PREPARING FUTURE INTERPROFESSIONAL HEALTH SCIENCES PRACTITIONERS BY ADDING RENOWNED SALUS GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMS SUCH AS OPTOMETRY, AUDIOLOGY, BLINDNESS AND LOW VISION STUDIES, SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY, AND ORTHOTICS AND PROSTHETICS. IN ADDITION, THE MERGER WITH SALUS EXPANDS DREXEL'S PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT PROGRAM, GRADUATE ENROLLMENT, AND PROMOTE INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES IN NEW AREAS.DREXEL'S STRATEGIC EFFORTS FOCUS ON INVESTING FURTHER IN ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE, SERVING MORE STUDENTS WHILE IMPROVING THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE AND ENHANCING THE UNIVERSITY'S GLOBAL IMPACT. DREXEL HAS GROWN TO BECOME AN ECONOMIC ENGINE FOR PHILADELPHIA, SERVING AS ONE OF THE CITY'S LARGEST EMPLOYERS, GENERATING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN WAGE TAXES, ATTRACTING EXTERNAL FUNDING FOR RESEARCH AND KEY REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS, INVESTING IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND SUPPORTING IMPORTANT COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS.DREXEL'S ACADEMIC ENTERPRISE HELPS STRENGTHEN THE NEIGHBORHOODS AROUND ITS CAMPUSES. DREXEL HAS LED AND SUPPORTED A NUMBER OF PROJECTS THAT BRING RESOURCES TO THE COMMUNITY. THIS INCLUDES WORKING TO BRING GRANTS TO SUPPORT LOCAL SCHOOLS AND EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION IN WEST PHILADELPHIA. THE UNIVERSITY ESTABLISHED ITS DIGITAL NAVIGATORS PROGRAM IN 2021 TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO LOW-COST INTERNET, DEVICES AND DIGITAL SKILLS TRAINING TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO ARE LACKING ACCESS. DREXEL IS CURRENTLY RENOVATING THE FORMER WEST PHILADELPHIA COMMUNITY CENTER TO PRESERVE ITS LONGSTANDING ROLE IN SERVING THE LOCAL NEIGHBORHOOD WITH PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES. AS PART OF ITS "ACADEMIC TRANSFORMATION" INITIATIVE, DREXEL IS REIMAGINING THE INSTITUTION'S FUTURE THROUGH THE INTEGRATION OF PROGRAMS AND SCHOOLS AND A REDESIGN OF CURRICULUM AROUND CORE COMPETENCIES. DREXEL IS ALSO TRANSITIONING TO A SEMESTER SYSTEM. THIS SHIFT WILL PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH EVEN GREATER FLEXIBILITY AS THEY PURSUE CO-OP AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES. DRIVING THESE EFFORTS IS THE UNIVERSITY'S STEADFAST COMMITMENT TO DELIVERING A STUDENT-CENTERED, WORLD-CLASS EDUCATION - ONE THAT'S DEEPLY EXPERIENTIAL AND DESIGNED TO GIVE STUDENTS A POWERFUL HEAD START BEFORE THEY GRADUATE.DREXEL IS AN INSTITUTION THAT STANDS APART WITHIN THE HIGHER EDUCATION SECTOR BECAUSE EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION HAS BEEN AT ITS CORE SINCE ITS FOUNDING IN 1891. BECAUSE OF THIS, DREXEL IS ONE OF A SMALL NUMBER OF UNIVERSITIES LEADING THE WAY AS THE SECTOR SHIFTS TO FOCUS ON RETURN ON INVESTMENT AND OTHER POSITIVE STUDENT OUTCOMES THAT EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION HAS SHOWN TO PROVIDE. ABOUT 95 PERCENT OF STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN CO-OP OPPORTUNITIES OR OTHER EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING, AND DREXEL GRADUATES RANK IN THE TOP 3 PERCENT NATIONWIDE FOR LIFETIME EARNINGS.EXPANDING ON THIS MODEL, THE UNIVERSITY ANNOUNCED THE LAUNCH OF AN EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION HUB, A VISIONARY STEP THAT PROVIDES STUDENTS WITH AN ENHANCED OPPORTUNITY TO IMMEDIATELY APPLY THEIR EDUCATION TO THE REAL WORLD. THIS HUB WILL CLOSELY ALIGN THE UNIVERSITY'S FLAGSHIP CO-OP PROGRAM AND OTHER EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES INCLUDING RESEARCH, CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, GLOBAL EXPERIENCES AND PROJECT-BASED LEARNING WITH DREXEL'S ACADEMIC ENTERPRISE. AS AN IMPORTANT FIRST STEP IN CONNECTING ALL THESE EXPERIENCES, THE UNIVERSITY IS BRINGING TOGETHER - WITHIN THE OFFICE OF THE PROVOST - DREXEL GLOBAL AND THE STEINBRIGHT CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTER. DREXEL HAS MADE A STRATEGIC COMMITMENT TO HELP IMPROVE THE NATION'S GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS BY INCREASING STUDENTS' INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT TO BUILD CULTURAL COMPETENCIES. DREXEL GLOBAL WORKS WITH UNITS ACROSS THE UNIVERSITY TO BUILD AN ECOSYSTEM OF GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS AND PROGRAMS BOTH ON AND OFF CAMPUS THROUGH DREXEL'S TRADEMARK PROGRAMS IN CO-OP, EDUCATION ABROAD, RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS AND INDUSTRY RELATIONS.UNDERGRADUATE ENROLLMENT FOR ACADEMIC YEAR 2024-2025 = 13,282GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL ENROLLMENT FOR ACADEMIC YEAR 2024-2025 = 7,871 NUMBER OF DEGREES CONFERRED IN ACADEMIC YEAR 2024-2025: ASSOCIATE DEGREES = 0 BACHELOR'S DEGREES =
- $172.7 million spent. RESEARCHDREXEL RESEARCHERS WORK ACROSS DISCIPLINES TO INCREASE THE WORLD'S STORE OF KNOWLEDGE AND TRANSLATE THAT NEW KNOWLEDGE INTO SOLUTIONS WITH TREMENDOUS POSITIVE IMPACT ON SOCIETY. TYPICALLY, THE UNIVERSITY RECEIVES ABOUT $110 MILLION PER YEAR IN RESEARCH EXPENDITURES. THE UNIVERSITY IS COMMITTED TO USING ITS RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGICAL EXPERTISE TO BECOME AN EVEN MORE POWERFUL ECONOMIC ENGINE FOR GREATER PHILADELPHIA, HELPING TO CREATE NEW HIGH-TECH BUSINESSES AND JOBS. DREXEL IS CREATING AN ECOSYSTEM OF INNOVATION IN AND AROUND UNIVERSITY CITY. THIS ECOSYSTEM WILL ULTIMATELY BENEFIT STUDENTS, THROUGH CO-OPS AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES; FACULTY, THROUGH COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH AND TRAINING; AND THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY, THROUGH THE CREATION OF PIPELINES TO EMPLOYMENT.THIS COMMITMENT IS AT THE HEART OF SCHUYLKILL YARDS, A $3.5 BILLION MIXED-USE PROJECT WITH DEVELOPMENT PARTNER BRANDYWINE REALTY TRUST ON UNIVERSITY REAL ESTATE ADJACENT TO PHILADELPHIA'S AMTRAK 30TH STREET STATION. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH WEXFORD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, DREXEL IS ALSO EXTENDING UCITY SQUARE, A MULTI-BILLION-DOLLAR DEVELOPMENT, THROUGH A FACILITY THAT HOUSES K-8 PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND AN ACADEMIC BUILDING THAT RELOCATED THE COLLEGE OF MEDICINE AND COLLEGE OF NURSING AND HEALTH PROFESSIONS TO THE UNIVERSITY CITY CAMPUS.MOST RECENTLY, SPARK THERAPEUTICS BROKE GROUND ON A $575 MILLION STATE-OF-THE-ART GENE THERAPY INNOVATION CENTER ON DREXEL'S CAMPUS. THROUGH A PARTNERSHIP WITH GATTUSO DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS, THE CAMPUS WILL ALSO BOAST WHAT IS EXPECTED TO BECOME THE CITY'S LARGEST LIFE SCIENCES FACILITY.DURING FY25, DREXEL UNIVERSITY CONDUCTED RESEARCH ON THE FOLLOWING RESEARCH GRANTS:FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH - 911 GRANTSSTATE OF PENNSYLVANIA SPONSORED RESEARCH - 93 GRANTSCITY OF PHILADELPHIA CONTRACTS - 25 GRANTSPRIVATE FOUNDATION SPONSORED RESEARCH - 369 GRANTSINDUSTRY SPONSORED RESEARCH - 82 GRANTS
- $40.8 million spent. PATIENT CARE/PUBLIC SERVICEIT IS DREXEL UNIVERSITY'S PATIENT CARE MISSION TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY THROUGH THE DELIVERY OF HIGH-QUALITY, COST-EFFECTIVE HEALTH CARE SERVICES, INCLUDING PROGRAMS OF HEALTH PROMOTION AND DISEASE PREVENTION. ALL CLINICAL SERVICES ARE PROVIDED WITH CAREFUL REGARD FOR THE INDIVIDUAL PATIENT AND THEIR FAMILY. THE UNIVERSITY'S CLINICAL PRACTICES PROVIDE PATIENT-CENTERED HEALTH CARE IN A VARIETY OF SERVICES INCLUDING GENERAL INTERNAL MEDICINE, HIV/AIDS, STUDENT HEALTH, ADDICTION MEDICINE, PSYCHIATRY, EATING DISORDERS, AND OPTOMETRY, AMONG OTHERS.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 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 November 6, 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 June 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 August 1927.
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 November 4, 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.