Case Western Reserve University
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Case Western Reserve University is an independent, research-oriented university with broadly based strengths in health, including medicine, nursing and dentistry; in engineering; in the arts and sciences; and in law, management and social work. The University's commitment to excellence in teaching, research and scholarship. The University brings together highly qualified faculty, students and staff to: (1) Offer undergraduate education that preserves the strengths of traditional disciplinary majors while integrating contents and methods from technology, the arts and sciences, and the professions, (2) Prepare students for positions of leadership in professions that are important to society, and (3) Advance, through research and scholarship the understanding of its chosen disciplines and their applications.
- Income
- $1.7 billion
- Spending
- $1.7 billion
- Spent on programs
- 89%
- Reserves
- -3.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 48%
- Employees
- 10,967
- Volunteers
- 627
- Highest pay
- $2.1 million, president, ex officio
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
Fair: 61 out of 100. Higher than 43% 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
16 of 20It owes 26% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 5% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 8% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1589% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 2 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: 100 out of 100. Higher than 41% of charities in its peer group (education, over $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2538 of 40 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
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or 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
Reports results. Its tax return states measurable results. These are its own figures and nobody has checked them.
Results it reports
- 12,545 students are enrolled in undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs.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)
- $812.0 million spent. THE ACADEMIC PROGRAMS OF CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY ARE ADMINISTERED THROUGH ITS SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. CURRENTLY 12,545 STUDENTS ARE ENROLLED IN PROGRAMS LEADING TO UNDERGRADUATE, GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL DEGREES ADMINISTERED THROUGH THE UNIVERSITY'S NINE SCHOOLS: THE CASE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING, THE COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES, THE MANDEL SCHOOL OF APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES, THE SCHOOL OF DENTAL MEDICINE, THE SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES, THE SCHOOL OF LAW, THE WEATHERHEAD SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, THE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND THE FRANCES PAYNE BOLTON SCHOOL OF NURSING. (Expenses $ 110,072,295 including grants of $)(Revenue $ 47,199,478) OTHER SPONSORED PROGRAMS: THE UNIVERSITY'S LIBRARY SYSTEM IS COMPOSED OF FOUR PRIMARY UNITS: THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY, THE CLEVELAND HEALTH SCIENCES LIBRARY, THE SCHOOL OF LAW LIBRARY AND THE LILLIAN & MILFORD HARRIS LIBRARY IN THE MANDEL SCHOOL OF APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES. THE LIBRARIES OF THE UNIVERSITY SUPPORT THE UNDERGRADUATE, GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS AND CONTAIN OVER 3 MILLION VOLUMES. CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY OFFERS ASSISTANCE TO ITS STUDENTS TO HELP MEET FINANCIAL NEED OR TO RECOGNIZE OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND PROMISE. ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE IS RECOGNIZED BY THE ACADEMIC AWARDS PROGRAM AND OTHER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS OF THE UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGES AND BY VARIOUS ASSISTANTSHIPS, FELLOWSHIPS, SCHOLARSHIPS AND OTHER AWARDS OF INDIVIDUAL DEPARTMENTS IN THE SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES AND SEVERAL OF THE PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS. CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY ACTIVELY PROMOTES THE DEVELOPMENT OF SERVICES AND PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT THE PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL AND INTELLECTUAL WELL-BEING OF ITS STUDENTS.' THE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE TO UNDERGRADUATE, GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL STUDENTS ALIKE AND ARE DESIGNED TO PROVIDE POSITIVE, DEVELOPMENTAL OPPORTUNITIES BOTH TO SUPPLEMENT THE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE AND ENRICH CAMPUS LIFE.
- $446.8 million spent. CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY IS CLASSIFIED AS A RESEARCH UNIVERSITY (VERY HIGH RESEARCH ACTIVITY) - EXTENSIVE BY THE CARNEGIE COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION. THIS CLASSIFICATION IS GIVEN TO THOSE INSTITUTIONS THAT TRAIN THE GREATEST NUMBER OF FUTURE RESEARCHERS (USUALLY MEASURED BY THE NUMBER OF PHD STUDENTS) AND TO THOSE INSTITUTIONS THAT RECEIVE THE MOST FEDERAL FUNDS. IN ADDITION TO FEDERAL SOURCES, RESEARCH IN THE SCIENCES, THE HUMANITIES AND THE HEALTH SCIENCES AREA IS FUNDED BY GIFTS AND GRANTS FROM PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS, CORPORATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS.
- $103.4 million spent. AUXILIARIES PROVIDES SEVERAL SERVICES WHICH, ALTHOUGH NOT DIRECTLY RELATED TO ITS ACADEMIC MISSION, ARE NEVERTHELESS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE OVERALL EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE OF ITS STUDENTS. THE PROVISION OF CAMPUS HOUSING AND BOARD PLANS, AND PHONE SERVICES ARE EXAMPLES OF CURRENT AUXILIARY SERVICES. (Expenses $ 110,072,295 including grants of $)(Revenue $ 47,199,478) OTHER SPONSORED PROGRAMS: THE UNIVERSITY'S LIBRARY SYSTEM IS COMPOSED OF FOUR PRIMARY UNITS: THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY, THE CLEVELAND HEALTH SCIENCES LIBRARY, THE SCHOOL OF LAW LIBRARY AND THE LILLIAN & MILFORD HARRIS LIBRARY IN THE MANDEL SCHOOL OF APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES. THE LIBRARIES OF THE UNIVERSITY SUPPORT THE UNDERGRADUATE, GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS AND CONTAIN OVER 3 MILLION VOLUMES. CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY OFFERS ASSISTANCE TO ITS STUDENTS TO HELP MEET FINANCIAL NEED OR TO RECOGNIZE OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND PROMISE. ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE IS RECOGNIZED BY THE ACADEMIC AWARDS PROGRAM AND OTHER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS OF THE UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGES AND BY VARIOUS ASSISTANTSHIPS, FELLOWSHIPS, SCHOLARSHIPS AND OTHER AWARDS OF INDIVIDUAL DEPARTMENTS IN THE SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES AND SEVERAL OF THE PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS. CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY ACTIVELY PROMOTES THE DEVELOPMENT OF SERVICES AND PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT THE PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL AND INTELLECTUAL WELL-BEING OF ITS STUDENTS.' THE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE TO UNDERGRADUATE, GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL STUDENTS ALIKE AND ARE DESIGNED TO PROVIDE POSITIVE, DEVELOPMENTAL OPPORTUNITIES BOTH TO SUPPLEMENT THE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE AND ENRICH CAMPUS LIFE.
- $110.1 million spent. OTHER SPONSORED PROGRAMS: THE UNIVERSITY'S LIBRARY SYSTEM IS COMPOSED OF FOUR PRIMARY UNITS: THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY, THE CLEVELAND HEALTH SCIENCES LIBRARY, THE SCHOOL OF LAW LIBRARY AND THE LILLIAN & MILFORD HARRIS LIBRARY IN THE MANDEL SCHOOL OF APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES. THE LIBRARIES OF THE UNIVERSITY SUPPORT THE UNDERGRADUATE, GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS AND CONTAIN OVER 3 MILLION VOLUMES. CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY OFFERS ASSISTANCE TO ITS STUDENTS TO HELP MEET FINANCIAL NEED OR TO RECOGNIZE OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND PROMISE. ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE IS RECOGNIZED BY THE ACADEMIC AWARDS PROGRAM AND OTHER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS OF THE UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGES AND BY VARIOUS ASSISTANTSHIPS, FELLOWSHIPS, SCHOLARSHIPS AND OTHER AWARDS OF INDIVIDUAL DEPARTMENTS IN THE SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES AND SEVERAL OF THE PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS. CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY ACTIVELY PROMOTES THE DEVELOPMENT OF SERVICES AND PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT THE PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL AND INTELLECTUAL WELL-BEING OF ITS STUDENTS.' THE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE TO UNDERGRADUATE, GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL STUDENTS ALIKE AND ARE DESIGNED TO PROVIDE POSITIVE, DEVELOPMENTAL OPPORTUNITIES BOTH TO SUPPLEMENT THE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE AND ENRICH CAMPUS LIFE.
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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 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 September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since July 1952.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 7, 2026.
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