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Midwestern Higher Education Commission

EIN 38-3011476 · Minneapolis, MN

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong100 out of 100GovernanceStrong93 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

MHEC MEMBERS COLLABORATE TO ADDRESS THE REGION'S MOST PRESSING CHALLENGES IN HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRANSFORM EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES SO THAT PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES THRIVE.

Income
$11.1 million
Spending
$7.3 million
Spent on programs
82%
Reserves
31.9 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 81%
Employees
20
Volunteers
68
Highest pay
$356,785, president

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

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 91% of charities in its peer group (social science, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 31.9 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 11% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 35% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 12% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    82% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 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: 93 out of 100. Higher than 34% of charities in its peer group (social science, $10m to $100m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    52 of 52 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    0 of 7

    Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports 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

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (4)
  1. $2.0 million spent. CONTRACTS: MHEC CONTRACTS LEVERAGE THE POTENTIAL VOLUME OF THE REGION'S PURCHASING POWER, WHILE SAVING ENTITIES TIME AND MONEY BY SIMPLIFYING THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS AND NEGATING THE NEED TO CONDUCT A COMPETITIVE SOURCING EVENT. BY OFFERING A TURNKEY SOLUTION WITH THE ABILITY TO TAILOR THE ALREADY NEGOTIATED CONTRACT TO MATCH THE ENTITY'S SPECIFIC NEEDS AND REQUIREMENTS, MHEC CONTRACTS SHIFT SOME OF THE NEGOTIATING POWER BACK TO THE PROCURING ENTITIES. IN ADDITION TO CONTRACTS AVAILABLE THROUGH MHECARE STUDENT HEALTH SOLUTIONS, MHEC OFFERS NUMEROUS CONTRACTS IN TECHNOLOGY. THE CONTRACTS ARE A PRODUCT OF A REPRESENTATIVE GROUP OF STAKEHOLDERS FROM THE HIGHER EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY COMMUNITY CONDUCTING A COMPETITIVE SOURCING PROCESS THAT LEVERAGES THE POTENTIAL PURCHASING POWER OF THE 12 MHEC MEMBER STATES. TECHNOLOGY CONTRACTS SAVED ENTITIES IN THE MHEC REGION $32.2 MILLION IN FISCAL YEAR 2025. IN SOME CASES, THE COMPACT'S COST SAVINGS INITIATIVES MAY BE UTILIZED BY CITY, COUNTY, AND STATE GOVERNMENT AS WELL AS NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.
  2. $1.5 million spent. PROGRAMS:ADDITIONAL MHEC PROGRAMS ARE INITIATED IN RESPONSE TO IDENTIFIED NEEDS IN ONE OR MORE OF THE MEMBER STATES. BRINGING TOGETHER EXPERTISE FROM ACROSS THE REGION, MHEC IDENTIFIES ACTIVITIES NEEDED TO ADDRESS THE IDENTIFIED NEEDS. THOSE PROBLEMS BEST SOLVED THROUGH ONGOING INTERSTATE COOPERATION ARE THEN DEVELOPED INTO MHEC PROGRAMS. EACH MHEC PROGRAM PROVIDES THE PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS WITH GOVERNANCE AND LEADERSHIP STRUCTURES TO GUIDE AND MAINTAIN PROGRAMMATIC OUTCOMES.MHECARE HEALTH INSURANCE SOLUTIONS:COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH INSURANCE SOLUTIONS CREATED IN RESPONSE TO BOTH INCREASING COST AND CONCERN FOR STUDENT HEALTH. 35 CAMPUSES OFFERED MHECARE HEALTH INSURANCE SOLUTIONS IN FISCAL YEAR 2025.
  3. $1.3 million spent. RESEARCH:MHEC RESEARCH INFORMS INSTITUTIONAL AND STATE EFFORTS IN IMPROVING POSTSECONDARY POLICIES, PRACTICES, AND OUTCOMES IN SEVERAL WAYS: (A) MAINTAINING A NATIONAL REPOSITORY OF EXPERTISE, KNOWLEDGE AND BEST PRACTICES FOR GUIDING POLICY AND PRACTICE; (B) CONDUCTING APPLIED RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS ON CRITICAL TOPICS IN HIGHER EDUCATION; (C) DEVELOPING INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO IMPROVE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY AND EFFECTIVENESS; AND (D) PROVIDING PUBLIC OUTREACH AND SERVICE TO INSTITUTIONS AND GOVERNMENTS. AMONG ITS CORE OUTPUTS, MHEC RESEARCH MAINTAINS AN ONLINE DASHBOARD OF EDUCATIONAL PERFORMANCE INDICATORS AND PRODUCES TIMELY BRIEFS, REPORTS, AND TECHNICAL PAPERS IN THE MOST CRITICAL AREAS FOR FACILITATING PROGRESS TOWARDS STATE EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT GOALS, INCLUDING COLLEGE READINESS AND SUCCESS; AFFORDABILITY AND FINANCE; PATHWAYS, CREDENTIALS, AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT; AND DATA, TRENDS, AND PERFORMANCE AS WELL AS OTHER TOPICS OF IMPORTANCE TO MIDWESTERN STATES. 37 REPORTS WERE PRODUCED IN FISCAL YEAR 2025.CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT:MHEC CONTINUED EXPANSION OF THE GRADUATE CREDIT QUEST, A WEB-BASED PLATFORM FOR TEACHERS TO SEARCH FOR GRADUATE COURSE WORK WITHIN THEIR CONTENT AREAS THAT LEAD TO REQUIRED CREDENTIALING FOR TEACHING DUAL OR CONCURRENT CREDIT CLASSES. THE PLATFORM PROVIDES INFORMATION ABOUT DUAL CREDIT AND CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR ALL 12 MHEC MEMBER STATES. IT ALSO SERVES AS A REPOSITORY OF RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS, PROFESSIONAL PAPERS AND MEDIA RELEASES ON THE SUBJECT OF DUAL/CONCURRENT CREDIT. THE PLATFORM WAS ENHANCED IN 2024 WITH ENHANCED GOOGLE ANALYTICS THAT ALLOWS TRACKING OF USER TYPES BY VOLUME AND FREQUENCY OR SEASONALITY OF VISITS AND THE CREATION OF SITE CONTENT AREA PREFERENCES. NOW THE PLATFORM ENABLES OVER 41 REGIONAL GRADUATE SCHOOLS TO BUILD AWARENESS AMONG TEACHERS ABOUT ROUGHLY 1,880 UNIQUE COURSE OFFERINGS, WITHIN MULTIPLE ACADEMIC DISCIPLINES, AND PROVIDING ACCESS TO SPECIFIC ENROLLMENT PROCESSES, DELIVERY MODALITIES, AND MORE. CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT IS A RESEARCH PRIORITY FOR MHEC DURING ITS CURRENT STRATEGIC PLAN. IN FISCAL YEAR 2025 MHEC WILL PRODUCE BETWEEN THREE AND FOUR RESEARCH REPORTS PERTAINING TO CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT ISSUES: TRENDS AND PATTERNS IN STATE LEVEL DATA COLLECTION, USE OF OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES IN DUAL AND CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT SETTINGS, AN UPDATED VERSION OF THE 2017 MHEC RESEARCH REPORT SUMMARIZING EXISTING RESEARCH ON OPTIMAL LEVELS OF TEACHER TRAINING AND PREPARATION, AND AN UPDATED VERSION OF THE 2019 RESEARCH REPORT SUMMARIZING HOW STATES AND ACCREDITORS DEFINE THE QUALIFICATIONS NECESSARY FOR HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS TO TEACH CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT COURSES.MIDWEST STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM:A MULTI-STATE TUITION RECIPROCITY PROGRAM THAT MAKES ATTENDING OUT-OF-STATE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES MORE AFFORDABLE FOR NON-RESIDENT STUDENTS.- 818 STUDENTS ENROLLED IN THE MIDWEST STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM IN 8 OF THE COMPACT STATES (INDIANA, KANSAS, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEBRASKA, NORTH DAKOTA, OHIO, AND WISCONSIN) DURING FISCAL YEAR 2025.- MSEP STUDENTS SAVED OVER $29 MILLION IN FY25, BRINGING THE TOTAL PROGRAM SAVINGS TO $920 MILLION SINCE 1994.- ON AVERAGE, STUDENTS IN MSEP TYPICALLY REALIZE SAVINGS BETWEEN $1,100 AND $7,200 ANNUALLY.MIDWESTERN STATE AUTHORIZATION RECIPROCITY AGREEMENT:THE NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR STATE AUTHORIZATION RECIPROCITY AGREEMENTS (NC-SARA) IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE FOUR REGIONAL COMPACTS COORDINATES, THE STATE AUTHORIZATION RECIPROCITY AGREEMENTS (SARA) PROGRAM WHICH PROVIDES A VOLUNTARY, STREAMLINED PROCESS FOR STATES TO OVERSEE POST-SECONDARY DISTANCE EDUCATION, ENSURING UNIFORM STANDARDS ACROSS PARTICIPATING STATES. INSTITUTIONS PAY A PARTICIPATION FEE, WHICH SIMPLIFIES THEIR ABILITY TO OFFER ONLINE PROGRAMS WITHOUT REGISTERING IN EVERY STATE WHERE THEIR STUDENTS RESIDE. SARA ENHANCES QUALITY ASSURANCE, CONSUMER PROTECTIONS, AND THE VALUE OF CREDITS FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION. CURRENTLY, 49 STATES, THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, PUERTO RICO, AND THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS ARE MEMBERS OF SARA. WITHIN SARA, 2,412 INSTITUTIONS PARTICIPATE, OF WHICH 652 (320 PRIVATE NON-PROFIT, 295 PUBLIC, 32 PRIVATE FOR-PROFIT, AND 5 TRIBAL) INSTITUTIONS ARE IN MHEC STATES. M-SARA (MIDWESTERN-STATE AUTHORIZATION RECIPROCITY AGREEMENT) STAFFED BY MHEC, LEADS THE WORK IN THE MIDWEST. M-SARA HOSTS ITS OWN SET OF ANNUAL MEETINGS FOR THE M-SARA REGIONAL STEERING COMMITTEE (RSC) MEMBERS AND MSARA STATE PORTAL ENTITIES (SPES), THE INDIVIDUALS IN EACH STATE WHO REVIEW AND APPROVE INSTITUTIONS FOR SARA PARTICIPATION AND MONITOR INSTITUTIONAL COMPLIANCE. M-SARA SAVED INSTITUTIONS AN ESTIMATED $112,293,885 IN FISCAL YEAR 2025.
  4. $1.1 million spent. CONVENING:MHEC EMPOWERS THE MEMBER STATES TO CONNECT FOR THE PURPOSE OF EXCHANGING EXPERTISE, SHARING IDEAS AND EXPERIENCES, AND COLLABORATIVELY PURSUING EFFORTS THAT HELP FURTHER HIGHER EDUCATION. THIS CONVENING AND COLLABORATING LEADS TO MANY PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES THAT PRODUCE A VARIETY OF OUTCOMES AND RESULTS RANGING FROM THE DISSEMINATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE ABOUT PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS, TO LEVERAGING THE COLLECTIVE PURCHASING POWER OF THE REGION TO ACHIEVE EFFICIENCIES AND SAVINGS.

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

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since June 1992.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. 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.

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