Simmons University

Overview

Mission

Simmons university is a community of higher learning that unites passion with purpose.

What it reported doing in 2024

Instruction - graduate programs: simmons currently serves 3,652 students in graduate programs at the master and doctoral levels. The university's graduate programs are co-educational. These programs are housed in the gwen ifill college of media, humanities, and social sciences; school of library and information science; school of nursing; school of social work; school of sciences and health professions; and the school of management. The university offers online programs in nursing, social work, behavioral analysis, and public health reaching all fifty states, the district of columbia and canada. During the 2025 academic year, the university conferred 1,306 graduate degrees and certificates. Instruction includes expenditures for the graduate programs as well as financial aid.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 84% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 67% for direct work, and 33% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
042103629
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024, Form 990-N 2008
Headquarters
Boston, MA, USA
Phone
6175213593
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
University or Technological Institute

Official website

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 83
  • Transparency & Controls: 78
  • Accountability: 93
  • Sustainability: 51
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 92.2%; rating input score 92
  • Program expense ratio: 83.9%; rating input score 84
  • Fundraising efficiency: $7.07 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 90.5%; rating input score 90; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 96%; rating input score 96; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 2%; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.52; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.54; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.7%; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.6% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.4% per year; rating input score 100; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.8% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 92.2% of revenue deployed · 83.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 24 of 25 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $185.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $657K · 37 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $36.9M reported
  • Consistency: 46 of 48 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
  • Schedules: 13 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 annual filings from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 19 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 6 filed related-organization links
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Leadership & pay

37 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • LYNN PERRY WOOTEN (PRESIDENT): $657,025 total reported compensation
  • STEPHANIE COSNER (PROVOST): $384,794 total reported compensation
  • MEGHAN KASS (VP, CHIEF FIN. OFF., TREASURER): $358,339 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2024.