Abilene Christian University
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 750851900
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Abilene, TX, USA
- Phone
- 3256742000
- Rating
- 76
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Affiliation
- Christianity
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $325,477,224
- Expenses
- $295,109,939
- Assets
- $1,440,786,332
- Liabilities
- $399,980,974
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
57 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- PHILIP SCHUBERT (PRESIDENT)
- STEPHEN JOHNSON (CEO, DALLAS CAMPUS)
Highest reported compensation
- PHILIP SCHUBERT (PRESIDENT): $694,994 total reported compensation
- JOE LEE (CIO): $576,323 total reported compensation
- KEITH PATTERSON (HEAD FOOTBALL COACH): $458,581 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
In our vibrant, Christ-centered community, we aim to contribute to our students’ spiritual and intellectual growth in ways that encourage confidence and vocational formation. The mission of Abilene Christian University is to educate students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world.
What it reported doing in 2024
Abilene christian university is a higher education institution which serves approximately 6,300 graduate and undergraduate students. In addition to educating the students, the university offers on-campus and off-campus housing, on-campus food service, athletic programs and assistance with student aid. Acu also operates programs to foster relationships with alumni of the university.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 76% 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 56% for direct work, and 44% for grants.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - 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: 63
- Transparency & Controls: 73
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 71
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 64.9%; rating input score 65
- Program expense ratio: 69.8%; rating input score 70
- Fundraising efficiency: $6.59 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Pass
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
- 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: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 9.3%; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.88; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.28; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 2.3%; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 4.4% per year; rating input score 100; 34th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 6.2% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 8.4% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 8 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 2 operating locations identified
- Where the money goes: 64.9% of revenue deployed · 69.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 31 of 31 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $205.9M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $695K · 57 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $38.6M reported
- Consistency: 40 of 40 current checks pass
- Schedules: 14 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 32 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 9 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.
- Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 30/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 50/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 58/100.