Albright College

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
231352615
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024, Form 990-N 2007
Location
Reading, PA, USA
Phone
610-921-7515
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Undergraduate College (4-year)

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$85,676,459
Expenses
$79,094,017
Assets
$204,201,624
Liabilities
$128,362,147

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

32 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Debra Townsley (President)
  • Jacquelyn S Fetrow PHD (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Jacquelyn S Fetrow PHD (President): $453,651 total reported compensation
  • Thomas A Chaves (VP of Advancement): $219,981 total reported compensation
  • Brenda Ingram-Wallace (VP of Student and Campus Life): $192,909 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Albright College provides a powerful liberal arts foundation with workforce-ready preparation.

What it reported doing in 2024

Named a top national college by u.s. News & world report, albright college, reading, pa., (founded 1856) is home to engaging faculty who believe that the best academic moments are when students feel inspired and ready to take action. The college's distinctive co-major program enables students to cross or combine different areas of study, without taking longer to graduate. Study alongside undergraduate students, adult learners and graduate students, and ignite your spark at albright college. Albright faculty believe that the best academic moments are when students feel inspired and ready to take action. The albright experience is designed to spark each student's vision for a meaningful future so that they graduate ready to make an impact on our rapidly changing world. Students are encouraged to forge their own path through student-driven learning experiences and focus their flame by connecting your passions in faculty-led experiences. More than half of albright students take advantage of the college's distinctive co-major program, which enables students to cross or combine different programs, without taking longer to graduate. In addition to faculty mentors and albright's career center professionals, each student is assigned a personal four-year success coach to help them navigate college and stay on track. At albright, students learn to ask questions, think creatively, develop innovative ideas and solve problems. They are prepared to become agents for change/sparks in the world. Albright is a supportive, 24/7 residential community with more than 70 student groups, honor societies, clubs, greek life and a variety of affinity houses - all offering opportunities for leadership and service. More than a third of undergraduates participate on albright's division iii athletic teams for which the quality of the educational experience and successful degree completion are priorities. Albright also offers online bachelor's and master's degree programs, certificates and professional development for educators. Designed to ignite the spark of future teachers through personalized learning, albright college's new school of educational innovation offers a range of deeply experiential education degrees, all of which incorporate the groundbreaking total experience learning methodology, available only at albright. Albright has been recognized as one of the top colleges in the country for its success in enrolling and seeing economically-disadvantaged students through to graduation. After graduation, median income levels of albright alumni outpace the earnings of graduates from most other private and public colleges. 53% personalize degrees | 83% live on campus | 41% out-of-state students | 97% receive financial aid | 48% non-white | 33% student-athletes | 12:1 student-faculty ratio | 150+ personalized combination of majors. Recent accolades include: top national liberal arts college u.s. News & world report top 31 in nation on social mobility u.s. News & world report best colleges for career development colleges of distinction best mid-atlantic colleges princeton review best liberal arts colleges Washington monthly best bang for the buck Washington monthly grads earn high roi georgetown study 90% med school acceptance rate 90% law school acceptance rate

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 72% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 71% for direct work, and 29% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

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: 88
  • Transparency & Controls: 72
  • Accountability: 97
  • Sustainability: 60
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 86.3%; rating input score 86
  • Fundraising efficiency: $7.35 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 95%; rating input score 95; 34th 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: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: No; rating input score 0

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 95.5%; rating input score 95; 48th 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: 7.7%; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.58; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.63; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.7%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -2.3% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -1.5% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.6% per year; rating input score 100; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 2 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 86.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 21 of 22 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $68.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $454K · 32 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $8.7M reported
  • Consistency: 39 of 40 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 12 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 11 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 33/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Related-party transparency scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 26/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 43/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule R controlled transactions itemized did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Federal audit findings: this organization reported findings in its latest federal Single Audit.