Benedictine College

What it reported doing in 2024

Benedictine college is a catholic, benedictine, liberal arts, residential college with a mission to educate men and women within a community of faith and scholarship. We have a vision to build one of the great catholic colleges in america, and attaining that vision requires a community-wide commitment to excellence. We dedicate ourselves to educating students to become leaders in the benedictine tradition, who will transform the world through their commitment to intellectual, personal and spiritual greatness. Benedictine college is located in atchison, Kansas, on a 120-acre campus overlooking the Missouri river, about 50 miles north of Kansas city, Missouri. The college also maintains a campus in florence, italy. Benedictine college has enjoyed enrollment growth for the past two decades and in the fall of 2025 had a full-time undergraduate student body of 2,247 students, more than doubling benedictine college's enrollment from 20 years ago. For several years now, average gpa has been the highest of any freshman class at any college or university in Kansas. It is obvious that benedictine college is attracting both more students as well as the best and the brightest. Over 80% of undergraduate students live on campus in accordance with the college's strong residential tradition. To keep up with its growth, benedictine college has opened 14 new residence halls since the year 2000. The college's murphy recreation center, a health and fitness facility with exercise machines, an elevated track, rooms for fitness and spinning classes, two basketball courts, and an indoor turfed field, is a top-rated facility that has added to the student experience on campus. The renovation and expansion of westerman hall of science and engineering added 40,000 square feet of laboratory and teaching space to the existing 60,000 square-foot building. The westerman upgrade has provided one of the best s.t.e.m. Facilities of any small college in america. The college also recently announced plans for a catholic school of osteopathic medicine on the college's atchison campus. The proposed school of osteopathic medicine at benedictine college will bring additional faculty, staff and high-level medical students to the city of atchison. The new college library, based on independence hall in philadelphia, is scheduled to open on july 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the birth of the united states. The 58,000 square foot facility will include more space for the college's collection, a rare books room, coffee shop, and three times the study space of the previous library. In addition, it will include a replica of the liberty bell and replica of the assembly room where the declaration of independence and u.s. Constitution were signed. Our athletes have excelled on the field as well as off, with both students and teams receiving heart of america athletic conference scholar athlete recognition and benedictine college being named a champions of character five star institution by the national association of intercollegiate athletics. The women's lacrosse team won the national championship and women's cross country team won the heart of america athletic conference championship and competed in the national race. For the second year in a row, the football team won the heart south conference championship and made it to the semifinal round of the naia football championship series. In the area of academic excellence, benedictine is now one of the few catholic colleges in the nation offering abet-accredited programs in chemical, civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering. Of more than 250 catholic colleges in america, benedictine is one of only four to offer an architecture program. On top of that, benedictine college is the only institution in the naia to offer both architecture and engineering. Several other new majors have been added in recent years, including art, graphic design, criminology, engineering physics, finance, international business, international studies

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 72.4%; rating input score 72
• Program expense ratio: 85%; rating input score 85
• Fundraising efficiency: $7.83 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 6 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Pass
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Pass
  • 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: 99.9%; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 44th 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: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 19.5%; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.09; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.27; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 2.2%; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 5.8% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 7.1% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 6.1% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings