Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Legal name: Embry-riddle Aeronautical University Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
590936101
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Aug 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024, Form 990-N 2016
Location
Daytona Beach, FL, USA
Phone
800-862-2416
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
University or Technological Institute

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$864,220,449
Expenses
$716,120,838
Assets
$1,713,455,467
Liabilities
$377,517,249

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

Leadership & pay

41 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • PATRICK BARRY BUTLER (PRESIDENT)
  • BRANDON YOUNG (VICE PRESIDENT & CHRO)
  • CHARLES SEVASTOS (VICE PRESIDENT & GENERAL COUNSEL)
  • REBECCA VASQUEZ (VICE PRESIDENT & CIO)

Highest reported compensation

  • PATRICK BARRY BUTLER (PRESIDENT): $1,048,438 total reported compensation
  • RANDALL B HOWARD (SVP & CFO): $713,980 total reported compensation
  • JOHN WATRET (CHANCELLOR, WORLDWIDE CAMPUS): $586,000 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To teach the science, practice, and art of aviation and aerospace, preparing students for productive careers and leadership roles in service around the world.

What it reported doing in 2024

Embry-riddle aeronautical university is an accredited institution of higher education founded in 1926, specializing in aviation, aerospace, and related stem fields. The university offers degree programs in disciplines including applied science, aviation, business, computing and technology, engineering, safety, security and intelligence, and space. The university is accredited by the southern association of colleges and schools commission on colleges (sacscoc) to award degrees at the associate, baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral levels.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 89% 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: 74
  • Transparency & Controls: 80
  • Accountability: 97
  • Sustainability: 76
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 74%; rating input score 74
  • Program expense ratio: 86.7%; rating input score 87
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.82 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Pass
    • Requires grant agreements: Pass
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 95%; rating input score 95; 47th 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: 17.1%; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.39; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.22; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.3%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.4% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.3% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 2 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 74% of revenue deployed · 86.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 19 of 20 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $621.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $1M · 41 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $94.1M reported
  • Consistency: 43 of 44 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 14 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: 27 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 10 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.

  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 5 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 38/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.