IES Abroad
Legal name: Institute for the International Education of Students
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 362251912
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Chicago, IL, USA
- Phone
- +1 800.995.2300
- Rating
- 79
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- Higher Education Institutions
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $178,488,153
- Expenses
- $172,148,225
- Assets
- $158,244,321
- Liabilities
- $46,782,908
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
33 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Greg Hess PhD (Director/President)
- Merel Frank (Senior Controller, Associate Vice President)
Highest reported compensation
- Greg Hess PhD (Director/President): $2,255,688 total reported compensation
- Michael Adewumi (EVP Academic Affairs & Provost): $843,346 total reported compensation
- William Hoye (EVP/CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER (RETIRED 12/09/2024)): $813,247 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
IES Abroad is a non-profit study abroad provider that offers transformative international education experiences for students. Our mission is to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and perspectives they need to become global citizens and leaders.
What it reported doing in 2024
The Institute for the International Education of Students ("IES") was founded in 1950 and is a global organization with academic programs around the world. IES is a consortium comprised of selective U.S. colleges and universities and enrolls students annually in programs across Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, South America, and North America. IES offers a broad-based curriculum that encompasses business and international studies; communications and media; fine and performing arts; humanities; science, engineering, and health; and social and behavioral sciences. IES strives to provide students the opportunity to promote their academic and social growth while fostering specific skills that lead to the development of intercultural understanding. (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O)
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 98% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 94% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
- 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 69
- Transparency & Controls: 82
- Accountability: 98
- Sustainability: 44
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 76.7%; rating input score 77
- Program expense ratio: 78.4%; rating input score 78
- Fundraising efficiency: $1.17 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th 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: Limited
- Conducts field audits: Limited
- May suspend future funding: Limited
- Requires financial reports: Limited
- Conducts site visits: Limited
- Requires grant agreements: Limited
- May require repayment: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th 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; 50th 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: 3.6%; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.92; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.3; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 4%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 6.3% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 4.7% per year; rating input score 100; 39th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 6.3% per year; rating input score 100; 46th 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: 76.7% of revenue deployed · 78.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 24 of 25 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $134.9M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $2.3M · 33 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $5.5M reported
- Consistency: 39 of 39 current checks pass
- Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 24 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.
- 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 3/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 50/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 36/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 26/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 56/100.