Lynn University

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
591023117
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Boca Raton, FL, USA
Phone
1-800-994-LYNN
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
University or Technological Institute

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$159,726,138
Expenses
$159,756,841
Assets
$217,796,942
Liabilities
$80,147,315

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

Leadership & pay

22 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KEVIN M ROSS (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • KEVIN M ROSS (PRESIDENT): $1,178,072 total reported compensation
  • CHRISTIAN G BONIFORTI (CHIEF STRATEGY & TECH OFFICER): $594,621 total reported compensation
  • GARETH P FOWLES (VP FOR ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT): $497,957 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Lynn University provides a personalized education through small class sizes and accelerated degrees, preparing students for lifelong success.

What it reported doing in 2024

The university offers bachelor's and master's degrees and a doctoral degree. The academic program is designed for traditional-aged students, as well as a growing population of adult learners. Lynn university has more than 3,500 students from approximately 100 countries and nearly all 50 states. The university offers 50 undergraduate majors, 15 graduate majors and 40 graduate specializations. Lynn university is proud of its tradition of educating students who assume positions of responsibility and become leaders in their chosen professions. The university is committed to student-centered learning, where faculty and staff provide personalized attention to students who have varying levels of academic proficiency and are motivated to excel. (continued on sch o)a full range of academic and support programs are coordinated to serve the increasingly diverse needs of undergraduate and graduate students. Additional and specialized academic support services are offered to provide academic assistance to help students remain in college and graduate. These services are offered to students in a variety of forms with a varying fee schedule. An academic resource named the institute for achievement and learning is available to all students, including those with diagnosed learning differences. Math, computer and other subject-area tutors assist students. The university, small by design, provides an environment within and outside the classroom in which a community of learners can pursue academic excellence and develop their skills as responsible global citizens. Faculty, staff and students contribute to an atmosphere that nurtures creativity, fosters achievement, values diversity and encourages volunteerism. All first-year students give back to the local community each year through the citizenship project, a four-week program during which students participate in hands-on service activities with local community partners. Lynn's academic curricula and programs are structured to provide a balance between the theoretical and the practical, along with opportunities to become involved in community-based organizations and industries. Education and service are fully integrated to meet the changing needs of the local and global community. This integrative design prepares our graduates to meet the dynamic needs of the emerging global society. A rigorous core curriculum called the dialogues is required through all four years in the bachelor's degree program. In each core class, faculty members measure student outcomes in competency areas including writing, quantitative reasoning, and scientific and technological literacy. Presented in seminar format, the core courses are organized around life's big questions: self and society, belief and reason, justice and civic life, and quantitative reasoning and scientific literacy. Each january, all students are required to attend courses that offer intense four-week experiences including travel, civic engagement, career prep, language and culture, and other creative approaches to learning. Lynn university launched its ipad-powered learning program in 2013. Following a successful pilot with undergraduates, lynn extended the program to include all faculty and on-campus undergraduate students. Today, faculty create free, multi-touch books through the lynn university digital press. Students access course materials using canvas and textbooks created by the lynn university digital press, and they experience engaging mobile content delivered through lynn's discussion-driven dialogues core curriculum. Apple has named lynn an apple distinguished school since 2014. Moreover, it recognized several faculty members as apple distinguished educators and certified many others. Inside higher ed and the chronicle of higher education highlighted lynn's pioneering work, and u.s. News & world report has listed lynn among america's most innovative and international colleges.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 91% 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 63% for direct work, and 37% 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 76
  • Transparency & Controls: 91
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 38
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 85.1%; rating input score 85
  • Program expense ratio: 84.6%; rating input score 85
  • Fundraising efficiency: $2.24 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 7; 7th 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: 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: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 40th 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: -0%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.36; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.37; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.8%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5.4% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.2% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.9% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 3 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 85.1% of revenue deployed · 84.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 12 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $135.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $1.2M · 22 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $15.9M reported
  • Consistency: 41 of 41 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 11 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 11 filed money-flow records
  • 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 7/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 27/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 50/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 41/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 48/100.