National Student Clearinghouse
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 521836384
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Jun 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Herndon, VA, USA
- Phone
- 7037424200
- Rating
- 80
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Alliance/Advocacy Organizations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $105,701,011
- Expenses
- $100,621,579
- Assets
- $71,069,023
- Liabilities
- $51,049,548
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
32 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- RICARDO D TORRES (PRESIDENT AND CEO)
- DR DANIEL LEE AS OF 0225 (PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)
Highest reported compensation
- RICARDO D TORRES (PRESIDENT AND CEO): $1,280,202 total reported compensation
- DOUGLAS FALK THRU 1024 (VP & CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER): $650,891 total reported compensation
- CHRISTOPHER GOODSON (CHIEF GROWTH OFFICER): $614,771 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The National Student Clearinghouse is proud to collaborate with organizations that share our commitment to advancing education. These collaborations play a vital role in supporting our mission to deliver innovative solutions that enable us to better serve institutions, empower learners, and drive positive outcomes across the education-to-workforce continuum. BECOME A CLEARINGHOUSE PARTNER Partners. The mission of the National Student Clearinghouse is to serve the education and workforce communities and all learners with access to trusted data and related services and insights. By leading student data reporting and exchange, we affirm our commitment to empowering lifelong learners every day. Our Vision.
What it reported doing in 2024
Enrollment reporting services: the national student clearinghouse was established in 1993 to meet a specific need in the us education system. Since then, on behalf of participating post-secondary institutions enrolling 97% of the us student population, the national student clearinghouse has completed all required student loan enrollment verification activities. All related student verification records were reported to the us department of education, all state and non-profit guarantee agencies, and the student loan servicing organizations. This has resulted in a reduced administrative workload, more prompt and accurate reporting of deferments, improved service to students and financial aid providers, elimination of manual student loan-based verifications, greater enrollment reporting and record-keeping efficiency, and decreased loan delinquency and default rates.enrollment verification services: the national student clearinghouse is authorized by participating post-secondary institutions to maintain a comprehensive enrollment database. As their agent, it provides limited access to verify student records to providers of benefits to students and graduates dependent on enrollment status. This helps to preserve the integrity of the education system by eliminating fraud. The process automates all enrollment verifications for credit grantors, travel companies, computer hardware and software resellers. This improves efficiency and student service and reduces fraudulent student status claims. The service is free for institutions and is ferpa compliant.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 98% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% 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.
The verdict
STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 60
- Transparency & Controls: 96
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 38
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 66.1%; rating input score 66
- Program expense ratio: 68.9%; rating input score 69
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
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: Limited
- Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th 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: 4.8%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.71; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.72; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 8.3%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 7.2% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 9.4% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 7.8% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 66.1% of revenue deployed · 68.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $69.3M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $1.3M · 32 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $7.4M reported
- Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes grants, executive pay, and related organizations
- Filing history: 16 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.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 28/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 56/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 5/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 21/100.