Roberts Wesleyan University
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 160743126
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Rochester, NY, US
- Phone
- +1-585-594-6494
- Rating
- 83
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- University or Technological Institute
- Affiliation
- Christianity
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $62,623,063
- Expenses
- $65,565,986
- Assets
- $121,866,490
- Liabilities
- $29,816,921
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
40 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Rupert A Hayles Jr (President)
Highest reported compensation
- Rupert A Hayles Jr (President): $287,878 total reported compensation
- Jennifer A Aube (Professor): $158,931 total reported compensation
- Cheryl L Repass (Professor): $152,127 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Transform Society As a community of learners committed to historic Christianity, Roberts Wesleyan University seeks to prepare thoughtful, spiritually mature, service-oriented people who will help transform society. Key Facts. Roberts Wesleyan University manages all media interactions through a centralized process to support clear, accurate, and community-minded communication across every situation, from routine inquiries to sensitive events. To serve our constituents and community well, Roberts maintains guidelines for how media inquiries are handled, how campus access is granted, how likeness is used, and how communication is managed during urgent or sensitive moments. All media inquiries must be directed to the Marketing Department at [email protected].
What it reported doing in 2024
Roberts is an innovative and distinctive christian university offering excellence in 50 plus liberal arts and professional programs. The university prepares students for service to humanity in business, the arts and a variety of human service fields. During the 24-25 fiscal year, over 1,700 students were enrolled.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 85% of the money available for current operations came from other operating 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. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 91
- Transparency & Controls: 69
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 36
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 96.6%; rating input score 97
- Program expense ratio: 90.4%; rating input score 90
- Fundraising efficiency: $27.12 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
- Compensation committee: Missing
- 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: Scored; rating input score 0
- 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th 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: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -4.7%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.86; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.24; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 2.9%; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 1.4% per year; rating input score 100; 10th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 2.3% per year; rating input score 100; 17th 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: 96.6% of revenue deployed · 90.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 20 of 20 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $59.3M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $288K · 40 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $900K reported
- Consistency: 40 of 40 current checks pass
- Schedules: 12 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: 15 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
- 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 — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 13/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 40/100.