Rochester Institute of Technology

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
160743140
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024, Form 990-N 2020
Location
Rochester, NY, United States
Phone
585-475-2411
Rating
86
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
University or Technological Institute

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,173,696,705
Expenses
$1,125,942,387
Assets
$2,967,494,524
Liabilities
$688,591,007

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

Leadership & pay

67 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DAVID C MUNSON (PRESIDENT)
  • GERARD BUCKLEY (PRESIDENT NTID & VP AND DEAN RIT)

Highest reported compensation

  • DAVID C MUNSON (PRESIDENT): $1,421,925 total reported compensation
  • JAMES H WATTERS (SVP FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION): $743,019 total reported compensation
  • NABIL Z NASR (ASSOC PROVOST DIR GOLISANO INST OF SUSTAINABILITY): $712,712 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

We shape the future and improve the world through creativity and innovation; we leverage the power of technology, the arts, and design for the greater good. This website uses cookies to provide better user experience and functionality. You can control and configure cookies in your web browser. Cookie Statement | How to Disable Cookies OK. US Military / Veterans Online Education Admission Financial Aid and Scholarships. RIT Mission We leverage the power of technology, the arts, and design for the greater good. At Rochester Institute of Technology, we shape the future and improve the world through creativity and innovation. We are an engaged, intellectually curious, and socially conscious community that’s leveraging the power of technology, the arts, and design for the greater good.

What it reported doing in 2024

Instruction and Academic Support - Established in 1829, RIT is one of the world's premier universities with an innovative and creative student body from all fifty states and over 100 nations. RIT total enrollment in Fall 2024 was approximately 21,316, which included approximately 18,140 undergraduate and 3,176 graduate students. Approximately 17,166 students are enrolled at RIT's main campus and the remainder at international locations. RIT is comprised of nine colleges and two degree-granting academic units offering 206 graduate and undergraduate programs. NTID (National Technical Institute for the Deaf), one of RIT's colleges, is the world's first and largest technical institute college for deaf students with approximately 1,176 students from the United States and abroad. Over the preceding 10 years, enrollment has increased from 18,100 students in the Fall of 2014 to 21,316 students in the Fall of 2024, an increase of 17.8%.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 77% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 60% for direct work, and 40% 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: 88
  • Transparency & Controls: 78
  • Accountability: 94
  • Sustainability: 63
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 92.5%; rating input score 93
  • Program expense ratio: 92.5%; rating input score 93
  • Fundraising efficiency: $15.56 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.4%; rating input score 94; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 6 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: 99.1%; rating input score 99; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Scored; rating input score 0

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 90.5%; rating input score 90; 38th 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: 4.1%; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.64; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.23; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0.9%; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5.3% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.8% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5.3% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 1 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 5 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 92.5% of revenue deployed · 92.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 38 of 42 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $1B in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $1.4M · 67 people listed · 6 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $67.6M reported
  • Consistency: 42 of 43 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: 43 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 27 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 — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 52/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Related-party transparency scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 53/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.