Saint Xavier University

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
362177133
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Chicago, IL, USA
Phone
844-468-6798
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
University or Technological Institute

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$136,723,892
Expenses
$127,821,441
Assets
$178,517,710
Liabilities
$29,536,127

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

Leadership & pay

24 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KEITH ELDER (PRESIDENT)
  • REBECCA SHERRICK END 22924 (INTERIM PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • KEITH ELDER (PRESIDENT): $362,583 total reported compensation
  • ROBERT WALLETT END 13125 (INTERIM CFO): $284,600 total reported compensation
  • JOHN GUTOWSKI END 72024 (PROFESSOR): $260,750 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Saint Xavier University, a Catholic university inspired by the heritage of the Sisters of Mercy, educates students to think critically, to pursue truth, to serve wisely, and to integrate faith and reason in all aspects of life.

What it reported doing in 2024

Founded in chicago by the sisters of mercy in 1846, saint xavier university is a distinguished, four-year, private catholic institution that provides a transformative educational experience to more than 3,400 undergraduate and graduate students who are prepared to become compassionate leaders. Chicago's first catholic university and the first mercy institution of higher learning in the world, saint xavier is student-centered and mission driven, connecting students to active and engaged learning and service opportunities and providing a well-rounded curriculum accredited by the higher learning commission/north central association of colleges and schools. Saint xavier offers a variety of undergraduate and graduate degree programs as well as degree completion programs within its college of liberal arts and education, school of nursing and health sciences, and graham school of management. Saint xavier is a 10-time college of distinction, recognized in the areas of nursing, business, education, career development, equity and inclusion, and military support. Sxu was also named a military friendly school by military friendly in 2025. Saint xavier's school of nursing and health sciences currently holds the no. 2 ranking for "best online graduate nursing program" (u.s. News & world report, 2025) in the nation, and its graham school of management, which is aacsb-accredited, offers a top-ranked undergraduate business program for students (u.s. News & world report, 2025).saint xavier is a top 10 "best value school" among regional universities in the midwest and among the "best colleges for veterans" (u.s. News & world report, 2025) and is also recognized by u.s. News & world report for its ethnic diversity and commitment to upwards social mobility. In 2024, saint xavier marked three years of enrolling the largest freshman classes in the history of the institution. Sxu also ranks fifth in the greater midwest among not-for-profit institutions for economic diversity, with a high percentage of undergraduate students receiving federal pell grants. According to college navigator, saint xavier is the most affordable catholic university in Illinois. The institution is committed to opening doors to bright futures.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 92% 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 44% for direct work, and 56% for grants.
  • 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. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 75
  • Transparency & Controls: 67
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 59
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 77.8%; rating input score 78
  • Program expense ratio: 84.6%; rating input score 85
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.68 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 30; 30th 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: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • 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: 90.9%; rating input score 91; 39th 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: 6.5%; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.4; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.17; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2%; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.3% per year; rating input score 100; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.1% per year; rating input score 100; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.3% per year; rating input score 100; 11th 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: 77.8% of revenue deployed · 84.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 11 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $108.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $363K · 24 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $6.1M reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 11 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 12 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 30/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 51/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 55/100.