Southeastern University

Legal name: Southeastern University Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
590722789
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Lakeland, FL, United States
Phone
Customer Service: 800.500.8760; Office of Admission: 863.667.5018; Office of the
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Undergraduate College (4-year)
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$158,849,774
Expenses
$138,369,291
Assets
$159,136,191
Liabilities
$88,726,554

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

Leadership & pay

34 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DR KENT INGLE (PRESIDENT)
  • DR J CHRISTOPHER OWEN (EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT (FORMER))

Highest reported compensation

  • DR KENT INGLE (PRESIDENT): $682,341 total reported compensation
  • DR J CHRISTOPHER OWEN (EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT (FORMER)): $380,668 total reported compensation
  • DR MEGHAN L GRIFFIN (PROVOST/CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER): $337,671 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Southeastern University is a Christ-centered institution of higher learning. We are committed to equipping the next generation of leaders so that they can go into the world as influential servant leaders in their careers and their communities. Mission Statement Equipping students to discover and develop their divine design to serve Christ and the world through Spirit-empowered life, learning and leadership. Equipping students to discover and develop their divine design to serve Christ and the world through Spirit-empowered life, learning and leadership. Vision Statement.

What it reported doing in 2024

Southeastern university is an institution of higher education accredited to award associate, baccalaureate, masters and doctorate degrees by the southern association of colleges and schools commission on colleges. For the year ended may 31, 2025 the university awarded 820 undergraduate degrees and 337 graduate degrees. Total student headcount for fall of 2025 was 13,636. Its picturesque campus located in central Florida is home to 2,221 students, but its outreach is global, with students in every us state, Washington d.c, and 4 u.s. Territories. Internationally, the university is represented in 55 countries with 315 total students. Founded by and associated with the assemblies of god christian denomination, the university serves a culturally diverse student body comprised of 39.4% ethnic minorities and various religious backgrounds.

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 64% for direct work, and 36% 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. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 76
  • Transparency & Controls: 69
  • Accountability: 75
  • Sustainability: 59
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 77.1%; rating input score 77
  • Program expense ratio: 87.8%; rating input score 88
  • Fundraising efficiency: $7.65 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 89.5%; rating input score 89; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 56.5%; rating input score 57; 15th 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: 12.9%; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.15; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.56; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.4%; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5.8% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.9% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.6% per year; rating input score 100; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 3 programs and campaigns described on the official site
  • Where the money goes: 77.1% of revenue deployed · 87.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 13 of 23 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $121.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $682K · 34 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $7.6M reported
  • Consistency: 40 of 42 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
  • Schedules: 14 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: 19 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 4 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 57/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 34/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 44/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 31/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 48/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule R controlled transactions itemized did not reconcile in the filed values.