St. Thomas University
Legal name: St Thomas University Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 590949880
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2012
- Location
- Miami Gardens, FL, United States
- Phone
- (800) 367-9010
- Rating
- 82
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Affiliation
- Christianity
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $99,078,634
- Expenses
- $95,386,582
- Assets
- $221,775,851
- Liabilities
- $108,786,331
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
40 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- DAVID A ARMSTRONG JD (PRESIDENT)
- DIEGO BRITTO (SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADMINISTRATION AND CFO)
- DR MATTHEW WHELAN (CONSULTANT TO THE PRESIDENT/NORTHEASTERN ALUMNI & ADMISSIONS COORDINATOR)
- JAMEKA A WINDHAM (SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR STUDENT SUCCESS)
Highest reported compensation
- DAVID A ARMSTRONG JD (PRESIDENT): $691,716 total reported compensation
- TARLIKA NUNEZ-NAVARRO (DEAN COLLEGE OF LAW): $359,059 total reported compensation
- ROZA PATI (PROFESSOR OF LAW): $290,259 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
St. Thomas is a Catholic university with rich cultural and international diversity committed to the academic and professional success of its students who become ethical leaders in our global community. Thomas University Mission Statement What does it mean that St. Thomas University is a Catholic university? The word “**catholic** ” comes from two Greek words: _**kata**_ (with respect to) and _**holos**_ (whole), so we are catholic when we show respect for the whole, for everything and everyone. Catholic is often defined as “universal”, a genuine concern for all of God’s people and creation. Our university is a forming community of co-learners that teaches and worships in the Catholic tradition, and that makes actions on behalf of justice, mercy, forgiveness, peace, and love constitutive of our identity (St. Thomas University Catholic Identity Statement, 1990).
What it reported doing in 2024
Human rights institute - the institute is funded by the u.s. Department of health and human services providing immigration legal services to qualified customers free of charge. St. Thomas university is reimbursed by the state of Florida department of children and families (pass through agency) via youth co-op. St. Thomas university is reimbursed based on a negotiated fee for services up to the amount of expenses incurred. In addition to reporting the number of clients served, st. Thomas university reports operational expenses of the human rights institute on a quarterly basis. Approximately 1,859 clients were served in fiscal year 2025.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 93% of the money available for current operations came from other operating 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.
- 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 69
- Transparency & Controls: 90
- Accountability: 98
- Sustainability: 51
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 75.4%; rating input score 75
- Program expense ratio: 78%; rating input score 78
- Fundraising efficiency: $3.57 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Compensation committee: Pass
- 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: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 96.2%; rating input score 96; 50th 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: 3.7%; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.33; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.49; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 4.2%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 3.9% per year; rating input score 100; 29th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 3.7% per year; rating input score 100; 29th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 8.2% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 1 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 75.4% of revenue deployed · 78% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 25 of 26 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $74.4M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $692K · 40 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $18.5M reported
- Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
- Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 14 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 13/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 51/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 24/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 37/100.