Grinnell College

What it reported doing in 2024

Instructional programs at the private 4-year residential college include the liberal arts and sciences. Grinnell offers a bachelor of arts in 28 major fields with 17 concentrations and a 1:9 faculty to student ratio. Grinnell college has approximately 1,625 students generally from all states and about 60 other countries. At the center of a grinnell education is the college's individually advised curriculum. It combines intense faculty mentoring with an uncommon level of student responsibility for choosing their own unique set of courses.mentoring begins in the first-year tutorial, the only required course at grinnell college. Faculty members from all academic departments teach the tutorial and their topics vary widely, but every tutorial emphasizes writing, critical thinking and analysis, discussion skills, and information literacy.each tutor also serves as adviser to the tutorial students until they declare a major field of study, offering guidance from an instructor with personal knowledge of their academic interests, aptitudes, and needs.the tutorial is usually limited to 14 students, making it smaller than the average class, though similar in intensity to the rest of the curriculum. In fact, grinnell classes generally are small, with an average enrollment of 16 and fewer than 5 percent of classes above 30 students.many academic programs offer a mentored advanced project (map), either as independent study or in the context of a seminar. The map, closely guided by a faculty director, gives upper-level students opportunity to culminate a sequence of academic work by completing an advanced project in research or creative arts.at all levels of the curriculum, grinnell college students receive an education rooted in active experience. For example, students in science classes engage in discovery-based learning, even at the introductory level. Each area of the fine arts offers opportunities for creative practice alongside the study of history, theory, and formal analysis.outside the classroom, the center for careers, life, and service has coordinated more than 500 college-funded summer internships for students over the past five years. About a third of students participate in intercollegiate athletics through membership on varsity teams.student-regulated residence life, another important feature of a grinnell education, teaches students the pragmatic social skills of self-governance as they live together in community.the college offers a calendar packed with cultural events and activities, including concerts, lectures, theatre, films, and opportunities for volunteer and civic involvement. Grinnell has never had fraternities or sororities; social events are open to all members of the college.grinnell's emphasis on active learning extends to participation in the global community. With international students making up nearly 20 percent of the student body and domestic students representing every state, grinnell offers a geographically and culturally diverse environment for living and learning. A flourishing institute for global engagement coordinates and highlights the many courses and programs at grinnell college with a global perspective. Even without a language requirement, nearly all students elect to study a foreign language. More than half of grinnell students (a number matched by very few other colleges) spend a semester in off-campus study. Nearly all of these students decide to live and study outside of the united states.intensive teaching, active learning, residence in a community of cultural and global diversity, and self-governance in both social and academic life--these elements come together at grinnell college to form a distinctive experience of liberal education.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 90.2%; rating input score 90
• Fundraising efficiency: $2.68 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 9; 9th 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: Pass
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
  • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
  • Requires narrative reports: Limited
  • Conducts field audits: Limited
  • May suspend future funding: Limited
  • Requires financial reports: Limited
  • Conducts site visits: Limited
  • Requires grant agreements: Limited
  • May require repayment: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th 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: 28.3%; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 13.1; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 2.8%; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 4.3% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 6.7% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 5% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings