University of Mobile

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
630417508
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Jun 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024, Form 990-N 2007
Location
Mobile, AL, USA
Phone
2514422213
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
University or Technological Institute
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$50,712,957
Expenses
$50,023,320
Assets
$74,426,182
Liabilities
$32,804,808

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

Leadership & pay

28 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • CHARLES SMITH (PRESIDENT)
  • LONNIE BURNETT (PRESIDENT (RETIRED MAY 2024))

Highest reported compensation

  • CHARLES SMITH (PRESIDENT): $283,827 total reported compensation
  • TODD HICKS (DIRECTOR, NURSE PRACTITION): $203,570 total reported compensation
  • LONNIE BURNETT (PRESIDENT (RETIRED MAY 2024)): $188,019 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To provide educational programs of the highest quality emphasizing andmaintaining a tradition of excellence in undergraduate studies as wellas in professional, graduate, doctoral, continuing education, andspecialized degree granting programs. All educational programs are quality with its primary emphasis to establish and maintain a tradition of excellence in undergraduate, professional, graduate, doctoral, continuing education, and specialized degree-granting programs.

What it reported doing in 2024

The university's motto, "know and be known," describes an environment in which students are know by their professors, and and professors know their calling goes beyond teaching subject matter in a particular discipline. The university of mobile, a christian university in Alabama is frequently rated by niche.com, collegecensus, and u.s. News and world report. With a 14:1 student/faculty ratio in 2024-25, more than 100 full and part-time christian faculty instructed and nurtured more than 2,000 students in 75 different areas of study in onlineand on-campus classes, and the university awarded 20 associate degree, 239 bachelor's degrees, 78 master's degrees and 17 doctoral degrees in 2024-25. The university of mobile integrates learning, faith and leadership through strong academic programs, nationally competitive athletics, vibrant campus life, opportunities for travel and service, small classes and personal attention from faculty and staff. With more than 600 residential students in 2024-25, over 30 % of the student body lives in on-campus residential housing.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 83% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 58% for direct work, and 42% 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 83
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 44
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 88.2%; rating input score 88
  • Program expense ratio: 86.5%; rating input score 87
  • Fundraising efficiency: $13.56 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 49; 49th 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: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • 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: 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: 1.4%; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.49; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.44; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.8%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.5% per year; rating input score 100; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.5% per year; rating input score 100; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: Mission, programs, and operating context captured from the official website.
  • Where the money goes: 88.2% of revenue deployed · 86.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 19 of 19 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $43.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $284K · 28 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $5.2M reported
  • Consistency: 39 of 39 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 11 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 9 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 2 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.

Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 49/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 39/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 53/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 41/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 41/100.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Federal audit findings: this organization reported findings in its latest federal Single Audit.