University of Northwestern – St. Paul

Legal name: University of Northwestern - St Paul

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
410711610
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
St. Paul, MN, USA
Phone
651-631-5111
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Undergraduate College (4-year)
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$126,982,704
Expenses
$117,639,770
Assets
$173,045,947
Liabilities
$24,074,907

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

Leadership & pay

32 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DR CORBIN HOORNBEEK (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • DR CORBIN HOORNBEEK (PRESIDENT): $374,443 total reported compensation
  • JASON SHARP (SR. VP FOR MEDIA): $234,518 total reported compensation
  • DR JANET SOMMERS (PROVOST/SR. VP FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS): $197,973 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

All Northwestern scholarships require evidence that students represent and demonstrate the high ideals of the mission, vision, and values of Northwestern.

What it reported doing in 2024

See schedule o.academic instruction and support: the higher education focus offers a vast array of opportunities within a strong academic program. Northwestern offers more than 60 areas of study ranging from elementary education and pastoral studies to broadcasting/electronic media and psychology. The core component is the traditional undergraduate program, which enrolls over 1,400 students. The college of adult & graduate studies, which serves an additional 210 students, includes the adult undergraduate program and graduate studies. Dual enrollment, including pseo/early college and online learning together serve approximately 1,930, bringing total enrollment to over 3,540 students across all venues. Northwestern's 107-acre lakeside campus is located in suburban saint paul, Minnesota. Northwestern is a community in which all learning is framed within the context of a biblical worldview. Students who enroll as freshman are required to complete 22 credits of bible courses as part of their core curriculum, thereby making them eligible for a second major in bible from the department of biblical and theological studies. Daily chapel is an integral part of the traditional program where students hear world-renowned speakers and participate in praise and worship. Northwestern's 36,000-plus alumni positively impact society through careers in law, education, medicine, government, computer technology and fortune 500 businesses, as well as in missions, churches and parachurch ministries.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 63% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 76% for direct work, and 24% 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 some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 79
  • Transparency & Controls: 77
  • Accountability: 93
  • Sustainability: 63
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 81.5%; rating input score 82
  • Program expense ratio: 87%; rating input score 87
  • Fundraising efficiency: $9.66 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 95%; rating input score 95; 34th 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: Pass
    • 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: 99.6%; rating input score 100; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 95.8%; rating input score 96; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 7.4%; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.47; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.14; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.6%; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5.5% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.2% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4% per year; rating input score 100; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 1 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 2 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 81.5% of revenue deployed · 87% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 23 of 24 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $102.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $374K · 32 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $6.6M reported
  • Consistency: 48 of 48 current checks pass
  • 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: 18 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 13 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

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 41/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 53/100.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Federal audit findings: this organization reported findings in its latest federal Single Audit.