University of the Sciences in Philadelphia

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
231352668
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2021
Forms available
Form 990 2021, Form 990-T 2021, Form 990-N 2016
Location
Philadelphia, PA, USA
Phone
2155968862
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Reported finances

Revenue
$103,021,766
Expenses
$123,293,913
Assets
$0
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2021. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

31 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • VALERIE WEIL (PRESIDENT)
  • PAUL KATZ (PRESIDENT (THRU 7/21))
  • ANDREW PETERSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SUDI)

Highest reported compensation

  • VALERIE WEIL (PRESIDENT): $474,743 total reported compensation
  • PAUL KATZ (PRESIDENT (THRU 7/21)): $408,023 total reported compensation
  • JILL BAREN (PROVOST & VP OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS): $370,650 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2021. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

University of the sciences prepares students to become leaders, innovators, and skilled practitioners in the sciences, the health professions, and related disciplines. We deliver excellence in teaching, research, and service through a safe and supportive environment in which our students live, learn, and succeed.

What it reported doing in 2021

University of the sciences: see schedule othe mission of university of the sciences (usciences) is to educate students to become leaders and innovators in the sciences, the health professions, and emerging related disciplines by providing excellence in teaching, research, and service. The university prepares students to enter the marketplace straight from graduation or seek higher degrees. Fully accredited by the middle states commission on higher education, usciences was founded in 1821 as philadelphia college of pharmacy, the first college of pharmacy in north america. The institution changed its name in 1998 to reflect the broader range of academic opportunities the university currently offers. Usciences builds the foundation for professional success by providing students with a concentrated curriculum, hands-on education, and real-world experiences. The results are rewarding, well-paying careers and discoveries across the pharmaceutical, medical, healthcare, and biotech spectrums worldwide where usciences alumni, faculty, and students are proven everywhere they go.today, approximately 2,423 (1,387 undergraduate students, 1036 graduate students) students are enrolled in top majors such as (with the highest enrollment) pharmacy, physical therapy, biology, and occupational therapy. The university student body is >46% non-white and 67% female. Students enjoy a student/faculty ratio of 7:1 and access to more than 100 laboratories and computer labs and over 60 clubs and campus organizations. Throughout its history, the university has been, and continues to be, an incubator for a thriving alumni network who share a passion for exploration and discovery in pharmacy, science, and healthcare as well as for governmental, business, and administrative professions. The results of a usciences education are rewarding, well-paying careers and discoveries across the pharmaceutical, medical, healthcare, and biotech spectrums worldwide: usciences is #1 in pa, nj, de and top 10 in u.s. For return on investment 40 years after enrollment among private four-year institutions, according to a report entitled "a first try at roi: ranking 4,500 colleges" published by georgetown university in 2019. Usciences prepares students for in-demand health professions that rank among the best jobs in the u.s. Including dentist, physician, physical therapist, physician assistant, veterinarian, and occupational therapist (u.s. News and world report 2021) the university campus is located on a 24-acre site comprised of 23 buildings in the university city section of philadelphia. Among usciences newest buildings is the living & learning commons, a mixed-use residence hall which sets the standard for dynamic living and learning communities for science and health professional students. The 436-bed residence hall offers private bathrooms, and includes classroom, retail, office and student study space. The integrated professional education complex a 57,000-square-foot, a three-story building which opened in 2014, showcases an interprofessional education model that permits students from several disciplines, including pharmacy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, exercise science, psychology, and healthcare business and policy, to obtain traditional and hands-on experience. Newly added usciences online offers high-quality master's and bachelor's degrees and certificates that are in-demand and on a flexible schedule online.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 79% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 82% 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.

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: 84
  • Transparency & Controls: 88
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 5
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 97%; rating input score 97
  • Program expense ratio: 79.3%; rating input score 79
  • Fundraising efficiency: $11.21 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 75th 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; 79th 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: -19.7%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.8%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -1.7% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -1.5% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -0.9% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 97% of revenue deployed · 79.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $97.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $475K · 31 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $9.1M reported
  • Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 11 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2009 to 2021
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 17 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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 38/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 4/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 26/100.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Automatic revocation: this organization had its federal tax-exempt status automatically revoked.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Federal audit findings: this organization reported findings in its latest federal Single Audit.