Wongu University of Oriental Medicine
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 462711511
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2014–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Las Vegas, NV, USA
- Phone
- 7024632122
- Rating
- 77
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Graduate, Professional Schools (Separate Entities)
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,124,612
- Expenses
- $1,404,474
- Assets
- $1,672,488
- Liabilities
- $37,093
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
6 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Dr Sang Hyun Lee (Director and President)
Highest reported compensation
- Dr Sang Hyun Lee (Director and President): $94,940 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The Mission of Wongu University of Oriental Medicine is to educate and train students to become skilled and compassionate practitioners of Oriental Medicine.
What it reported doing in 2024
ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE PAST FISCAL YEAR July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025 Accreditation & Program RecognitionContinued ACAHM Accreditation: Wongu University received continued accreditation from the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (ACAHM) on August 14, 2024, extending accreditation for seven years through 2031.California Acupuncture Board Approval: On May 5, 2025, the renamed and updated Master of Science in Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (MSAHM) program was approved by the California Acupuncture Board, expanding graduates' eligibility for licensure in California.SARA Participation: Wongu University of Oriental Medicine began participation in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) in January 2025, enabling the interstate delivery of distance education under nationally recognized standards.Nevada Commission on Postsecondary Education (CPE): On September 10, 2024, the CPE approved the University's application to offer Distance and Ground Education. On March 30, 2025, the CPE renewed the University's institutional license for an additional two-year period, covering December 1, 2024 through November 30, 2026. On March 31, 2025, the CPE approved the program name change to Master of Science in Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (MSAHM). Community Engagement and Outreach ActivitiesWongu Peace and Happiness Expo (August 25, 2024): Hosted a community wellness event featuring workshops and free community acupuncture.Sao Tome and Prncipe Medical Mission (South Africa) (August 11-16, 2024): Provided free acupuncture and herbal treatments as part of an international medical outreach initiative.City of Las Vegas Wellness Fair (October 22-23, 2024): Offered free wellness services and health education.HOPI Indian Reservation Outreach (November 20, 2024): Delivered free acupuncture and herbal treatments to the community in Arizona.City of Las Vegas Wellness Fair (December 18, 2024): Provided free wellness services and education.Sacred Women's Circle (March 17, 2025): Offered free wellness services and educational programming.City of Las Vegas Wellness Fair (April 22-23, 2025): Continued community outreach through free wellness services and education.Sun City Anthem - Chinese Heritage Club (June 1, 2025): Delivered free wellness services and educational outreach. Student ScholarshipsF. Mangione received a scholarship from Best Chinese Medicine on July 16, 2024.C. Hilman received a scholarship from Best Chinese Medicine on July 16, 2024. Admitted and Graduated StudentsFrom Summer 2024 to Spring 2025, Wongu accepted 14 new MSAHM degree-seeking students and graduated 2 students.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 81% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program 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.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 81
- Transparency & Controls: 86
- Accountability: 62
- Sustainability: 30
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 98.4%; rating input score 98
- Program expense ratio: 78.8%; rating input score 79
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 16th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 80%; rating input score 80; 18th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: Fail
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -24.9%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.19; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 6.8%; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 4.3% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 1.3% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 5.7% per year; rating input score 100; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 98.4% of revenue deployed · 78.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 4 of 5 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.1M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $95K · 6 people listed
- Consistency: 26 of 26 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- 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.
- Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 7/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 48/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 48/100.