Harvard and Columbia topped the list with $209,681 and $163,869 (per student), respectively. Below are the top-20 donations which represents just 28% of the $46.8 Billion donated.
| 2018 University Donations (Sources: Private) | |||
| College/University | Donations | Under-grad. Students | Donation Per Student |
| Harvard University | $1,418,702,174 | 6,766 | $209,681 |
| Stanford University | $1,097,060,553 | 7,062 | $155,347 |
| Columbia University | $1,009,762,418 | 6,162 | $163,869 |
| University of California-Los Angeles | $786,650,878 | 31,002 | $25,374 |
| University of California-San Francisco | $730,268,012 | 0 | |
| Johns Hopkins University | $723,599,227 | 6,109 | $118,448 |
| University of Pennsylvania | $717,529,290 | 10,033 | $71,517 |
| University of Washington | $711,063,379 | 31,331 | $22,695 |
| University of Southern California | $649,970,748 | 19,170 | $33,906 |
| Yale University | $585,947,376 | 5,746 | $101,975 |
| University of Chicago | $576,037,944 | 6,264 | $91,960 |
| Duke University | $516,890,154 | 6,692 | $77,240 |
| Cornell University | $507,295,262 | 14,907 | $34,031 |
| University of Notre Dame | $502,771,320 | 8,576 | $58,625 |
| New York University | $502,407,219 | 26,417 | $19,018 |
| University of Michigan | $490,035,112 | 28,983 | $16,908 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | $469,932,565 | 4,547 | $103,350 |
| Ohio State University | $436,973,769 | 45,946 | $9,511 |
| University of California-Berkeley | $419,365,625 | 30,574 | $13,716 |
| Indiana University | $408,461,793 | 33,429 | $12,219 |
| Total | $13,260,724,818 | 329,716 | |
| Average | $663,036,240.90 | 16,486 | $40,218 |
The new tax law was a key driver of higher contributions. Add in the money universities receive from federal/state sources, students, sports programs (TV revenue share), licensing, etc. and it is clear our educational system needs to improve costs controls to make post-secondary education more affordable.
In businesses, cost controls are imperative. Public University Presidents should be obligated to publish their cost control plans, with monthly progress reports (transparency), to help reduce the average student loan debt of graduates.
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