Key Takeaways
- • Swarthmore College's endowment rose 9% to $2.84 billion in fiscal 2025, up from $2.73 billion in 2024, according to the Philadelphia Business Journal.
- • Villanova University's endowment grew 8%, from $1.31 billion to $1.41 billion, while Haverford College's rose 10%, from $702.25 million to $751.01 million.
- • Delaware County colleges posted gains in fiscal 2025 as both equity and bond investments advanced, an atypical combination that supports endowment returns.
- • Higher federal endowment taxes are expected to dampen gains at some schools.
Summary
Colleges in Delaware County reported increased returns on their fiscal 2025 endowments, according to Ryan Mulligan of the Philadelphia Business Journal, as equity and bond investments rose simultaneously. Mulligan noted that this was an atypical year for the asset mix, since both asset classes typically do not advance together to the same degree.
Swarthmore College led the group with a 9% increase in its endowment investment, from $2.73 billion in 2024 to $2.84 billion in 2025. Villanova University's endowment rose 8%, from $1.31 billion to $1.41 billion, and Haverford College posted a 10% gain, from $702.25 million to $751.01 million.
The article cautions that these gains will likely be affected by higher federal endowment taxes that apply to some schools. Endowments are funded by gifts and donations, which are invested across public equities, private equity, bonds, hedge funds, and venture capital. Proceeds support scholarships, capital projects, endowed faculty positions, and other operating expenses.
Anne Duggan, managing director of the Radnor-based TIFF Investment Management, said the endowment's importance to higher education budgets is growing because other revenue sources have become more volatile. She described endowment income as a captive, perpetual source that institutions can rely on.
Publisher context from DELCO.Today places these local results within a broader 2025 recovery. The NACUBO-Commonfund Study of 657 colleges and universities reports a 10-year average return of 7.7% as of fiscal year 2025, and the average one-year return for the top 50 endowments reached 11.9%, according to a separate summary in the publisher's coverage.
Swarthmore College led the group with a 9% increase in its endowment investment, from $2.73 billion in 2024 to $2.84 billion in 2025. Villanova University's endowment rose 8%, from $1.31 billion to $1.41 billion, and Haverford College posted a 10% gain, from $702.25 million to $751.01 million.
The article cautions that these gains will likely be affected by higher federal endowment taxes that apply to some schools. Endowments are funded by gifts and donations, which are invested across public equities, private equity, bonds, hedge funds, and venture capital. Proceeds support scholarships, capital projects, endowed faculty positions, and other operating expenses.
Anne Duggan, managing director of the Radnor-based TIFF Investment Management, said the endowment's importance to higher education budgets is growing because other revenue sources have become more volatile. She described endowment income as a captive, perpetual source that institutions can rely on.
Publisher context from DELCO.Today places these local results within a broader 2025 recovery. The NACUBO-Commonfund Study of 657 colleges and universities reports a 10-year average return of 7.7% as of fiscal year 2025, and the average one-year return for the top 50 endowments reached 11.9%, according to a separate summary in the publisher's coverage.
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