<p>Michigan's endowment has increased by 16%, from $4.9 billion to $5.7 billion. This places Michigan is 7th place, with Penn being a distant 8th at $5.2 Billion. That's huge. The entire University of California system (9 campuses with over 200,000 students) has an endowment equal to that of the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor campus.</p>
<p>WEALTHIEST UNIVERSITIES:</p>
<h1>1 Harvard University: $29 billion (14.5% increase from 2005)</h1>
<h1>2 Yale University: $18 billion (18.5% increase from 2005)</h1>
<h1>3 Stanford University: $15.2 billion (24.5% increase from 2005)</h1>
<h1>4 Princeton University: $12.7 billion (13% increase from 2005)</h1>
<h1>5 Massachusetts Institute of Technology: $8.4 billion (25% increase from 2005)</h1>
<h1>6 Columbia University $5.9 billion (13.5% increase from 2005)</h1>
<h1>7 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor: $5.7 billion (16% increase from 2005)</h1>
<h1>8 University of Pennsylvania: $5.2 billion (18% increase from 2005)</h1>
<h1>9 Northwestern University: 4.9 billion (16.5% increase from 2005)</h1>
<h1>10 Washington University-St Louis: 4.7 billion (12% increase from 2005)</h1>
<p>No other single campus university has an endowment greater than $4.5 billion.</p>
<p>Why should Michigan do that? Michigan's peers, like Columbia, Penn etc... have similar endowments and they cost more than Michigan. Michigan has standards to maintain...tuition isn't going down anytime soon. But Michigan will be in a position tooffer more scholarships.</p>
<p>Yeah--the strategic thing to do is put money into things that will enhance U-M's excellence. Obviously cheaper tuition would be a very welcome thing among out-of-state students, but it doesn't really enhance the stature or quality of the institution overall. U-M generally holds tuition increases down in good years, so OOS students will derive some benefit from this, but I'd be surprised (and disappointed) if U-M chose to use its good fortune to give a break to nonresidents.</p>
<p>I don't think that Michigan will ever surpass Harvard and Yale in endowment just because UM grads don't contribute as much to the school as the Harvard/Yale grads do.</p>
<p>Never say never Azurek. In 1986, Harvard's endowment was 15 times larger than Michigan's and Yale's was 9 times larger. Today, Harvard's is only 5 times larger and Yale only 3 times larger. It won't happen anytime soon though. For now, given the current trend, Michigan could overtake Columbia in the next 3 years or so and MIT in the next 5 or 6 years. But catching up to the top 4 (Harvard, Yale, Stanford and Princeton) is not likely to happen any time soon.</p>
<p>I think we are going to have to postpone the over-taking of MIT's endowment by a few more years! LOL!!! MIT just announced a 25% increase in the value of their endowment, from $6.7 billion to $8.4 billion! That's a huge jump.</p>
<p>That's happening. They are turning the Frieze Building into dorm (North Quad). I also think they are builidng other smaller dorms and extensions as well as large dining areas.</p>
<p>Yeah, Harvard, Yale and Stanford seem way out of reach. I think given the last 20 or so years, Michigan will overtake Columbia in the next 2-4 years and MIT in the next 5-7 years. Once at #5, we will stay there for a loooooong time.</p>