<p>What does a school’s endowment tell you about that school?</p>
<p>Endowment on its own is important, but it’s endowment per student that is even more important.</p>
<p>Endowment per student is something you want to be very observant of, as it is very indicative of the resources it can offer each student. Schools with large endowments per student (especially LACs, where the endowments isn’t siphoned off to med students, etc.) can be more generous with financial aid (more grants/less loans) offer more student fellowships, hire better professors, afford better equipment, and a whole host of other things. Outside of pure academics this often translates to better dorms, better food, more school sponsored programs, and great support for maintaining a high quality of life among students.</p>
<p>What about University of Tulsa’s endowment? According to USNews, their endowment is around $770,000,000 and their undergraduate student body is 2,882 students. Additionally, they only have 667 graduate students, most of whom are law students. Would you say that their endowment, considering the number of students they have, is good or bad? I know they are undergoing massive amounts of construction. Does this mean that the majority of their endowment is spent on construction and not on the students?</p>