A summary of the fifth annual “Commonfund Benchmarks Study” is posted by Commonfund.
U.S. educational endowments registered returns in 2005 that compared favorably with returns over the past five years, a study concludes.
The study—conducted by the Wilton, Conn.-based Commonfund Institute—surveyed 729 private college and university endowments, public educational endowments, independent school endowments, and private foundations. It reported average annual increases of 9.7 percent in 2005, compared with 14.7 percent in 2004, 3.1 percent in 2003, and a 6 percent drop in 2002.