Columbia University’s $14.8 billion endowment posted a return of 11.5% for the fiscal year ended June 30.
The New York-based university announced the return in a Sept. 27 news release.
For the five and 10 years ended June 30, the endowment returned 8.5% and 7.4%, respectively.
The news release did not disclose returns by asset class, benchmark returns or whether the returns were gross or net of fees.
The endowment had returned a net 4.7% for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023.
For the most recent fiscal year, the Ivy League school’s performance finished ahead of the median return of 11.1% for the 12 college and university endowments whose most recent fiscal-year returns have been tracked by Pensions & Investments as of Oct. 1.
Kim Lew, president and CEO of the Columbia University Investment Management Co., said in the news release the endowment benefited from a strong year for public market performance.
“While private assets lagged our marketable assets portfolio, it contributed positive performance in the past year,” Lew said. “We continue to implement a deliberately paced repositioning of the private portfolio, and we are optimistic that the current market cycle presents investment opportunities that will benefit performance in the long term. We remain focused on building an asset base that supports Columbia’s core mission.”
