# ASU endowment reaches $1.7B, earns top 100 national ranking

By Michelle Stermole, ASU News
February 13, 2026

Arizona State University’s endowment reached $1.7 billion in assets at the end of fiscal year 2025, placing it on the industry’s top 100 list of U.S. higher education endowments by asset size, according to newly released data.

The endowment, managed by the ASU Foundation for a New American University, finished the fiscal year on June 30 with a 7.8% gain, marking the ninth consecutive year of positive returns.

“In fiscal year 2025, we launched Arizona State University’s Changing Futures campaign, which combines research, innovation and philanthropy to drive bold solutions to create a more sustainable world for people to thrive,” said Gretchen Buhlig, ASU Foundation chief executive officer. “Through this campaign, we anticipate additional endowed gifts, which will provide long-term strength and stability for the university.”

Record-breaking fundraising fueled the endowment’s growth with $302 million in new endowed gifts and commitments made in fiscal year 2025.

ASU’s endowment has doubled in the past seven years. ASU aims to grow the endowment to $2.5 billion by the end of fiscal year 2029. An investment committee oversees the endowment and partners with BlackRock as its outsourced chief investment officer.

ASU ranked No. 100 out of 657 U.S. colleges, universities and affiliated foundations in the NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments annual study.

ASU’s endowment ranked ahead of five of the Big 12 institutions that reported data: Oklahoma State University (No. 109); University of Arizona Foundation (No. 111); Kansas State University (No. 175); West Virginia University (No. 179); and University of Central Florida Foundation (No. 337).

Overall, ASU ranked No. 47 among U.S. public institutions.

The ASU endowment’s annualized returns were 7.8%, 9.9% and 7.9% for the trailing three-, five- and 10-year periods.

“While the portfolio’s recent return trailed the benchmark due to a public equity surge that outpaced the steadier valuations of private and real assets, this short-term lag is a natural byproduct of a strategy designed for stability,” said Samantha Bradley, interim chief investment officer of ASU Enterprise Partners. “By prioritizing a diversified approach that has secured impressive long-term results, the portfolio continues to trade the volatility of market peaks for the consistent compounding necessary to meet its institutional goals.”

The endowment pools individual endowed funds, invests them strategically and pays out a portion of the gains annually to ASU. Over the past 10 years, the cumulative financial impact to ASU was $399 million paid out to support the specific beneficiaries of each endowment.

Last fiscal year, 80 new endowed funds were added to the ASU endowment in support of students, faculty, academics and other programs. The ASU endowment is comprised of more than 2,600 endowed funds that are each restricted by donor intent and distributed to ASU on a scheduled basis. The funds are invested as a pooled fund to provide long-term financial support to ASU for scholarships and fellowships, professorships and chairs, research, athletics and other enrichment activities.

“Fiscal year 2025 saw volatility in federal policy changes, geopolitics and tariffs, which collectively provided a good stress test for the endowment’s investment strategy that the endowment passed these trials and remained strong,” Bradley said. “Our long-term, diversified approach to portfolio construction allows us to participate in the upside, while maintaining resilience on the downside to ensure we can maintain distributions to ASU.”

This story originally appeared on ASU News.