Study: Educational Endowments' Investment Returns Averaged 15.5 Percent

Longer-term Returns

Participating institutions’ three-year net returns (from FY2012 to FY2014) averaged 9.0 percent, led by institutions with assets over $1 billion, at 9.5 percent, and those with assets under $25 million, at 9.4 percent. Five-year returns averaged 11.7 percent, with the same two size categories reporting the highest returns (and, once again, separated by just 10 basis points). Ten-year returns averaged 7.1 percent, with the largest endowments’ returns ahead of the other five size cohorts by 90 to 170 basis points.