Strongest financial health — U.S. universities

These 50 U.S. universities rank highest by NACUBO Composite Financial Index (CFI), drawn from 1089 institutions with reported data in the most recent U.S. Department of Education release (2024-25). Long Island University (Brookville, NY) leads at 9.9.

#	Institution	Financial Health Index (CFI)
1	Long Island UniversityNY · Private	9.9
2	California State Polytechnic University-HumboldtCA · Public	9.7
3	Ferris State UniversityMI · Public	9.7
4	Wayland Baptist UniversityTX · Private	9.7
5	Yeshivath ViznitzNY · Private	9.6
6	Everglades UniversityFL · Private	9.5
7	Lindsey Wilson CollegeKY · Private	9.4
8	MCPHS UniversityMA · Private	9.2
9	Geneva CollegePA · Private	9.1
10	University of the CumberlandsKY · Private	9.1
11	Saint Louis UniversityMO · Private	9.0
12	California State University-BakersfieldCA · Public	8.9
13	Worcester State UniversityMA · Public	8.9
14	Fisher CollegeMA · Private	8.8
15	Grove City CollegePA · Private	8.8
16	Hillsdale CollegeMI · Private	8.8
17	Indiana University-IndianapolisIN · Public	8.8
18	Mercy UniversityNY · Private	8.8
19	Saint Ambrose UniversityIA · Private	8.8
20	Hardin-Simmons UniversityTX · Private	8.7
21	John Brown UniversityAR · Private	8.7
22	Taylor UniversityIN · Private	8.7
23	Berea CollegeKY · Private	8.6
24	Freed-Hardeman UniversityTN · Private	8.6
25	Mississippi State UniversityMS · Public	8.6
26	Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-PoncePR · Private	8.6
27	Saint Johns UniversityMN · Private	8.6
28	Wilmington UniversityDE · Private	8.6
29	Carleton CollegeMN · Private	8.5
30	Asbury UniversityKY · Private	8.4
31	Augustana CollegeIL · Private	8.4
32	Indiana Wesleyan University-MarionIN · Private	8.4
33	Liberty UniversityVA · Private	8.4
34	Randolph-Macon CollegeVA · Private	8.4
35	Savannah College of Art and DesignGA · Private	8.4
36	Bellevue UniversityNE · Private	8.3
37	Belmont UniversityTN · Private	8.3
38	Beth Medrash GovohaNJ · Private	8.3
39	College of the Holy CrossMA · Private	8.3
40	Georgia State UniversityGA · Public	8.3
41	Occidental CollegeCA · Private	8.3
42	Oklahoma Baptist UniversityOK · Private	8.3
43	Universidad Politecnica de Puerto RicoPR · Private	8.3
44	University of Puerto Rico-AguadillaPR · Public	8.3
45	Austin CollegeTX · Private	8.2
46	Colorado CollegeCO · Private	8.2
47	Dartmouth CollegeNH · Private	8.2
48	Northwood UniversityMI · Private	8.2
49	Reed CollegeOR · Private	8.2
50	Siena Heights UniversityMI · Private	8.2

The Composite Financial Index (CFI) is the NACUBO/accreditor balance-sheet health score; bond-rating agencies track similar ratios. The CFI clamps and rewards reserves relative to budget size, so this list is limited to institutions with at least 1,000 undergraduates for comparability. A data ranking — not an Ibex endorsement or quality rating. Ranked solely on the metric named above using the most recent College Scorecard & IPEDS release, which lags the current academic year by 2–3 years. Institutions that do not report this metric are excluded. Figures and peer context appear on each institution’s profile.

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Source: U.S. Department of Education — College Scorecard & IPEDS (most recent release, 2024-25), with Census ACS, BLS Employment Projections, WICHE & the FSA Direct Loan Dashboard. Compiled by Ibex Insights. For informational benchmarking only — not financial, investment, or accreditation advice. See the methodology.