Strongest operating margins — U.S. universities

These 50 U.S. universities rank highest by operating margin, drawn from 2016 institutions with reported data in the most recent U.S. Department of Education release (2024-25). McPherson College (McPherson, KS) leads at 96.2%.

#	Institution	Operating margin
1	McPherson CollegeKS · Private	96.2%
2	Dongguk University Los AngelesCA · Private	80.2%
3	Spertus CollegeIL · Private	79.3%
4	Ponce Health Sciences University-Centro Universitario de San JuanPR · Private for-profit	69.4%
5	Phillips Theological SeminaryOK · Private	67%
6	Selma UniversityAL · Private	64.1%
7	Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular MedicineNY · Private	63.7%
8	American InterContinental University-AtlantaGA · Private for-profit	63.4%
9	Aquinas Institute of TheologyMO · Private	59.5%
10	Kairos UniversitySD · Private	59.3%
11	Lutheran School of Theology at ChicagoIL · Private	58.7%
12	Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary-OverbrookPA · Private	58.4%
13	Talladega CollegeAL · Private	57.1%
14	Life Chiropractic College WestCA · Private	53.6%
15	St. John's CollegeMD · Private	53.2%
16	San Francisco Conservatory of MusicCA · Private	52.7%
17	Concordia SeminaryMO · Private	51.9%
18	Hampden-Sydney CollegeVA · Private	50.2%
19	MCPHS UniversityMA · Private	48%
20	Bethany Theological SeminaryIN · Private	47.7%
21	Wesley Biblical SeminaryMS · Private	47%
22	Davis & Elkins CollegeWV · Private	46.8%
23	Calvin Theological SeminaryMI · Private	45.9%
24	Curtis Institute of MusicPA · Private	45.9%
25	Howard Payne UniversityTX · Private	45.6%
26	Berea CollegeKY · Private	45.5%
27	Allegheny Wesleyan CollegeOH · Private	44.6%
28	Seminario Evangelico de Puerto RicoPR · Private	44.2%
29	University of California College of the Law-San FranciscoCA · Public	42.8%
30	California State Polytechnic University-HumboldtCA · Public	42.7%
31	Eden Theological SeminaryMO · Private	42.4%
32	Trine UniversityIN · Private	41.1%
33	Princeton Theological SeminaryNJ · Private	40.7%
34	Minerva UniversityCA · Private	40.4%
35	Eastern International College-Jersey CityNJ · Private for-profit	39.7%
36	Alice Lloyd CollegeKY · Private	38.9%
37	Pacific School of ReligionCA · Private	38.7%
38	Whitman CollegeWA · Private	38.7%
39	University of Puerto Rico-BayamonPR · Public	38.5%
40	Reformed UniversityGA · Private	37.7%
41	Northwood UniversityMI · Private	37.6%
42	Austin Presbyterian Theological SeminaryTX · Private	37.5%
43	Charter Oak State CollegeCT · Public	37.3%
44	Austin CollegeTX · Private	37.1%
45	Hillsdale CollegeMI · Private	36.8%
46	Colorado Technical University-Colorado SpringsCO · Private for-profit	36.8%
47	Union Theological Seminary in the City of New YorkNY · Private	36.2%
48	Westminster Theological Seminary in CaliforniaCA · Private	35.9%
49	Oklahoma City UniversityOK · Private	35.9%
50	Virginia State UniversityVA · Public	35.8%

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.

Benchmark any school against its true peers

Open the dashboard to filter by sector, Carnegie class, size, and state, or compare schools head-to-head.

Browse & filter

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.