Oral Roberts University 
Summary
Oral Roberts University is a charismatic university, founded in the fires of evangelism and upon the unchanging precepts of the Bible. The University was founded as a result of the evangelist Oral Roberts' obeying God's mandate to build a university on God's authority and the Holy Spirit.
Contact information
Mailing address:
Oral Roberts University
7777 South Lewis Ave.
Tulsa, OK 74171
Website: oru.edu
Phone: 918-495-6161
Email: sthill@oru.edu
Organization details
EIN: 730739626
CEO/President: William M Wilson
Chairman: Mike Rakes
Board size: 31
Founder: Oral Roberts
Year founded: 1964
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 04/30
Member of ECFA: Yes
Member of ECFA since: 2009
Purpose
God's commission to Oral Roberts was to "Raise up your students to hear My voice, to go where My light is dim, where My voice is heard small, and My healing power is not known, even to the uttermost bounds of the earth. Their work will exceed yours, and in this I am well pleased."
Mission statement
The mission of Oral Roberts University - in its commitment to the Christian faith - is to educate the whole person in spirit, mind, and body, thereby preparing its graduates to be professionally competent servant-leaders who are spiritually alive, intellectually alert, physically disciplined, and socially adept. The University seeks to synthesize the best practices of liberal arts, professional, and graduate education with a charismatic emphasis to enable students to go into every person's world with God's message of salvation and healing for the totality of human need.
Statement of faith
Transparency grade
A
To understand our transparency grade, click here.
Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Colleges/Universities
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 96 of 660 | 4 of 86 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 6 of 662 | 5 of 86 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 353 of 662 | 51 of 86 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 179 of 660 | 17 of 86 |
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 19% | 8% | 11% | 12% | 10% | 9% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 9% | 21% | 16% | 17% | 20% | 24% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 91% | 79% | 84% | 83% | 80% | 76% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 86% | 83% | 83% | 82% | 81% | 80% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 97% | 93% | 100% | 107% | 106% | 100% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 81% | 77% | 83% | 88% | 86% | 79% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 3% | 7% | 0% | -7% | -6% | 0% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 3% | 7% | 0% | -6% | -4% | 0% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 12% | 15% | 15% | 16% | 17% | 18% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 0.52 | 0.69 | 0.71 | 0.71 | 0.63 | 0.60 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 2.96 | 3.59 | 3.64 | 3.60 | 3.31 | 3.26 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 1.62 | 2.46 | 2.58 | 2.56 | 2.10 | 1.95 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 7.33 | 3.37 | 3.09 | 2.90 | 3.38 | 3.85 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.14 | 0.30 | 0.32 | 0.35 | 0.30 | 0.26 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 6.00 | 3.43 | 3.15 | 3.07 | 4.03 | 4.56 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 26% | 20% | 20% | 21% | 20% | 19% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 17% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 147% | 117% | 112% | 111% | 126% | 136% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Cash | $30,559,449 | $22,685,749 | $27,118,159 | $28,870,340 | $32,229,499 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $9,473,507 | $12,306,194 | $6,956,683 | $10,055,570 | $11,726,518 |
| Short-term investments | $15,408,742 | $16,515,689 | $18,283,171 | $20,294,504 | $17,834,507 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $55,441,698 | $51,507,632 | $52,358,013 | $59,220,414 | $61,790,524 |
| Long-term investments | $22,948,100 | $24,918,278 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed assets | $117,549,019 | $107,383,613 | $108,552,870 | $108,554,124 | $112,111,515 |
| Other long-term assets | $2,962,099 | $3,519,585 | $27,430,231 | $28,238,285 | $27,414,789 |
| Total long-term assets | $143,459,218 | $135,821,476 | $135,983,101 | $136,792,409 | $139,526,304 |
| Total assets | $198,900,916 | $187,329,108 | $188,341,114 | $196,012,823 | $201,316,828 |
| Liabilities | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $12,701,077 | $12,654,553 | $13,758,188 | $13,088,604 | $12,214,037 |
| Other current liabilities | $3,736,001 | $3,999,833 | $4,314,366 | $4,439,063 | $3,823,943 |
| Total current liabilities | $16,437,078 | $16,654,386 | $18,072,554 | $17,527,667 | $16,037,980 |
| Debt | $53,356 | $17,848 | $10,686 | $6,095 | $5,298 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $22,926,445 | $21,605,564 | $21,519,336 | $21,785,557 | $21,873,157 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $22,979,801 | $21,623,412 | $21,530,022 | $21,791,652 | $21,878,455 |
| Total liabilities | $39,416,879 | $38,277,798 | $39,602,576 | $39,319,319 | $37,916,435 |
| Net assets | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Unrestricted | $76,465,979 | $77,297,168 | $80,220,945 | $83,802,576 | $87,415,014 |
| Temporarily restricted | $0 | $28,203,063 | $25,538,482 | $30,994,004 | $34,631,824 |
| Permanently restricted | $83,018,058 | $43,551,079 | $42,979,111 | $41,896,924 | $41,353,555 |
| Net assets | $159,484,037 | $149,051,310 | $148,738,538 | $156,693,504 | $163,400,393 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Total contributions | $30,890,878 | $21,721,619 | $21,907,030 | $23,341,480 | $28,883,192 |
| Program service revenue | $111,931,130 | $109,341,476 | $102,095,644 | $95,798,801 | $92,523,073 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,583 |
| Investment income | $1,565,577 | $627,763 | $526,793 | $331,847 | $774,033 |
| Other revenue | $2,777,190 | $1,159,106 | $743,875 | ($1,777,425) | ($1,195,778) |
| Total other revenue | $116,273,897 | $111,128,345 | $103,366,312 | $94,353,223 | $92,102,911 |
| Total revenue | $147,164,775 | $132,849,964 | $125,273,342 | $117,694,703 | $120,986,103 |
| Expenses | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Program services | $113,304,502 | $110,893,160 | $109,783,413 | $101,154,795 | $96,148,059 |
| Management and general | $20,734,937 | $19,484,324 | $21,540,059 | $20,685,042 | $21,833,091 |
| Fundraising | $2,544,611 | $2,471,087 | $2,611,512 | $2,436,103 | $2,500,670 |
| Total expenses | $136,584,050 | $132,848,571 | $133,934,984 | $124,275,940 | $120,481,820 |
| Change in net assets | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Surplus (deficit) | $10,580,725 | $1,393 | ($8,661,642) | ($6,581,237) | $504,283 |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | $10,580,725 | $1,393 | ($8,661,642) | ($6,581,237) | $504,283 |
Response from ministry
No response has been provided by this ministry.
History
ORU was birthed as the result of a mandate God gave founder Oral Roberts to "...build Me a university based on My authority and the Holy Spirit." God's commission to Oral Roberts was to "Raise up your students to hear My voice, to go where My light is seen dim, My voice is heard small, and My healing power is not known, even to the uttermost bounds of the earth. Their work will exceed yours, and in this I am well pleased." This private Christian liberal arts institution held its first classes in 1965 with 300 undergraduate students. The university dedication took place in 1967, with the Reverend Dr. Billy Graham as the keynote speaker.