Harvard Raised $639 Million in Third-Best Year for Fundraising

Oct. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Harvard University, the world’s richest college, raised $639 million in the year ended June 30, the third-highest annual total in its history.

The haul marked a 7 percent increase over the $597 million that Harvard received in the same period a year earlier, according to a statement from the university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard has a $32 billion endowment, the biggest in higher education.

Colleges including Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, and the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia also have reported a rebound in contributions even with a sluggish U.S. economy.

“We are fortunate to have a dedicated community of alumni and friends who are unwavering in their support of the University,” Tamara Elliott Rogers, Harvard vice president for alumni affairs and development, said in a statement.

--Editors: Stephen West, Donna Alvarado

To contact the reporter on this story: John Hechinger in Boston at jhechinger@bloomberg.net;

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jonathan Kaufman at jkaufman17@bloomberg.net