Notre Dame, University of Chicago Endowments Return 7.2%, 6.9%

The investment portfolios for the University of Notre Dame and the University of Chicago endowments returned 7.2% and 6.9% respectively for the fiscal year ending June 30

Notre Dame’s 7.2% return helped increase the endowment’s asset value by $700 million, but was well below last year’s 12.2% returns.. The annualized return of the Notre Dame endowment pool over the past 20 years was 10%, according to the University, which said placed its long-term results in the “top tier of institutional investors.” By comparison, a 60-40 index blend of stocks and bonds returned 5.5% over that same period.

According to the university, its actively managed investment program created $8.3 billion of value-added, compared to the 60-40 index blend for the 20 years.

Notre Dame said it will distribute more than $154 million in need-based grant aid for undergraduate students during the current academic year, an amount that has more than doubled since 2009.

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The University of Chicago’s endowment hit an all-time high of $8.5 billion with its 6.9% return. According to the University of Chicago’s Office of Communications, the endowment’s portfolio has earned annualized returns of 9.1%, 8.3%, and 8.2% over the past 10, 15, and 20 years respectively.

Additionally, investment returns have added nearly $5.9 billion in market value to the endowment since the financial crisis in 2008 and 2009. And over the past 25 years, the endowment’s value has grown nearly eight-fold to $8.5 billion from $1.1 billion.

“We continue to believe that an integrated approach to the university’s fiscal health will best support our mission in all types of market conditions on a long-term basis,” said University of Chicago CIO Mark Schmid in a statement.