New York › Educational services › 25,000 or more participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024
Retirement Plan for Officers of Columbia University
Sponsored by Trustees of Columbia University, New York, NY
Form 5500 information is as filed by the plan administrator with the Department of Labor and may be amended. Figures reflect the plan year shown, not current balances. Form 5500 contains no individual account balances. Look up the original filing at EFAST2.
Trustees of Columbia University of New York, New York sponsors Retirement Plan for Officers of Columbia University, a 403(b) plan. Its Form 5500 for the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024 shows 34,090 participants (15,229 active) and $5.64B in net assets.
Net assets came to $165,543 per participant, well above the $62,774 median for defined contribution plans with 25,000 or more participants and well above the $73,018 median for defined contribution plans in educational services. The figure is an average across everyone in the plan, including former employees with small balances; Form 5500 holds no individual account data.
The employer contributed $216M during the year, or $14,200 per active participant against a same-size median of $2,417; participants contributed $1.7M. Benefits paid out totalled $245M.
Schedule C lists 6 service provider organisations paid $5,000 or more, with reported compensation of $943K: $27.68 per participant, well below the same-size median of $36.41. Administrative expenses charged to the plan were $1.1M. Schedule C does not capture every cost: fees netted from fund returns and fees the employer pays directly are outside it.
Across the filings on record, net assets went from $1.91B in 2009 to $5.64B in 2024 (up 196%), and participants from 25,016 to 34,090 (up 36%).
The independent accountant's opinion on the financial statements was disclaimer, from an audit whose scope was limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C) to exclude investment information certified by a bank or insurer.
Compared with similar plans
| Measure | This plan | Same size | Same industry | All US DC plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $165,543 | $62,774 | $73,018 | $53,102 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $14,200 | $2,417 | $2,838 | $2,175 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $27.68 | $36.41 | $95.66 | $123 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.02% | 0.07% | 0.13% | 0.26% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $32.92 | $38.81 | $89.26 | $116 |
Peer columns are medians for plan year 2024 across defined contribution plans with 100 or more participants: 25,000 or more participants (608 plans), educational services (2,753) and all US plans (63,460). Fee medians cover plans that report an amount.
Trend by plan year
| Plan year | Participants | Net assets | Per participant | Employer contributions | Participant contributions | Schedule C compensation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 34,090 | $5.64B | $165,543 | $216M | $1.7M | $943K |
| 2023 | 33,394 | $5.03B | $150,513 | $199M | $1.8M | $682K |
| 2022 | 31,807 | $4.35B | $136,819 | $187M | $1.8M | $470K |
| 2021 | 31,043 | $5.00B | $160,926 | $138M | $1.8M | $958K |
| 2020 | 33,583 | $4.48B | $133,312 | $167M | $1.9M | $815K |
| 2019 | 32,871 | $3.99B | $121,438 | $158M | $2.0M | $823K |
| 2018 | 31,742 | $3.40B | $107,144 | $144M | $2.1M | $376K |
| 2017 | 30,580 | $3.53B | $115,373 | $133M | $2.2M | $128K |
| 2016 | 29,738 | $3.08B | $103,522 | $125M | $2.3M | $126K |
| 2015 | 28,828 | $2.88B | $99,733 | $115M | $2.5M | $112K |
| 2014 | 28,045 | $2.84B | $101,231 | $107M | $2.5M | $192K |
| 2013 | 27,013 | $2.68B | $99,215 | $53.5M | $1.2M | $65K |
| 2012 | 26,982 | $2.45B | $90,852 | $97.2M | $2.9M | $95K |
| 2011 | 26,361 | $2.23B | $84,519 | $92.2M | $3.1M | $0 |
| 2010 | 25,563 | $2.21B | $86,408 | $94.8M | — | $0 |
| 2009 | 25,016 | $1.91B | $76,226 | $89.8M | — | $0 |
Years in which the plan filed the full Form 5500 with 100 or more participants, from 2009. Plan year is the year in which the plan year began.
Statement for the year
- Net assets, beginning of year$5,026,238,949
- Employer contributions$216,244,208
- Participant contributions$1,729,667
- Rollovers and other contributions—
- Total contributions$217,973,875
- Total income, including investment results$862,845,949
- Benefits paid$244,600,732
- Administrative expenses$1,122,413
- Total expenses$245,723,145
- Net income$617,122,804
- Net transfers$0
- Net assets, end of year$5,643,361,753
Participants
- Active participants15,229
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits140
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits18,528
- Participants with account balances32,292
- Total participants, end of year34,090
Fees and service providers
| Organisation | Services reported | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Vanguard Group, Inc. | Recordkeeping and information management | $527,946 | $0 |
| TIAA | Custodial (securities) | $242,038 | $0 |
| Aon Hewitt Investment Consulting | Consulting (pension) | $87,006 | $0 |
| PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP | Accounting (including auditing) | $50,300 | $0 |
| Willis Towers Watson US LLC | Consulting (general); Other services | $34,068 | $0 |
| Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. | Securities brokerage | $0 | $2,098 |
Schedule C, Part I line 2: providers that received $5,000 or more, with the form's own service codes. Individuals named on Schedule C (plan employees, individual trustees) are never shown and their compensation is excluded. Eligible indirect compensation disclosed by formula carries no dollar amount. See how to read Schedule C fees.
Administrative expenses on Schedule H
- Recordkeeping fees$769,984
- Legal fees$181,055
- Other administrative expenses$121,074
- IQPA audit fees$50,300
- Total administrative expenses$1,122,413
Investment structure
Assets at year end by Schedule H category. The form shows the kind of vehicle holding the money, not the funds on the menu.
- Registered investment companies (mutual funds)$4.60B · 81.5%
- Insurance company general account$972M · 17.2%
- Pooled separate accounts$69.9M · 1.2%
- Receivables$740K · 0.0%
Audit and compliance answers, as filed
- Accountant's opinionDisclaimer
- Audit scope limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C)Yes
- Accounting firmPricewaterhouseCoopers
- Participant contributions reported as transmitted lateNo
- Covered by a fidelity bondYes, $25,000,000
- Blackout period during the yearNo
These are the plan administrator's own answers on Schedule H, Part IV. A reported late transmittal is the filer's disclosure of a timing lapse, usually corrected through the Department of Labor's voluntary program; the amount is the total involved, not a loss.
Plan characteristics
2MCode section 403(b)(7) accounts (custodial accounts for regulated investment company stock)
Codes entered on Form 5500 line 8a, with the labels from the official instructions. Business code 611000: Educational Services (including schools, colleges, & universities).
Other plans of Trustees of Columbia University
Similar plans in New York
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia University Voluntary Retirement Savings Plan | Trustees of Columbia University | 40,437 | $4.71B | $116,458 |
| Cornell University Retirement Plan for the Employees of the Endowed Colleges at Ithaca | Cornell University | 27,192 | $3.02B | $111,091 |
| University of Rochester Retirement Program | University of Rochester | 47,731 | $8.00B | $167,656 |
| New York University Retirement Plan for Members of the Faculty, Professional Research Staff and Administration | New York University | 23,634 | $5.44B | $230,298 |
| Research Foundation of the City University of New York Defined Contribution Retirement Plan | Research Foundation of the City University of New York | 21,778 | $929M | $42,668 |
| Nyu Grossman School of Medicine Management and Staff 403(b) Retirement Plan | New York University | 20,091 | $1000M | $49,753 |
Defined contribution plans in educational services closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is Retirement Plan for Officers of Columbia University?
34,090 participants at the end of the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024, of whom 15,229 were active employees, with net assets of $5,643,361,753. Among defined contribution plans that places it in the 25,000 or more participants band, which held 608 plans in plan year 2024.
What does Trustees of Columbia University contribute per participant?
The filing reports $216,244,208 in employer contributions for the year, which is $14,200 per active participant; the median for plans of the same type and size was $2,417 in plan year 2024. Form 5500 reports the total only. It does not state the match formula, and the per-participant figure is an average, not any one person's contribution.
What fees does the plan pay and how do they compare?
Schedule C reports $943,456 in compensation to service provider organisations, $27.68 per participant or 0.02% of net assets. The same-size median among plans reporting any Schedule C compensation was $36.41 per participant. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $1,122,413. Investment costs deducted inside mutual funds and other pooled vehicles are not itemised on Form 5500, so these figures are a floor rather than a full cost.
Who runs the plan?
The sponsor is Trustees of Columbia University. Recordkeeping or administration: The Vanguard Group, Inc.. Trustee or custodian: TIAA. The financial statements were audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Form 5500 also names the plan administrator's signer and other individuals; this site publishes organisations only.
Was the audit opinion unqualified?
The filing reports an disclaimer opinion from a limited-scope audit, in which the accountant did not audit investment information certified by a bank or insurance company. A disclaimer of opinion was the usual result of a limited-scope audit under the rules in force before 2021 and is not by itself a finding about the plan.
How current is this, and does it show my balance?
This is the Form 5500 for the plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024, received by the Department of Labor on 6 Aug 2025. Filings are due seven months after the plan year ends, or nine and a half with an extension, so the public record always runs a year or more behind. It contains plan-level totals only: no individual balances, contributions or names of participants exist in the data.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 research files (Form 5500, Schedule H, Schedule C) for plan years 2009 to 2025, public domain, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. This page shows the latest filing on record for EIN 13-5598093, plan 001, received 6 Aug 2025; an amended filing replaces it at the next build. Medians and percentiles are computed by this site; see the methodology. Report an error through corrections.