New York › Educational services › 1,000 to 4,999 participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024
Columbia University Defined Contribution Plan for Supporting Staff
Sponsored by Trustees of Columbia University C/o Benefits Department, 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.
In the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024, Columbia University Defined Contribution Plan for Supporting Staff covered 4,519 participants and held $177M in net assets. The plan is a 403(b) plan sponsored by Trustees of Columbia University C/o Benefits Department of New York, New York.
Net assets came to $39,225 per participant, well below the $50,295 median for defined contribution plans with 1,000 to 4,999 participants and well below 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 $3.4M during the year, or $2,851 per active participant against a same-size median of $2,045; participants contributed —. Benefits paid out totalled $10.1M.
Schedule C lists 5 service provider organisations paid $5,000 or more, with reported compensation of $114K: $25.17 per participant, well below the same-size median of $82.08. Administrative expenses charged to the plan were $117K. 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 $148M in 2022 to $177M in 2024 (up 20%), and participants from 4,151 to 4,519 (up 9%).
The independent accountant's opinion on the financial statements was unmodified (unqualified), 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 | $39,225 | $50,295 | $73,018 | $53,102 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $2,851 | $2,045 | $2,838 | $2,175 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $25.17 | $82.08 | $95.66 | $123 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.06% | 0.17% | 0.13% | 0.26% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $25.84 | $82.20 | $89.26 | $116 |
Peer columns are medians for plan year 2024 across defined contribution plans with 100 or more participants: 1,000 to 4,999 participants (10,207 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 | 4,519 | $177M | $39,225 | $3.4M | — | $114K |
| 2023 | 4,486 | $165M | $36,846 | $3.6M | — | $52K |
| 2022 | 4,151 | $148M | $35,658 | $1.4M | — | $24K |
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$165,292,104
- Employer contributions$3,418,285
- Participant contributions—
- Rollovers and other contributions—
- Total contributions$3,418,285
- Total income, including investment results$22,138,952
- Benefits paid$10,058,004
- Administrative expenses$116,777
- Total expenses$10,174,781
- Net income$11,964,171
- Net transfers$0
- Net assets, end of year$177,256,275
Participants
- Active participants1,199
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits25
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits3,192
- Participants with account balances4,296
- Total participants, end of year4,519
Fees and service providers
| Organisation | Services reported | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Vanguard Group, Inc. | Recordkeeping and information management | $54,604 | $0 |
| PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP | Accounting (including auditing) | $28,050 | $0 |
| TIAA | Custodial (securities) | $22,276 | $0 |
| Willis Towers Watson US LLC | Consulting (general); Other services | $8,384 | $0 |
| Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. | Securities brokerage | $0 | $450 |
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$76,880
- IQPA audit fees$28,050
- Other administrative expenses$11,847
- Total administrative expenses$116,777
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)$123M · 69.2%
- Insurance company general account$52.4M · 29.6%
- Pooled separate accounts$2.2M · 1.2%
- Receivables$28K · 0.0%
Audit and compliance answers, as filed
- Accountant's opinionUnmodified (unqualified)
- 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
2HPartial participant-directed account plan2MCode 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 C/o Benefits Department
Similar plans in New York
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Island University Retirement Plan | Long Island University | 4,928 | $1.08B | $219,571 |
| The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Defined Contribution Retirement Plan for Employee Contributions | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute C/o Controllers Office | 4,345 | $73.7M | $16,959 |
| St. John's University Defined Contribution Retirement Plan | St. John's University | 5,445 | $1.45B | $266,069 |
| The Rockefeller University Retirement Plan | The Rockefeller University | 4,228 | $839M | $198,544 |
| New York University Retirement Plan for Adjunct Faculty Members | New York University | 5,663 | $66.8M | $11,796 |
| Hofstra University Pension Plan | Hofstra University | 4,148 | $1.27B | $307,188 |
Defined contribution plans in educational services closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is Columbia University Defined Contribution Plan for Supporting Staff?
4,519 participants at the end of the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024, of whom 1,199 were active employees, with net assets of $177,256,275. Among defined contribution plans that places it in the 1,000 to 4,999 participants band, which held 10,207 plans in plan year 2024.
What does Trustees of Columbia University C/o Benefits Department contribute per participant?
The filing reports $3,418,285 in employer contributions for the year, which is $2,851 per active participant; the median for plans of the same type and size was $2,045 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 $113,764 in compensation to service provider organisations, $25.17 per participant or 0.06% of net assets. The same-size median among plans reporting any Schedule C compensation was $82.08 per participant. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $116,777. 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 C/o Benefits Department. 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 unmodified (unqualified) opinion from a limited-scope audit, in which the accountant did not audit investment information certified by a bank or insurance company. Unmodified (formerly "unqualified") is the standard clean opinion.
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 011, 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.