Colleges Reap $6 Billion in Gifts

Higher education reaped a record $6.32 billion harvest of gifts from corporations, alumni and other private sources in 1984-85, up 13% from the previous year, according to a survey released today.

About $1.1 billion of that estimated total went to a dozen elite private and public universities. The University of California system received $178.4 million in donations. Harvard University led private institutions with $145.6 million, according to the annual survey by the Council for Financial Aid to Education, followed by Stanford University, with $125.5 million.