Just How Rich Are America’s Richest Universities? A Quiz.

By Chris Kirk

98954114-woman-sits-outside-harvard-law-schools-langdell-hall-may — CAMBRIDGE, MA - MAY 10: A woman sits outside Harvard Law School's Langdell Hall May 10, 2010 at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. U.S. President Barack Obama announced today the nomination of Solicitor General Elena Kagan, former Harvard Law School Dean from 2003-2009, to the Supreme Court succeeding retiring Justice John Paul Stevens. (Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images)

It’s common knowledge that the richest people in America claim a huge share of the wealth. The same is true of our richest colleges. Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, and other elite universities sit on mind-bogglingly large endowments—Harvard alone has $36.4 billion—thanks in part to the U.S. government, which doesn’t send them a tax bill. What share of the total endowment wealth in the U.S. is controlled by the richest universities? Take your best guess below, then see what the real distribution is.

Interactive by Chris Kirk. Coin illustration by Kirill Tomilov/Noun Project. College building illustration by Creative Stall/Noun Project.

Also in Slate: Is it time to tax Harvard’s endowment?