Standard & Poor’s upgrades LIU’s credit rating

Teri West
Long Island University, which recently received a credit upgrade. (Wikimedia Commons)

Long Island University received a credit upgrade from Standard & Poor’s for the fourth year in a row, according to the university.

The rating increased from BBB to BBB+, said the university’s director of public relations, Gordon L. Tepper.

Such credit ratings are evaluations of factors such as out-of-state enrollment, endowment and affordability.

Standard & Poor’s highlighted LIU’s management and increased recruitment efforts and alumni engagement as leading to its upgrade, the university said.

“Our goal moving forward is to grow new, strategic programs aimed at market needs,” the university’s CEO, Christopher Fevola, said in a news release. “We are focused on continuing to attract high-achieving students who graduate on time.”

LIU’s endowment increased by about 165 percent between 2013 and 2018, the release said. Its tuition increase has been capped at 2 percent for the last five years.

During that time, the average SAT score for its first-year students has increased by an average of 12.2 percent.

The university’s faculty is undertaking an unprecedented amount of research, according to a news release.

The university has a surplus of more than $10 million for the fifth consecutive year, according to LIU.

“I am immensely proud of the efforts of all members of our community,” said the university’s president, Kimberly R. Cline. “This upgrade by Standard & Poor’s is yet another indicator that our future is strong and that we are well positioned to deliver on our commitment to academic excellence.”

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