The 15 biggest private donations to universities by the ultra rich

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• Here are the 15 largest donations to public and private colleges, tracked using data from $4.
• The largest donation belongs to billionaire and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.
• Nike co-founder Phil Knight has made several donations above $100 million to schools on the West Coast.
• $4

Billionaire Robert F. Smith $4 after announcing he would pay off all student loans for the 400-person graduating class at Atlanta's Morehouse College.

The gift, which reportedly amounts to $40 million, differs from other college donations because it goes toward eliminating college debt for students. Philanthropists and billionaires typically give colleges millions to fund programs or build new schools.

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The largest gift in higher education belongs to Michael Bloomberg, who $4 to make his alma mater, Johns Hopkins University, "need-blind."

$4, which >$4to higher education after 1967, updated its list of the priciest single donations to universities and colleges earlier this month. The Chronicle found over 100 donations that totaled $101 million or more.

Here are the 15 most generous single-time donations to colleges and universities since 1967. (The list excludes donations to educational institutes or programs.)