For more context, here are the top 15, using November 2017 data:
15. University of Florida (SEC) - 415,000+
14. University of Illinois (B1G) - 425,000+
13. University of Wisconsin (B1G) - 435,412
12. Texas A&M (SEC) - 436,000+
11. New York University - 470,000
10. Purdue University (B1G) - 479,025
9. University of Texas (Big 12) - 482,000+
8. Rutgers University (B1G) - 486,000+
7. University of California, Berkeley (Pac 12) - 499,604
6. Ohio State University (B1G) - 500,000
5. University of California, Los Angeles (Pac 12) - 500,000+
4. Michigan State University (B1G) - 552,000
3. University of Michigan (B1G) - 575,000
2. Indiana University (B1G) - 650,000+
1. Penn State University (B1G) - 673,000
Here are some numbers that matter more:
https://www.philanthropy.com/article/Donations-to-Colleges-Up-6-in/242441
Rank Institution Total raised
1 Harvard University $1.28 billion
2 Stanford University $1.13 billion
3 Cornell University $743.50 million
4 Massachusetts Institute of Technology $672.94 million
5 University of Southern California $668.33 million
6 Johns Hopkins University $636.91 million
7 University of Pennsylvania $626.49 million
8 Columbia University $603.08 million
9 Yale University $595.89 million
10 Duke University $581.05 million
11 New York University $567.12 million
12 University of Washington $553.89 million
13 University of California-Los Angeles $550.93 million
14 University of Chicago $483.47 million
15 University of Michigan $456.13 million
16 University of Notre Dame $451.43 million
17 University of California-San Francisco $422.17 million
18 University of California-Berkeley $404.59 million
19 Ohio State University $401.85 million
20 Indiana University $398.26 million
https://magazine.rutgers.edu/features/playing-the-percentages
There are explanations for the relative lack of alumni participation. Although most former students will say they got a first-rate education at Rutgers, they will also point out that the student experience wasn’t so great. For many students who graduated from one of the schools at Rutgers University–New Brunswick, for instance, it might have been dealing with the buses, or the chronic entanglement in administrative red tape, or the general sense of a lack of customer service. These negatives have been addressed. “As students graduate with a great education
and a great experience, it will be easier for Rutgers to invite them to make gifts,” says Kessler, pointing out that the foundation and the
Department of Alumni Relations have teamed up to begin a student philanthropy and engagement program to raise awareness early in students’ academic careers to help them understand the value of giving and its role in funding Rutgers.