Department of Education

GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY

Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Request

CONTENTS

Page

Appropriations Language ....................................................................................................... M-1

Analysis of Language Provisions and Changes...................................................................... M-2

Appropriation, Adjustments, and Transfers ............................................................................ M-3

Authorizing Legislation........................................................................................................... M-4

Appropriations History............................................................................................................ M-5

Activity:

Gallaudet University ..........................................................................................................M-6

GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY

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Appropriations Language

For the Kendall Demonstration Elementary School, the Model Secondary School for the 

Deaf, and the partial support of Gallaudet University under titles I and II of the Education of the 

Deaf Act of 1986, $137,361,000: Provided, That from the total amount available, the University 

may at its discretion use funds for the endowment program as authorized under section 207 of 

such Act.

1

(Department of Education Appropriations Act, 2020.)

NOTE

Each language provision that is followed by a footnote reference is explained in the Analysis of Language 

Provisions and Changes document which follows the appropriation language.
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Analysis of Language Provisions and Changes

Language Provision Explanation

1... Provided, That from the total amount 

available, the University may at its discretion 

use funds for the endowment program as 

authorized under section 207 of such Act.

This language provides authority for the 

University to use funds from the general 

appropriation for the Endowment Grant 

program.
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Appropriation, Adjustments, and Transfers

(dollars in thousands)

Appropriation/Adjustments/Transfers 2019 2020 2021

Discretionary:

Discretionary budget authority: Appropriation ................................................. $134,361 $137,361 $137,361

Discretionary budget authority: Total, discretionary appropriation ................ 134,361 137,361 137,361
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M-4

Authorizing Legislation

(dollars in thousands)

Activity

2020

Authorized

2020 2021

Authorized

2021

Request

University programs (EDA l-A) ............................................. 0

1 $137,361 To be determined1 $137,361

Elementary and Secondary Education programs (EDA I-A) . 0

1 (2) To be determined1 (2)

Construction (EDA l-103) ..................................................... 0

1 0 To be determined1 0

Endowment grant (EDA ll-207)............................................. 0

1 (2) To be determined1 (2)

Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting (EDA II-205)............... 0

1

 0 To be determined1 0

Total annual appropriation.............................................. 137,361 137,361

Portion of the request subject to reauthorization............. 137,361

1 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2015. Reauthorizing legislation is sought for fiscal year 2021.

2 Funding for the Elementary and Secondary Education programs and Endowment Grant program is provided together with funding for operations through a single 

appropriations amount. The University determines the split between the University programs, Elementary and Secondary Education programs, and the 

Endowment Grant program.
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Appropriations History 

(dollars in thousands)

Year

Budget 

Estimate 

to Congress

House 

Allowance Footnote

Senate 

Allowance Footnote AppropriationFootnote

2012 $118,000 $122,7541 $125,7541 $125,516

2013 117,541 125,5162 125,0002 118,951

2014 117,541 N/A3 118,5414 119,000

2015 119,000 N/A3 121,5504 120,275

2016 120,275 121,2755 120,2755 121,275

2017 121,275 121,2756 121,2756 121,275

2018 120,451 128,0007 121,2757 128,0007

2019 121,275 134,3618 133,0008 134,3618

2020 121,275 138,361 136,3619 137,3619

2021 137,361

1 The level for the House allowance reflects an introduced bill and the level for the Senate allowance reflects Senate 

Committee action only.

2 The levels for the House and Senate allowances reflect action on the regular annual 2013 appropriations bill, which 

proceeded in the 112th Congress only through the House Subcommittee and the Senate Committee.

3 The House allowance is shown as N/A because there was no Subcommittee action.

4 The level for the Senate allowance reflects Senate Subcommittee action only.

5 The levels for House and Senate allowances reflect action on the regular annual 2016 appropriations bill, which 

proceeded in the 114th Congress only through the House Committee and Senate Committee.

6 The levels for the House and Senate allowances reflect Committee action on the regular annual 2017 

appropriations bill.

7 The level for the House allowance reflects floor action on the Omnibus appropriations bill; the Senate allowance 

reflects Committee action on the regular annual 2018 appropriations bill; the Appropriation reflects the Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2018 (P.L. 115-141).

8 The levels for House and Senate allowances reflect Committee action on the regular annual 2019 appropriations 

bill; the Appropriation reflects enactment of the Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and 

Education Appropriations Act, 2019 (P.L. 115-245).

9 The Senate allowance reflects the Chairman’s mark; the Appropriation reflects the Further Consolidated 

Appropriation Act, 2020 (P.L. 116-94).
GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY

University

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Gallaudet University

(Education of the Deaf Act, Title I, Part A and Section 207)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2021 Authorization: To be determined1

Budget Authority:

2020

Appropriation

2021

Request

Change from 

2020 to 2021

$137,361 $137,361 0

1 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2015; reauthorizing legislation is sought for fiscal year 2021.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Gallaudet University (University) is a private, nonprofit institution of higher education (IHE) 

located in Washington, DC. The University received its Federal charter in 1864, and since has 

sought to provide high-quality, bilingual (American Sign Language and English) undergraduate, 

graduate, and continuing education programs for deaf and hard of hearing individuals, and for 

hearing students wishing to pursue careers in fields related to deafness. 

The University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Undergraduate students can choose from more than 40 areas of study leading to a Bachelor of 

Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. Program offerings, including pre-law, pre-medicine, prearchitecture, and pre-business, are designed to increase the numbers deaf and hard of hearing 

individuals who enter these professions. Graduate programs are open to deaf, hard of hearing, 

and hearing students and include Master of Arts and Master of Science degrees, specialist 

degrees, certificates, and doctoral degrees. 

To increase the effectiveness of its instructional programs, the University also offers 

communications training, counseling, and other support services for the campus community. 

Research is a key component of Gallaudet’s mission as a university and is a major goal in the 

current Gallaudet Strategic Plan. Major grant support includes research, development, and 

training programs in visual language and learning, access to communication for deaf and hard 

of hearing people, genetics, and technology assessment. 

Hearing Undergraduate Students (HUGS) Program: Gallaudet implemented the HUGS pilot in 

2000 to enroll a limited number of hearing students into this undergraduate program. Under a

2013 agreement with the Department that was in place for 5 years, incoming hearing students 

may not exceed 8 percent of each year’s total number of newly enrolled undergraduate students 

at Gallaudet (online programs are exempt from this cap). The Department currently is reviewing 
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a request from the University to maintain these policies. 

The 76 degree-seeking HUGS (72 on-campus and 4 online) in fall 2019 represented 7 percent 

of undergraduate enrollment at the University. As of fall 2019, a total of 114 hearing students 

were enrolled in undergraduate programs, and the University anticipates this number will 

increase to 130 in fiscal year 2021. 

Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center: Gallaudet University also operates the Laurent 

Clerc National Deaf Education Center (Clerc Center), which includes two accredited 

demonstration schools serving deaf and hard of hearing elementary and secondary students: 

the Kendall Demonstration Elementary School (KDES) and the Model Secondary School for the 

Deaf (MSSD). The Clerc Center maintains and operates KDES and MSSD for the primary 

purpose of improving the quality of education afforded to deaf and hard of hearing students by 

developing, evaluating, and disseminating innovative curricula, instructional techniques and 

strategies, and other materials that can be used in a variety of educational environments. 

Through its National Mission programs, the Clerc Center is responsible for conducting research 

related to deaf education and for the provision of training and technical assistance to 

professionals and families around the country. 

Program Operations: In fiscal year 2019, the Federal funding represented approximately twothirds of Gallaudet’s total annual revenue. Roughly 75 percent of the Federal appropriation was 

used for university-level instructional programs, research programs, outreach programs, and the 

regional partnership, with the remainder used for Clerc Center activities. Federal funding for the 

Clerc Center represented nearly 100 percent of total estimated funding for KDES and MSSD.

Federal Endowment Grant Program: The Federal Endowment Grant Program is designed to 

assist in meeting the future needs of Gallaudet University by producing a growing independent 

source of revenue for the University. As of September 30, 2019, the value of the Federal 

Endowment Grant Program corpus, including Federal, private, and reinvested funds, was 

$73.6 million, the same as it was the prior fiscal year. The University does not intend to use any 

of its appropriation to match Endowment Grant funds in fiscal year 2021.

Other Revenue: In addition to the direct Federal appropriation, Gallaudet’s non-Federal revenue 

includes interest from the Federal Endowment Grant program, revenue from grants and 

contracts, and student tuition and fees. During academic year 2018-2019, Gallaudet students 

received approximately $13.1 million in vocational rehabilitation payments and $12.4 million in 

Federal student financial aid, including $3.3 million in Pell Grants. In addition, Gallaudet 

received approximately $32.3 million in student tuition, room, board, and fees. Gallaudet 

receives additional funds from auxiliary enterprises revenues, donations, investment income, 

and a small amount from miscellaneous sources. In 2019, the Federal appropriation 

represented approximately 68 percent of Gallaudet’s total revenue.

Regional Partnership: The fiscal year 2019 appropriation provided Gallaudet $2 million to 

establish a regional partnership focused on early language acquisition for children from birth 

through age three who are deaf or hard of hearing. Gallaudet established a regional partnership

on June 17, 2019, operated by the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind (AIDB), to serve 

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, 
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and Tennessee. During the first year of the partnership, AIDB is focused on building

partnerships with agencies and service providers throughout the nine-State region.

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

2016..............................................................................$121,275

2017................................................................................121,275

2018................................................................................128,000

2019................................................................................134,361

2020................................................................................137,361

FY 2021 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2021, the Administration requests $137.4 million for Gallaudet University, level 

with the fiscal year 2020 appropriation, to maintain strong support for the University and the 

Clerc Center. The funds will be used to support a wide range of activities at the University and 

the Clerc Center that help strengthen educational and employment opportunities for persons 

who are deaf or hard of hearing; continued programming for approximately 1,500 undergraduate 

and graduate students enrolled at the University; nearly 275 elementary and secondary 

education students enrolled in Clerc Center programs; and Gallaudet’s ongoing strategic 

initiatives focused on access to rigorous and critical learning, research, and career pathways 

and impact beyond campus.

UNIVERSITY OPERATIONS DATA

Operations Data 2019 2020 2021

Annual tuition and fees (in whole dollars):

Annual tuiti on and fees (in whole dollars): Base Tuition1 $16,513 $16,513 $16,513

Annual tuiti on and fees (in whole dollars): Room 7,052 7,193 7,344

Annual tuiti on and fees (in whole dollars): Board 6,414 6,499 6,695

Annual tuiti on and fees (in whole dollars): Fees 526 526 526

Annual tuiti on and fees (in whole dollars): Total 30,505 30,731 31,078

NOTE: All data are provided by the University. 

1 Graduate students and international students are charged a tuition surcharge.
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UNIVERSITY OPERATIONS DATA

Operations Data 2019 2020 2021

Program enrollment:

Program enrollment: Number of full-time degree-seeking 

undergraduates 1,066 1,005 969

Program enrollment: Number of non-degree & part-time 

undergraduate students 331 311 268

Program enrollment: Number of graduate students 411 406 388

Program enrollment: Total 1,808 1722 1625

Number of MSSD students 160 161 160

Number of KDES students 111 111 111

Student/faculty ratios:

Student/faculty r ati os: University 7:1 6:1 7:1

Student/faculty r ati os: MSSD 7:1 7:1 7:1

Student/faculty r ati os: KDES 5:1 5:1 5:1

NOTE: All data are provided by the University. 

PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

This section presents selected program performance information, including, for example, GPRA 

goals, objectives, measures, and performance targets and data; and an assessment of the 

progress made toward achieving program results. Achievement of program results is based on 

the cumulative effect of the Federal resources provided for this program as well as the 

resources and efforts invested by those served by the program.

Goal: To challenge students who are deaf, graduate students who are deaf, and graduate 

students who are hearing, to achieve their academic goals and obtain productive 

employment, provide leadership in setting the national standard for best practices in 

education of the deaf and hard of hearing, and establish a sustainable resource base.

Objective: The University Programs and the Model Secondary School for the Deaf and the 

Kendall Demonstration Elementary School will optimize the number of students completing 

programs of study.
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Measure: The percentage of first-time, full-time degree-seeking undergraduate students who 

were in their first year of postsecondary enrollment in the previous year and are enrolled in the 

current year; and the percentage of all graduate students eligible to return for the following 

academic year who are enrolled in that year.

Year Undergraduate 

Target

Undergraduate 

Actual Graduate Target Graduate Actual

2016 75% 80% 80% 84%

2017 75 63 80 81

2018 75 72 80 81

2019 75 75 85 85

2020 75 85

2021 75 85

Additional information: The calculation for the undergraduate measure is based on the 

persistence of first-time, full-time freshmen students from one fall semester to the next fall 

semester and is consistent with the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 

methodology. 

The methodology for the graduate measure uses a cohort formula and limits the calculation to 

master’s level students, because the expected period of enrollment for master’s level students is 

consistent across programs, whereas the expected period of enrollment for students in other 

graduate programs can vary significantly. This method of calculating the graduate persistence 

rate is comparable to the method of calculating the undergraduate persistence rate.

Measure: The percentage of first-time, full-time degree-seeking baccalaureate students who 

graduate within 6 years of enrollment.

Year Target Actual

2016 42% 43%

2017 45 53

2018 45 47

2019 50 51

2020 50

2021 50

Additional information: This measure is consistent with the standard IPEDS methodology that 

uses a 6-year cohort graduation rate, based on the same entering cohort as the IPEDS firstyear persistence indicator; that is the percentage of all incoming first-time, full-time freshmen 

students in one semester who have graduated by the end of 6 years after entry. 
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Measure: The graduation rate for master’s students. 

Year Target Actual

2016 74% 76%

2017 74 81

2018 74 81

2019 74 77

2020 74

2021 74

Additional information: IPEDS does not collect graduation rate data for graduate students; the 

University calculates this measure using a cohort approach that counts students as graduates if 

they successfully complete a master’s program within 3 years of enrolling. 

Measure: The graduation rate for MSSD students. 

Year Target Actual

2016 65% 79%

2017 65 89

2018 70 69

2019 70 77

2020 70

2021 70

Additional information: This measure is based on a 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate, 

based on first-time 9th grade cohorts, including students who transfer in and subtracting 

students who transfer out. 

Objective: Curriculum and extracurricular activities prepare students to meet the skill 

requirements of the workplace or to continue their studies.

Measure: The percentage of Gallaudet University graduates with baccalaureate degrees 

surveyed who are employed, in advanced education or training, or are neither employed nor 

enrolled in advanced education or training during their first year after graduation.

Year

Students 

Employed 

Target

Students 

Employed 

Actual

Students in 

Advanced 

Education 

or Training 

Target

Students in 

Advanced 

Education 

or Training 

Actual

Not 

Engaged in 

Either 

Activity 

Target

Not 

Engaged in 

Either 

Activity 

Actual

2016 53% 70% 45% 26% 2% 6%

2017 53 76 45 19 2 5

2018 53 70 45 26 2 4

2019 55 43 2

2020 55 43 2

2021 55 43 2

Additional information: The “Students Employed” category includes both full- and part-time 

employment. Advanced education or training includes students enrolled full- or part-time in a 
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master's or Ph.D. program, a vocational or technical program, or another type of program, e.g.,

law school or medical school. Each alumnus is counted only once in his or her primary category, 

with employment given the highest ranking. Thus, those graduates who were employed and in 

advanced education or training 1 year after graduation are categorized only once—in the 

“Students employed” category.

Data for these measures are reported to the Department 2 years following graduation. The source 

of the data is an annual survey sent to students who have graduated from the University within the 

previous year. The 2018 survey response rate was 68.5 percent. 

Measure: The percentage of MSSD graduates surveyed who are employed or in postsecondary 

education or training, or are neither employed nor enrolled in postsecondary education or training 

during their first year after graduation.

 Year

Students in 

Postsecondary 

Education or 

Training or 

Employed Target

Students in 

Postsecondary 

Education or 

Training or 

Employed Actual

Not Engaged in 

Either Activity 

Target

Not Engaged in 

Either Activity 

Actual

2016 100% 79% 0% 21%

2017 100 89 0 11

2018 100 81 0 19

2019 100 0

2020 100 0

2021 100 0

Additional information: The data on employment and postsecondary education or training is 

derived from an annual survey of students who graduated from MSSD during the previous year. 

In fiscal year 2019, the response rate for the 2018 graduating class was 78 percent.

Objective: Gallaudet works in partnership with others to develop and disseminate educational 

programs and materials for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.

Measure: The number of programs and/or institutions adopting Model/Kendall innovative 

strategies/curricula or modifying their strategies as a result of Model and Kendall’s leadership.

Year Target Actual

2016 120 360

2017 140 99

2018 140 215

2019 140 57

2020 140

2021 140

Additional information: The Department is working with Gallaudet on developing more valid, 

reliable and meaningful measures related to the national mission activities of the Clerc Center. 

The goal is to identify alternatives that would assess the impact of evidence-based research 

projects, other scholarly activities, and demonstration and program development activities on 

improving educational outcomes for individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing. In the interim, 
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the Department increased the 2017 through 2021 targets for the existing measure to make them 

more ambitious.

Efficiency Measures 

Objective: To improve the efficiency of operations at Gallaudet, as defined by the cost per 

successful student outcome, where the successful outcome is defined as graduation. 

Measure: Federal cost per Gallaudet graduate.

Year Target Actual

2016 $269,307 $223,219

2017 269,307 228,727

2018 269,307 237,222

2019 269,307 248,903

2020 269,307

2021 269,307

Additional information: The Federal cost is calculated by averaging the portion of the Federal 

appropriation allocated to the University (i.e., excluding funds allocated to the Clerc Center) for 

the year the students graduated and for the prior 5 years, and dividing this average by the 

number of graduates in the graduation year. For example, the fiscal year 2019 data on the 

Federal cost per graduate, as reported by Gallaudet University, is based on an average of the 

cost per graduate from fiscal year 2014 to 2019. Gallaudet’s Federal cost per graduate 

increased by 4.9 percent in fiscal year 2019. This approximates the IPEDS indicator length of 

6 years to graduation. Graduates include students receiving bachelor’s degrees, graduate 

certificates, master’s degrees, and doctoral degrees. 

Measure: Total educational cost per Gallaudet graduate.

Year Target Actual

2016 $321,474 $256,199

2017 321,474 266,033

2018 321,474 277,524

2019 321,474 289,466

2020 321,474

2021 321,474

Additional information: Total educational cost per Gallaudet graduate is calculated by dividing 

the average of the current year’s and the previous 5 years’ total student expenditures by the 

number of undergraduate and graduate students awarded degrees during a given fiscal year. 

For example, the fiscal year 2019 data on the Federal cost per graduate, as reported by 

Gallaudet University, is based on an average of the cost per graduate from fiscal year 2014 to 

2019. This approximates the IPEDS indicator length of 6 years to graduation.