Department of Education

GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY

Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Request

CONTENTS

Page

Appropriations Language ........................................................................................................ L-1

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

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

Authorizing Legislation............................................................................................................ L-4

Appropriations History............................................................................................................. L-5

Activity:

Gallaudet University ...........................................................................................................L-6
GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY

L-1

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, [$134,361,000] $121,275,000: 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, 2019.)

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 2018 2019 2020

Discretionary:

Discretionar y budget authority: Appropriation ........................................................... $128,000 $134,361 $121,275

Discretionar y budget authority: Total, discretionary appropriation ..........................128,000 134,361 121,275
GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY

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L-4

Authorizing Legislation

(dollars in thousands)

Activity

2019

Authorized

2019

Estimate

2020

Authorized

2020

Request

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

1

$134,361 To be determined1 $121,275

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.............................................. 134,361 121,275

Portion of the request subject to reauthorization............. 121,275

1

The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2015. Reauthorizing legislation is sought for fiscal year 2020.

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

2011 $118,000 $123,0001 $128,0002 $122,7543

2012 118,000 122,7544 125,7544 125,516

2013 117,541 125,5165 125,0005 118,951

2014 117,541 N/A6 118,541 119,000

2015 119,000 N/A6 121,5507 120,275

2016 120,275 121,2758 120,2758 121,275

2017 121,275 121,2759 121,2759 121,275

2018 120,451 128,00010 121,27510 128,00010

2019 121,275 134,36111 133,00011 134,36111

2020 121,275

1

The level for the House allowance reflects the House-passed full-year continuing resolution.

2

The level for the Senate allowance reflects Committee action only.

3

The level for appropriation reflects the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011 

(P.L. 112-10).

4

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

Committee action only.

5

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.

6

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

7

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

8

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.

9

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

appropriations bill.

10 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).

11 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).
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 2020 Authorization: To be determined1

Budget Authority:

2019 2020 Change 

$134,361 $121,275 -$13,086

1

The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2015; reauthorizing legislation is sought for fiscal year 2020.

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 individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, 

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 of individuals who are 

deaf or hard of hearing 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. 

Gallaudet University Enrollment Trends: Between fiscal years 2010 and 2018, the appropriation 

for the University’s program operations increased by approximately 4 percent. During the same 

period, total postsecondary enrollment (which includes full- and part-time degree-seeking and 

non-degree-seeking undergraduate and graduate students) declined by 6 percent, from 1,870 

to 1,761. 
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Hearing Undergraduate Students (HUGS) Program: Gallaudet implemented the HUGS pilot in 

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

Department conducted a review of the program in fiscal year 2006 and formally approved a 

policy of allowing the use of Federal funds to support students who are hearing, but stipulated 

that incoming hearing students may not exceed 5 percent of each year’s total number of newly 

enrolled undergraduate students at Gallaudet. In January 2013, the Department approved a 

request from the University to increase the cap to 8 percent and to exempt the University’s

online programs from the cap for a 5-year period. The 78 degree-seeking HUGS (69 on-campus 

and 9 online) in fall 2018 represented 7 percent of new undergraduate enrollment at the 

University. As of fall 2018, a total of 127 hearing students were enrolled in undergraduate 

programs, and the University anticipates this number will increase to 178 in fiscal year 2020. 

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. 

To help ensure the materials developed by the Clerc Center are relevant to potential users, the 

Education of the Deaf Act (EDA) requires KDES and MSSD to serve students preparing for 

college, other postsecondary opportunities, or the workplace; as well as those with a broad 

spectrum of needs, including students who are lower achieving academically, come from nonEnglish speaking homes, have secondary disabilities, are members of minority groups, or are 

from rural areas. For students placed in KDES or MSSD by a local educational agency (LEA), 

the LEA is responsible for ensuring that special education and related services are provided to 

those students in a manner that is consistent with the requirements of Part B of the Individuals 

with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). For students who are enrolled by their parents, the EDA 

requires the University to ensure that any special education and related services are provided in 

accordance with Part B of IDEA. The EDA also makes specific requirements and procedural 

safeguards from the IDEA applicable to parentally placed children at KDES or MSSD that would 

not otherwise apply because they are not placed by their LEAs. 

The EDA, as amended, requires the University, in administering the Clerc Center, to select 

challenging academic content standards, academic achievement standards, and academic 

assessments of a State and adopt them pursuant to specified requirements under the 

Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended. In fall 2015, the Clerc Center 

entered into a partnership with the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) to ensure

the continued provision of state-level, standards-based instruction and assessments for 

students who are deaf or hard of hearing. The partnership with MSDE allows the Clerc Center to 

ensure KDES students in grades three through eight and high school students at MSSD take 
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the required assessments in reading/language arts and mathematics, and allows the Clerc 

Center to report assessment results publically, as required by the EDA.

Clerc Center Enrollment Trends: Total enrollment in KDES and MSSD remained steady at 

277 students from 2017 to 2018. MSSD enrollment increased 5 percent from 166 students in 

2017 to 174 students in 2018, while KDES enrollment decreased 7 percent from 111 students to 

103 students. However, current combined enrollment at the Clerc Center is nearly 25 percent 

below the 2006 count of 367 combined students (the last year that both schools met or 

exceeded their target enrollments).

Program Operations: In fiscal year 2018, the Federal funding represented nearly two-thirds of 

Gallaudet’s total annual revenue. Roughly 70 percent of the Federal appropriation was used for 

university-level instructional, research, and outreach programs, 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 August 22, 2018, 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 2020.

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, student tuition and fees, and funding University students receive through the Federal 

student aid and vocational rehabilitation programs. During academic year 2017-2018, Gallaudet 

students received approximately $11.3 million in vocational rehabilitation payments and 

$12.5 million in Federal student financial aid, including $3.3 million in Pell Grants. In addition, 

Gallaudet received approximately $28.7 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 2017, the Federal appropriation 

represented approximately 66 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 is in the process of developing

such a partnership agreement.
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Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

2015.............................................................................. .... $120,275

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

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

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

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

FY 2020 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration requests $121.3 million for Gallaudet University in fiscal year 2020, a 

decrease of $13.1 million from the fiscal year 2019 appropriation and the same as the fiscal 

year 2019 request. The request would provide substantial resources to maintain operations and 

programs at Gallaudet University (University) and the Clerc Center, while also maintaining the 

fiscal discipline necessary to support the President’s goal of increasing support for national 

security and public safety without adding to the Federal budget deficit. 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 1,800 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled 

at the University; nearly 300 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 2018 2019 2020

Annual tuition and fees (in whole dollars):

Annual tuiti on and fees (in whole dollars): Base Tuition1$16,032 $16,512 $16,512

Annual tuiti on and fees (in whole dollars): Room 6,914 7,052 7,193

Annual tuiti on and fees (in whole dollars): Board 6,130 6,310 6,626

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

Annual tuiti on and fees (in whole dollars): Total 29,602 30,400 30,857

NOTE: All data are provided by the University. 

1 Graduate students and international students are charged a tuition surcharge.
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University

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UNIVERSITY OPERATIONS DATA

Operations Data 2018 2019 2020

Program enrollment:

Program enroll ment: Number of full-time degree-seeking 

undergraduates 1,074 1,095 1,114

Program enroll ment: Number of non-degree & part-time 

undergraduate students 399 413 407

Program enroll ment: Number of graduate students 288 259 306

Program enroll ment: Total 1,761 1,767 1,827

Number of MSSD students 174 180 185

Number of KDES students 103 115 120

Student/faculty ratios:

Student/faculty r ati os: University 7:1 7:1 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 resources provided in previous years and those requested in fiscal 

year 2020 and future years, as well as the resources and efforts invested by those served by 

this program.
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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.

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

2015 75% 67% 80% 84%

2016 75 80 80 84

2017 75 63 80 81

2018 75 72 80 81

2019 75 85

2020 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. Other 4-year private nonprofit colleges have an average persistence rate of 

82 percent. 

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

2015 40% 46%

2016 42 43

2017 45 53

2018 45 47

2019 50

2020 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 first-
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year 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. 

Measure: The graduation rate for master’s students. 

Year Target Actual

2015 74% 83%

2016 74 76

2017 74 81

2018 74 81

2019 74

2020 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

2015 65% 73%

2016 65 79

2017 65 89

2018 70 69

2019 70

2020 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

2015 53% 67% 45% 27% 2% 7%

2016 53 70 45 26 2 6

2017 53 76 45 19 2 5

2018 53 45 2

2019 55 43 2

2020 55 43 2
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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 

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 2017 survey response rate was 34 percent. To supplement this response, 

additional information is collected about recent alumni through the National Clearinghouse’s 

Student Tracker service on alumni attendance at other universities.

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

2015 100% 83% 0% 17%

2016 100 79 0 21

2017 100 89 0 11

2018 100 0

2019 100 0

2020 100 0

Additional information: This measure provides the percentage of students who are either (1) 

employed or enrolled in postsecondary education or (2) not engaged in either activity. 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 2018, the response 

rate for the 2017 graduating class was 84 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

2015 120 77

2016 120 360

2017 140 99

2018 140 215

2019 140

2020 140
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Additional information: Gallaudet has noted that the number of programs adopting innovations 

from year to year will vary based on the number and type of strategies and curricula being 

disseminated by the Clerc Center at a given point in time, the changing needs of programs 

serving students who are deaf, and the financial and personnel resources available within these 

programs for training and implementation activities. The Department is working with Gallaudet 

on developing more valid, reliable and meaningful measures related to the national mission 

activities of the Clerc Center as alternatives to this measure that would indicate a percentage 

rather than a number. 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, the Department increased the 2017 through 2020 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

2015 $263,768 $238,197

2016 269,307 223,219

2017 269,307 228,727

2018 269,307 237,222

2019 269,307

2020 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. 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. Federal student financial aid, vocational 

rehabilitation payments, other Federal support for students, Federal grants and contracts, 

appropriations for construction, and the Federal Endowment Grant program are not included in 

this calculation.

For example, the fiscal year 2018 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 2013 to 

2018. Gallaudet’s Federal cost per graduate increased by 3.7 percent in fiscal year 2018.

Gallaudet proposed to establish targets that account for future inflation by using the Consumer 

Price Index (CPI), with the goal of limiting increases on the Federal cost per graduate to less 

than those of the CPI. Gallaudet and the Department determined that the Consumer Price Index 

for All Urban Consumers (CPIU) represents the most reasonable basis for calculating inflation. 

The Department set an initial target for fiscal year 2010, which was increased by the estimated 
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rate of inflation for fiscal years 2011 through 2016. The Department maintained the 2016 target 

in 2017 through 2020 since the trend has been consistently below that amount.

Measure: Total educational cost per Gallaudet graduate.

Year Target Actual

2015 $314,862 $270,652

2016 321,474 256,199

2017 321,474 266,033

2018 321,474 277,524

2019 321,474

2020 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. 

The cost is composed of the total program budget excluding IPEDS expenditure categories 

associated with research, public services, auxiliary enterprises, and construction, plus the 

Endowment Grant program. This approximates the IPEDS indicator length of 6 years to 

graduation. This figure is then divided by the number of graduates in that school year. The 

measure looks at the total cost of educating a student at Gallaudet as an indication of how 

efficiently the University operates. The measure uses existing cost data reported to the 

Department as part of the University’s budget submission. The fiscal year 2018 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 2013 to 2018.

Gallaudet proposed to establish targets that account for future inflation by using the CPI, with 

the goal of limiting increases on the total cost per graduate to less than those of the CPI. 

Gallaudet and the Department determined that the CPIU represents the most reasonable basis 

for calculating inflation. The Department set an initial target for the total educational cost 

measure for fiscal year 2010, which was increased by the estimated rate of inflation for fiscal 

years 2011 through 2016. The Department maintained the 2016 target in 2017 through 2020 

since the trend has been consistently below that amount.