Deck 15: Accounting for Colleges and Universities

Question 1

Cactus College,a small private college,received a research grant from NACUBO to study whether service efforts and accomplishments measures improve institutional performance.In accordance with FASB standards the grant would be reported as an increase in:

A) Unrestricted net assets.
B) Temporarily restricted net assets.
C) Permanently restricted net assets.
D) Unrestricted designated net assets.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

If a private university used the National Association of Colleges and University Business Officers (NACUBO)chart of accounts for reporting expenses,it must disclose expenses by program and support function in the notes.

Answer 2

True
Explanation: To comply with the FASB requirement that at a minimum the functional classifications of program and support be reported, private colleges and universities using the NACUBO chart of accounts would disclose the functional classifications in the notes.

Question 3

A receipt of a $500,000 gift by a private college that is stipulated by the donor to be used to endow a "chaired" professorship in accounting would be recorded as an increase in temporarily restricted net assets.

Answer 3

False
Explanation: The term endow indicates that the corpus of the gift is to remain intact in perpetuity, so this gift would increase permanently restricted net assets in a private college.

Question 4

Which of the following statements is true regarding generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP)for colleges and universities?

A) The FASB has set standards for private and public colleges and universities from the time of its inception in 1974.
B) The National Association of Colleges and University Business Officers (NACUBO)provides category (b)accounting principles under the FASB GAAP hierarchy.
C) Public and private colleges and universities are subject to the requirements in the AICPA audit and accounting guide for Not-for-Profit Entities.
D) The GASB is responsible for establishing GAAP for public colleges and universities.

Question 5

Tuition refunds are recorded by debiting Tuition and Fees-Unrestricted.

Question 6

Nongovernmental (private)colleges and universities should follow FASB standards; governmental (public)colleges and universities should follow GASB standards.

Question 7

Public colleges and universities that use business-type reporting must present segment information in the notes to the financial statements.

Question 8

Revenues and expenses of both public business-type and private colleges and universities are accounted for on the accrual basis.

Question 9

Contributions or grants restricted by an external donor for a particular operating purpose would be reported as increases to restricted fund balances by a public college or university engaged only in business-type activities and as an addition to temporarily restricted net assets by a private college or university.

Question 10

What type of college or university must report expenses by functional classification?

A) Both private and public colleges and universities.
B) Private colleges and universities.
C) Public colleges and universities.
D) Neither private nor public colleges and universities.

Question 11

Assets set aside for an endowment by a university governing board would be reported as unrestricted.

Question 12

A private college would record a federal grant received to test a medical device that the federal government intends to patent as Contributions-Temporarily Restricted.

Question 13

Which of the following receipts may properly be accounted for as an increase in unrestricted net assets by a private college?

A) Student tuition and fees.
B) Gift from an alumnus for a new college of business building.
C) Federal grant for genetic research.
D) Acceptance of assets,the income from which will be paid to the donor.

Question 14

A statement of cash flows is required by GAAP for both private colleges and universities and public colleges and universities engaged in business-type activities.

Question 15

Private colleges and universities report term endowments as permanently restricted net assets until the term has expired.

Question 16

Earnings on a private college's endowment investments may increase unrestricted or temporarily restricted net assets,or both.

Question 17

GASB accounting and reporting standards applicable to public colleges and universities

A) Are now the same as FASB standards to permit comparability between public and private colleges and universities.
B) Permit public colleges and universities to use the AICPA model which differs substantially from the reporting model used by private colleges and universities subject to FASB jurisdiction.
C) Permit public colleges and universities to optionally follow FASB standards.
D) Differ in some significant ways from FASB standards applicable to private colleges and universities.

Question 18

A private college would report which of the following assets differently than a public college?

A) Land.
B) Intangible assets.
C) Collections.
D) Equipment.

Question 19

Under GASB standards,public colleges and universities are considered general purpose governments.

Question 20

An annuity agreement requires that a college pay the donor (or other designated individual)a fixed dollar amount at specified time intervals.

Question 21

Which of the following is required as part of a complete set of financial statements for a private college or university?

A) Statement of changes in operations.
B) Statement of revenues,expenses,and changes in net assets.
C) Statement of activities.
D) Statement of functional expenses.

Question 22

The following are key terms in Chapter 15 that relate to accounting for colleges and universities:
A.Term endowments
B.Annuity agreements
C.Collections
D.Pooled life income agreements
E.Spending rate
F.Total return

Question 23

State educational appropriations received by a public university are classified as which of the following on the statement of revenues,expenses,and changes in net position?

A) Nonoperating revenue.
B) Operating revenue.
C) Other financing source.
D) Increase in unrestricted net position.

Question 24

How would estimated uncollectible tuition and fees be reported on the financial statements of a university?

A) It would be reported as part of net revenue by a public university.
B) It would be reported as an operating expense by a public university.
C) It would be reported as an operating expense by a private university.
D) Both A and C are correct methods of reporting estimated uncollectible tuition and fees.

Question 25

During the year ended June 30,2014,Hopkins College,a private college,received a federal government grant of $800,000 for research on the role of music in improving math skills for students.Expenses for this research amounted to $100,000 during the same year.Under FASB standards,which of the following best represents how Hopkins College would report this nonexchange transaction in the net assets section for the year ended June 30,2014?

A) Choice A
B) Choice B
C) Choice C
D) Choice D

Question 26

Which of the following statements usually will not be included in the annual financial report of a governmentally owned public university engaged only in business-type activities?

A) Statement of cash flows.
B) Statement of net position.
C) Statement of activities.
D) Statement of revenues,expenses,and changes in net position.

Question 27

If a private university receives $1,000,000 in fiscal year 2014 as a grant restricted for a specific research project and makes expenditures amounting to $400,000 during fiscal year 2014 properly chargeable to the grant,how much should be reported as revenues in fiscal year 2014? Explain.

Question 28

Colleges and universities often make loans to students.How would these loans be reported on the financial statements?

A) An expense.
B) A receivable.
C) A liability.
D) An investment.

Question 29

Which of the following is a typical classification of a functional expense in a college or university?

A) Academic wages and benefits.
B) Student support.
C) Institutional support.
D) Depreciation.

Question 30

During the years ended June 30,2014 and 2015,Jackson University,a private university,conducted a cancer research project financed by a $1,000,000 gift from an alumnus.The entire amount was pledged by the donor on July 10,2013,although she paid only $200,000 at that date.The gift was restricted to the financing of this particular research project.During the two-year research period,Jackson's gift receipts and research expenses related to the research project were as follows for each fiscal year (FY): FY 2014 FY 2015
Gift receipts $200,000 $800,000
Cancer research expenses $100,000 $900,000
How much contribution revenue should Jackson University report for the year ended June 30,2015?

A) $0
B) $800,000
C) $900,000
D) $1,000,000

Question 31

Which of the following measures may be useful to decision makers evaluating the financial condition of a college or university?

A) Number of graduates.
B) Current ratio.
C) Faculty productivity.
D) Graduation rate.

Question 32

"Tuition and fees should be recorded as revenues of colleges and universities even though they must be reported net of tuition refunds,scholarships,and fellowships." Do you agree or disagree with this statement? If you disagree,explain how refunds,scholarships,and fellowships should be recorded.

Question 33

An alumnus donates securities to a private college and stipulates that the principal be held in perpetuity and income from the securities be used for faculty travel.Dividends received from the securities should be recognized as increases in

A) Endowments.
B) Unrestricted net assets.
C) Permanently restricted net assets.
D) Temporarily restricted net assets.

Question 34

Which of the following statements about the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act (UPMIFA)is correct?

A) It establishes a maximum total return rate for investments.
B) It requires that the spending rate for the return on investments be no more than five percent.
C) It allows institutions to release net assets from restrictions if certain criteria are met.
D) It requires that specific policies concerning solicitation of donations be established.

Question 35

Tuition scholarships for which there is no intention of collection from the student should be classified by a private university as

A) Reductions of gross revenue to arrive at net revenue.
B) Revenues and expenditures.
C) Revenues and expenses.
D) Reductions of gross revenue or as expenses provided they are consistently classified in the same manner from year to year.

Question 36

Economic rationality would argue against a university accepting a split-interest agreement in which a fixed annuity is payable to the donor if:

A) The donor has attached conditions to the gift.
B) The university has no immediate need for the assets.
C) The sum of future annuity payments plus interest thereon exceeds the fair market value of the assets.
D) The present value of the future annuity payments and other liabilities exceed the fair market value of the assets.

Question 37

Which of the following is not a classification of revenues for a college or university as recommended by the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO)?

A) Sporting events.
B) Federal appropriations.
C) Investment income.
D) Private gifts.

Question 38

A college has collected returnable dormitory room deposits from students.How would these deposits be reported by the college?

A) A current liability.
B) Unrestricted revenue.
C) Restricted revenue.
D) A long-term liability.

Question 39

FASB standards applicable to private colleges and universities require that their financial statements include

A) A statement of functional expenses.
B) A statement of net changes in financial position.
C) A statement of activities.
D) Private colleges and universities are required to prepare all of the above statements under FASB standards.

Question 40

Which of the following items would not affect the amounts reported in the Revenues and Gains section of the statement of activities for a private college or university?

A) Student tuition and fees.
B) Tuition and fees discounts and allowances.
C) Net assets released from restriction.
D) Deferred revenues.

Question 41

Prepare in general journal form the entries required for each of the following selected transactions of Northern University,a state-funded public institution engaged only in business-type activities.Some of these transactions are related and some are not.
1)A generous alumnus donated $300,000 that can only be used for research on diabetes.The full $300,000 was received in FY 2014.
2)During FY 2014,expenses of $150,000 were made in cash for diabetes research (see item 1 above).
3)$2,000,000 in long-term bonds was issued to construct a new parking garage on campus.
4)During FY 2014,the parking garage (see item 3 above)was partially completed at a total cash expenditure of $1,800,000.
5)During 2014,interest was paid in the amount of $120,000 on the long-term bonds issued for the parking garage project (see item 3 above).

Question 42

Refunds of college or university tuition or fees should be recorded as expenses in the period in which they are made.Do you agree? Why or why not?

Question 43

Colleges and universities expending federal funds are required to comply with which of the following Office of Management and Budget (OMB)circulars?

A) Circular A-133,"Audits of States,Local Governments and Nonprofit Organizations," if expenditures for the year were $500,000 or more.
B) Circular A-21,"Cost Principles for Educational Institutions," to determine if allowable costs are charged to federal grants.
C) Circular A-110,"Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Other Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education,Hospitals,and Other Non-Profit Organizations" to help administrators determine how expenditures related to federal grants are to be made.
D) All of the above.

Question 44

Manthei University,a private university,has provided the following information concerning selected transactions.Prepare in general journal form the entries required for each of the transactions.
1)The university was awarded a federal grant in the amount of $1,800,000 to be used for a specified research project (determined to be a nonexchange transaction).During the year the entire $1,800,000 was received and expenses for the specified project totaled $1,000,000.
2)Ira Beaker,a renowned chemist and alumnus,donated $7,000,000 to be used for the construction of new chemistry building to be named Beaker Hall.The gift is to be paid to the university in equal installments over a two-year period; the sum for the current year was received in cash.
3)Cash outlays of $2,750,000 were made during the year for construction in progress on the new chemistry building.Other construction projects completed during the year,also financed by temporarily restricted resources,amounted to $1,500,000 for buildings and $500,000 for improvements other than buildings.There was no debt financing used for these projects.
4)During the year bonds with a face value of $180,000 were retired.

Question 45

The Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act (UPMIFA)applies primarily to colleges and universities.