WVU Surpasses $1 Billion in Private Fundraising Campaign

West Virginia University says it has raised more than $1 billion following a private fundraising campaign.

The Dominion Post reports the school joins 36 other four-year public universities to have ever raised more than $1 billion. The school reported raising $1,003,650,037 from alumni and friends of the university through its “State of Minds” fundraising campaign.

The fundraising campaign also netted more than $50 million for the “Dream First” scholarship program. Donations have so far established 697 student scholarships.

The school launched the fundraising campaign in 2012 with an original goal of raising $750 million by December 2015. But the school surpassed that goal in 2014, prompting them to raise the goal to $1 billion and extend the deadline to December 2017.

WVU Foundation officials say 86,207 donors gave 340,007 gifts.