Dive Brief:

• Colleges received almost $34 billion in charitable contributions in the 2013 fiscal year, up about 10% over 2012, a new report says.
• The $33.8 billion is the largest sum raised, beating the pre-recession mark of $31.6 billion in 2008.
• Amid the recession, donations fell to $27.85 billion in 2009, according to the report from the Council for Aid to Education.

Dive Insight:

The good news pairs with news from last month that colleges' endowments had bounced back, with the strength of the U.S. stock markets driving an average value increase of 11.7%. Of course, aggregate numbers do not tell the story of individual colleges, many of which are facing budget challenges.