I don’t know about the whole University but only ~25% of the operating budget of the Harvard school that includes Harvard College comes from students (tuition,

I don’t know about the whole University but only ~25% of the operating budget of the Harvard school that includes Harvard College comes from students (tuition, room, & board) and that has been on a decline as more and more of admitted students receive financial aid. Donations used directly for operations is way, way less than 1/3rd. A little over half the operating budget comes from interest on the endowment, I don’t know how to figure how much of that can be attributed to donations rather than investments, patents, etc.