It took 10 years, but New York's historic Columbia University has raised $2.74 billion -- a record total for a collegiate capital campaign and more than double the school's original goal.

The university’s "Campaign for Columbia" was launched in 1990 to raise $1.15 billion over five years. Donations flowing from a booming economy were so strong that university officials doubled the campaign's goal and its time frame, the New York Times reports.

Benefactors included Metromedia founder John W. Kluge, who donated $85 million in separate gifts for minority scholarships and junior faculty salaries, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which provided $50 million for Columbia's School of Public Health.

Two-thirds of the $2.74 billion came from 400 gifts of $1 million or more, with 35 donations ranging from $10 million to $50 million. The remaining third came from 300,000 other donations, the Times reports.

About $800 million has gone to Columbia’s endowment so far -- $250 million for financial aid, $275 million to new professorships, and $275 million for research and other programs. The university has also used $370 million for a new student center, a dormitory and a business/law center, and for renovations to other buildings.

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