Draft:Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education

• File:Symbol opinion vote.svg Comment: This page already exists in mainspace and should be revised rather than a new draft created. MmeMaigret (talk) 17:36, 7 November 2025 (UTC)

• File:Symbol opinion vote.svg Comment: There is already an existing article with the same name and the section "Institutional Classification" seems to need an attribution notice. MmeMaigret (talk) 13:39, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

• File:Symbol opinion vote.svg Comment: Don’t cite Wikipedia as a source —pythoncoder (talk | contribs) 10:09, 21 October 2025 (UTC)

---

The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, or simply the Carnegie Classification, is a framework for classifying colleges and universities in the United States. It was created in 1970 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. It is managed by the American Council on Education.

The framework primarily serves educational and research purposes, where it is often important to identify groups of roughly comparable institutions. The classification includes all accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities in the United States that are represented in the National Center for Education Statistics' Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).

History

The Carnegie Classification was created by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education in 1970. The classification was first published in 1973 with updates in 1976, 1987, 1994, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2018, 2021 and 2025, with subsequent updates every three years. The 2025 update substantially reworked the classification system to better reflect the multifaceted nature of higher education. Information used in these classifications comes primarily from IPEDS and the National Science Foundation.

Institutional Classification

The Institutional Classification organizes institutions based on three dimensions, including the types of degrees they award (Award Level Focus), the subjects in which they award degrees (Academic Program Mix), and the size of the institution (Size). Institutions are grouped with peers who share similar characteristics across these dimensions. Previously known as the Basic Classification, the Institutional Classification was introduced as part of the system’s 2025 update.

The Carnegie Classifications do not consider elements like selectivity, admissions data, or other factors that may be used to identify certain types of campuses. The Institutional Classification is a reflection of institutional type, largely based on the degrees an institution awards, regardless of other characteristics.

Research Activity Designations

The 2025 Carnegie Classifications include research designations as separate listings from the Institutional Classification. The 2025 update revised the methodology for the Research 1 and Research 2 categories and also introduced a new Research Colleges and Universities designation. In total, there are three research designations, all of which are set by a threshold. A detailed list of schools can be found in the list of research universities in the United States. The designations include:

Research 1: Very High Spending and Doctorate Production

On average in a single year, these institutions spend at least $50 million on research & development and award at least 70 research doctorates.

Research 2: High Spending and Doctorate Production

On average in a single year, these institutions spend at least $5 million on research & development and award at least 20 research doctorates.

Research Colleges and Universities

On average in a single year, these institutions spend at least $2.5 million on research & development. Institutions that are in the R1 or R2 categories are not included.

Student Access and Earnings Classification

The Student Access and Earnings Classification examines the extent to which an institution is enrolling students who reflect the communities it serves and whether an institution’s former students go on to earn competitive wages compared to peers in their area. The Student Access and Earnings Classification was introduced as part of the system’s 2025 update.

The classification is based on the calculation of two measures:

• Access: The classification evaluates whether institutions are enrolling a student population that is representative of the locations they serve. This is measured through examining the enrollment of undergraduate students by Pell grant status and underrepresented race/ethnicity, relative to the locations that students are from.
• Earnings: The classification compares median post-attendance earnings to earnings of people in their area ages 22-40 who hold a high school diploma or higher. Recognizing that student data is variable based on geographic location and race/ethnicity, earnings data was analyzed based on the geographical and racial/ethnic composition of the student body.

The classification creates ratios, with a value of 1 meaning an institution’s data perfectly aligns with the comparison value. Values greater than 1 indicate an institution’s data is higher than the comparison value. Values less than 1 indicate an institution’s data is lower than the comparison value.

Based on their access and earnings ratios, institutions fall into one of the following categories:

Opportunity Colleges and Universities (Higher Access, Higher Earnings)

Opportunity Colleges and Universities (Higher Access, Higher Earnings) institutions have an access ratio of at least 1 and an earnings ratio of at least 1.5 (for baccalaureate and higher institutions) or 1.25 (for primarily associate colleges).

Higher Access, Medium Earnings

Higher Access, Medium Earnings institutions have an access ratio of at least 1 and an earnings ratio of between 1 and 1.5 (for baccalaureate and higher institutions) and 1 and 1.25 (for primarily associate colleges).

Higher Access, Lower Earnings

Higher Access, Lower Earnings institutions have an access ratio of at least 1 and an earnings ratio of less than 1.

Lower Access, Higher Earnings

Lower Access, Higher Earnings institutions have an access ratio of less than 1 and an earnings ratio of at least 1.5 (for baccalaureate and higher institutions) or 1.25 (for primarily associate colleges).

Lower Access, Medium Earnings

Lower Access, Medium Earnings institutions have an access ratio of less than 1 and an earnings ratio of between 1 and 1.5 (for baccalaureate and higher institutions) and 1 and 1.25 (for primarily associate colleges).

Lower Access, Lower Earnings

Lower Access, Medium Earnings institutions have an access ratio of less than 1 and an earnings ratio of less than 1.

Visualization and Classifications

The Student Access and Earnings Classification separately analyzes access and earnings outcomes. The classification visualizes institutions using both of these measures and compares the institution to others that share the same Institutional Classification.

Future Updates

The Carnegie Classifications are updated every three years, with the last release finalized in 2025. The next release of the Carnegie Classifications is planned for spring 2028. Future methodology, including data sources, will be determined closer to release.