Draft:Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education

• Comment: Please edit the article at Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education instead of re-submitting. Ca ^{talk to me!} 06:20, 18 May 2026 (UTC)

• 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)

• 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)

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

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Summary

The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education is a framework for categorizing U.S. colleges and universities. It was first developed in 1973 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. It has served as a standard for describing the diversity of the American higher education landscape for researchers, policymakers, funders, and institutional leaders.

The framework puts institutions into different groupings based on a number of characteristics, including degree offerings, size, and mission. It was most recently revised in 2025 to reflect the current higher education landscape in the United States.

The 2025 Redesign

In early 2025, the Carnegie Classifications unveiled the most substantial overhaul of the system in decades. This was done to reflect evolving expectations for higher education institutions, emphasizing student access and economic mobility.

Institutional Classification

The Basic Classification was redesigned and renamed the Institutional Classification. Instead of relying on the highest degree awarded, the new system organizes institutions across multiple dimensions, including the types of degrees offered, the academic program mix, and institutional size and scale. It aims to better capture the complex roles institutions play in higher education.

Student Access and Earnings Classification

A brand new addition to the classifications is the Student Access and Earnings Classification. It measures how effectively institutions enroll students from their communities and support those students in achieving competitive earnings after attending. Schools are evaluated based on access (are institutions providing access to a student population that is representative of and reflects the locations they serve?) and earnings (after students leave an institution, how much are they making compared to peers in their job market?). Institutions that meet the highest benchmark for both access and earnings are designated as Opportunity Colleges and Universities (OCU). 478 institutions were identified as OCUs under the first release.

Research Activity Designations

The Carnegie Classification also issues Research Activity Designations. Starting in 2025, research-related classifications are determined and reported separately. Eligible institutions are put into one of three categories (Research 1, Research 2, Research Colleges and Universities) based on research spending and doctoral production.

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.