Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education®
The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education is the nation's leading framework for categorizing diverse U.S. higher education institutions.
Classification Lookup
About the Carnegie Classification®
The Carnegie Classification® is the leading framework for recognizing and describing institutional diversity in U.S. higher education. In 1970, the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education began developing a classification of colleges and universities to support its program of research and policy analysis. The framework was first published in 1973 and is now updated every 3 years to reflect changes among colleges and universities.
To learn more, visit:
2025 Institutional Classification >
2025 Student Access and Earnings Classification >
2025 Research Activity Designations >
479 
Institutions are classified as Opportunity Colleges and Universities
369 
Institutions hold the Community Engagement Classification
323 
Institutions are classified as Special Focus: Applied and Career Studies
Elective Classifications
The Carnegie Elective Classifications are recognitions earned by institutions that have made extraordinary commitments to their public purpose. Institutions apply for recognition from the Carnegie Foundation through a particular Elective Classification theme and make extraordinary commitments to that theme. There are currently three Elective Classifications: the Elective Classification for Community Engagement, the Elective Classification for Leadership for Public Purpose, and the Elective Classification for Sustainability.
From the Blog
April 4, 2025
Why 2025 is the year of significant updates to the Carnegie Classifications
Since the Carnegie Classifications were first introduced in 1973, the world – and higher education – has changed tremendously. But the classifications have not. As a result, the Carnegie Classifications largely has used a 50-year-old perspective to organize U.S. colleges and universities as they operate today, and given how the classifications are used by policymakers and others, that has resulted in ...
View Classification Methodology
About the Site
The Carnegie Classification site provides an Institution Search tool that allows users to search and filter institutions based on one or more Carnegie Classifications. You can also find a wealth of knowledge and resources on the Carnegie Classifications at the links below.
