CARNEGIE CLASSIFICATION OF INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION®
The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education is the nation’s leading framework for categorizing 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. Learn more about us >
2025 Institutional Classification
Organizes the landscape of American colleges and universities into groupings of similar types of institutions.
2025 Student Access and Earnings Classification
Examines the access an institution provides and the economic outcomes of its former students.
2025 Research Activity Designations
Identifies the research capacity of colleges and universities.
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.
Data and Resources
View all available resources for the Carnegie Classifications.
Includes data files and methodology documents for the 2025 and historic Carnegie Classifications.
Contains case studies, white papers, and other takeaways from the Carnegie Classifications.
From the Blog
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Why We’re Measuring Access to Center Student Success
When the Carnegie Classifications introduced the Student Access and Earnings Classification, we set out to more fully explore what plenty of research has already shown: higher education is a reliable engine of social and economic mobility for students nationwide. A few frameworks currently exist to measure the value of higher education and its return on… Continue Reading >
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Using the Carnegie Classifications as a Policy Tool to Improve Higher Education and Student Outcomes
Over the past several years, as many as 25 states have used the Carnegie Classifications in some form of policy or practice, including funding formulas. The 2025 Carnegie Classifications provide states with a modernized, comprehensive framework to support higher education policy and funding decisions through three distinct components: the Institutional Classification, Research Activity Designations, and… Continue Reading >
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Reflecting on the Carnegie Classification’s 2025 Redesign
The Carnegie Classifications were created over half a century ago with a clear purpose: offering researchers a more nuanced understanding of the nation’s higher education landscape. Since then, the classifications have evolved to have an outsized influence on institutional benchmarks, organization, and resources, largely shaped by the chase for an R1 designation and a high… Continue Reading >
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.
Find answers to the most common Carnegie Classification questions.
Access blog posts and press releases with information on higher education.
Read about the history of Carnegie Classifications.
