Frequently Asked Questions
Why are the Carnegie Classifications being changed?
In 2022, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Council on Education (ACE) announced a collaboration to reimagine the Carnegie Classifications to ensure they better reflect the public purpose, mission, focus, and impact of today’s higher education institutions. Despite the evolution of many institutions of higher education and the ways in which Americans pursue postsecondary credentials, the classification system has not changed considerably since its first release in 1973.
When we started this work, the intent was to make the classifications more representative of institutions’ missions and better reflect a variety of education pathways and student experiences. We were particularly interested in capturing the experiences of both institutions and learners—especially for Pell Grant recipients and first-generation students—that have not been reflected in historic approaches to the classifications.
As a part of this work, we recognized the need to establish a new methodology for the Basic Classification—the most well-known and most-used component of the Carnegie Classifications —which groups all U.S. colleges and universities by the highest degree offered. On November 1, 2023, we announced changes to the Basic Classification as well as changes to the ways in which research is classified and recognized, which will be reflected in the 2025 Carnegie Classifications.
What are the reasons for changing the Basic Classification?
Over the last year and a half, it has become clear that the Basic Classification no longer captures the breadth of today’s postsecondary institutions, particularly the wide variety of institutional missions and organizational structures, and it does not always group similar types of institutions, which is the purpose of a classification system. Institutional leaders have told us that the current framework, which applies a single label of highest degree offered, is too limiting and does not adequately describe the full scope of work taking place across their campuses. We hope a revised classification that includes a multidimensional look at institutions will be more useful for those who use the classifications to group institutions.
What are the changes to the Basic Classification methodology, and what more will be done?
Starting with the 2025 Carnegie Classifications, the Basic Classification will move to multidimensional labels that more accurately describe the richness and multifaceted nature of today’s colleges and universities and their learners. These new labels will capture other aspects of institutional missions and go beyond only recognizing the highest degree awarded so that they can serve as tools that create a better understanding of an institution’s profile. These changes are intended to improve the Carnegie Classifications’ use by policymakers, funders, and researchers.
The exact multidimensional labels will be determined over the next several months. The Carnegie Classifications website has a page to gather additional input on the characteristics and descriptors that institutional leaders, researchers, and stakeholders think best describe America’s higher education institutions.
Why change the methodology for calculating R1?
Since 2005, the methodology for classifying R1 institutions has been based on a complicated, 10-metric formula that uses normative and relative scores and places a cap on the number of institutions that can be classified as R1. The result is an opaque process and a moving target that makes it impossible to determine exactly what an institution must do to become classified as R1. This has created unintended competition between institutions that are left to guess what it takes to receive the R1 designation.
The R1 grouping is intended to capture institutions where there is a very high amount of research occurring, measured by the number of research/scholarship doctorates awarded and the amount of spending on research and development. That research activity can be undertaken in any way that an institution chooses to further its mission. The updated methodology makes that clearer.
What are the changes to classifying research? How will you calculate the new R1?
Moving forward, the methodology for determining R1 will return to using a clear threshold. For the 2025 Carnegie Classifications, the threshold will be set at $50 million in total R&D spending and 70 doctoral research degrees. To determine which institutions meet this threshold, the classifications will use the higher of either a three-year rolling average or most recent year data. The research spending will be taken from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey, and the doctoral research degree number will be taken from the National Center for Education Statistics IPEDS data. Any institution that meets this new R1 threshold will be included.
We will also change the title of this category to R1: Very High Research Spending and Doctorate Production.
How will you define R2?
Unlike R1, the existing methodology for determining R2 is already based on a threshold, which will continue to remain the same in the next update. The threshold for R2 will continue to be defined as institutions with at least 20 doctoral research degrees that also have at least $5 million in total research expenditures (as reported through the NSF HERD Survey). There will not be a cap on the number of institutions that can be in this category.
We will also change the title of this category to R2: High Research Spending and Doctorate Production.
How will you define the new “Research Colleges and Universities” research designation?
The new Research Colleges and Universities designation will be based on expenditures only and will include any institution that spends more than $2.5 million on research expenditures (as reported through the NSF HERD survey). Institutions that are in the R1 or R2 designations are not included. There will not be a cap on the number of institutions that can be in this category.
How will the research designations fit into the structure of the Basic Classification?
The research designations will be separated from the Basic Classification, becoming additional listings for those institutions that meet the definitions. Research activity continues to be an important way to reflect institutional missions for a number of colleges and universities and will continue to be recognized, but it will no longer be the exclusive driver for how American higher education institutions are classified.
Will you change the research designation thresholds in the future?
We expect to adjust the thresholds over time. We will share updated thresholds in advance of each classification release.
How often are the Carnegie Classifications updated?
The Carnegie Classifications will continue to be published on a three-year cycle. The 2021 Carnegie Classifications were released in February 2022, and we expect to release the 2025 Carnegie Classifications in early 2025.
Where can I read more about the changes announced so far?
On November 1, 2023, ACE and the Carnegie Foundation announced the changes outlined above as we work toward the release of the 2025 Carnegie Classifications. In addition, you can read more about the changes and share input on potential characteristics for the new Basic Classification.
Does the November 1 announcement change an institution’s current Carnegie Classifications?
The changes announced on November 1, including to the R1 threshold, do not impact the current 2021 Carnegie Classifications that were released in February 2022. These changes will be made as a part of the 2025 Carnegie Classifications. The classifications will continue to be revised on a three-year schedule moving forward.
How can I provide input on the characteristics for the new multidimensional groupings?
The Carnegie Classifications website has a new page to gather additional input on the characteristics and descriptors that institutional leaders, researchers, and stakeholders think best describe America’s higher education institutions. You can submit your comments here. We also will continue to share other updates on the Carnegie Classifications blog.
Will there be additional changes made for the 2025 Carnegie Classifications?
Yes! The 2025 Carnegie Classifications will include a new Social and Economic Mobility Classification. We will share more information in the coming months about that classification, which is intended to give the public more information about the ways institutions are contributing to the long-term success of learners. This new category will classify institutions by a variety of relevant student characteristics and learner outcomes.
Additionally, we plan to expand the types of Elective Classifications, which further recognize the varied missions and unique forms of impact made by institutions. We are exploring new Elective Classifications in areas such as sustainability, serving indigenous populations, supporting student veterans, and how institutions are expanding opportunity to learners impacted by the justice system.