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.
Our goal is to make the classifications more representative of institutions’ missions and better reflect a variety of education pathways and student experiences. We are particularly interested in capturing the experiences of both institutions and learners 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 historic Basic Classification—the most well-known and most-used component of the Carnegie Classifications—which groups U.S. colleges and universities by the highest degree offered.
On November 1, 2023, we announced changes that 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 historic 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 the Carnegie Classifications. Institutional leaders have told us that the framework, which examines institutions through the lens of the highest degree awarded, is too limiting and does not adequately describe the full scope of work taking place across their campuses. We hope a revised classification structure that includes a multidimensional look at institutions will be more useful for those who use the classifications.
What are the changes to the classification?
Starting with the 2025 Carnegie Classifications, the Basic Classification will be renamed to the Institutional Classification—better describing its function—and will move to multidimensional labels that more accurately describe the richness and multifaceted nature of today’s colleges and universities. These changes are intended to improve the Carnegie Classifications’ use by policymakers, funders, and researchers.
How will the Research Activity Designations fit into the structure of the Institutional Classification?
The research designations will be separated from the Institutional 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 Carnegie classified.
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 will release the 2025 Carnegie Classifications in spring 2025.
Will there be additional changes made for the 2025 Carnegie Classifications?
Yes. The 2025 Carnegie Classifications will include a new Student Access and Earnings Classification. This new category is intended to center the long-term success of learners and will classify institutions by looking at student characteristics, access, and 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.