In the Student Access and Earnings Classification methodology, institutions that exceed the thresholds for higher access and higher earnings are designated as Opportunity Colleges and Universities.
In the 2025 Carnegie Classifications, 478 institutions received this designation. Those institutions are located throughout the country and span all types of classifications and sectors.
The Student Access and Earnings Classification visualization provides a number of filters through which users can understand the different types of Opportunity Colleges and Universities.
OCU Profiles
As a next step in our work to understand how institutions support students’ social and economic mobility, we are connecting with institutions that have been designated as Opportunity Colleges and Universities to learn more about their stories and share the practices they have underway to advance student success. Through these conversations, we are uncovering some of the leadership decisions and strategies at OCUs that are driving economic opportunity for their students. Profiles from this series appear below.
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University of Illinois Chicago
As both an R1 institution and an OCU, UIC demonstrates that world-class research, broad access and long-term student success can go hand-in-hand. At UIC, Chancellor Marie Lynn Miranda and her faculty are focused on providing the highest levels of educational and research excellence to the communities they serve.
Read the Profile >: University of Illinois Chicago
Opportunity Colleges and Universities Links
2025 Opportunity Colleges and Universities By Institutional Classification
Access OCU Seals
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