Opportunity Colleges and Universities

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. More insights and research on this group of institutions will be shared over the coming months.