General description[edit]
The Carnegie Classification was created by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education in 1970. The classification was first published in 1973 with updates in 1976, 1987, 1994, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2018 and 2021.[1] To ensure continuity of the classification framework and to allow comparison across years, the 2015 Classification update retains the same structure of six parallel classifications, initially adopted in 2005.[1] The 2005 report substantially reworked the classification system, based on data from the 2002–2003 and 2003–2004 school years.[2]
In 2015, the Carnegie Foundation transferred responsibility for the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education to the Center for Postsecondary Research of the Indiana University School of Education in Bloomington, Indiana.[3] The voluntary Classification on Community Engagement is managed by the Public Purpose Institute at Albion College.[4] In March 2022, the universal and elective Carnegie classifications moved to the nonprofit American Council on Education in Washington, D.C.[5]
Information used in these classifications comes primarily from IPEDS and the College Board.
Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity (R1) (146)
Doctoral Universities – High Research Activity (R2) (133)
Doctoral/Professional Universities (D/PU) (187)
Associates Only (Assoc) only award associate degrees.
Associates Dominant (Assoc-Dom) award some bachelor's degrees, but award more associates's degrees.
Arts & Sciences Focus (A&S-F) award least 80 percent of undergraduate degrees in the arts and sciences.
Arts & Sciences + Professions (A&S+Prof) award between 80 and 59 percent of undergraduate degrees in the arts and sciences.
Balanced Arts & Sciences/Professions (Bal) award 41 to 59 percent of undergraduate degrees in each domain.
Professions + Arts & Sciences (Prof+A&S) award between 80 and 59 percent of undergraduate degrees in a professional field.
Professions Focus (Prof-F) award at least 80 percent of undergraduate degrees in a professional field.
Single postbaccalaureate (education) (S-PostBac/Ed)—only offer graduate training in education.
Single postbaccalaureate (business) (S-PostBac/Bus)—only offer graduate training in business.
Single postbaccalaureate (other field) (S-PostBac/Other)—only offer graduate training in a field other than education or business.
Postbaccalaureate comprehensive (PostBac-Comp)—offer graduate training in the humanities, social sciences, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Medicine (STEM), and one or more professional fields.
Postbaccalaureate, arts & sciences dominant (PostBac-A&S)—only offer graduate training in the arts and sciences.
Postbaccalaureate with arts & sciences (education dominant) (PostBac-A&S/Ed)—offer graduate training primarily in the arts and sciences with some training in education.
Postbaccalaureate with arts & sciences (business dominant) (PostBac-A&S/Bus)—offer graduate training primarily in the arts and sciences with some training in business.
Postbaccalaureate with arts & sciences (other dominant fields) (PostBac-A&S/Other)—offer graduate training primarily in the arts and sciences with some training in a field other than education or business.
Postbaccalaureate professional (education dominant) (PostBac-Prof/Ed)—offer graduate training primarily in professional fields with some training in education.
Postbaccalaureate professional (business dominant) (PostBac-Prof/Bus)—offer graduate training primarily in professional fields with some training in business.
Postbaccalaureate professional (other dominant fields) (PostBac-Prof/Other)—offer graduate training primarily in professional fields with some training in a field other than education or business.
Exclusively undergraduate two-year (ExU2)—students are not awarded bachelor's or higher degrees.
Exclusively undergraduate four-year (ExU4)—students are only awarded bachelor's degrees.
Very high undergraduate (VHU)—fewer than 10 percent of students are graduate students.
High undergraduate (HU)—more than 10 percent, but fewer than 25 percent of students are graduate students.
Majority undergraduate (MU)—more than 24 percent, but fewer than 50 percent of students are graduate students.
Majority graduate/professional (MGP)—fewer than 50 percent of students are undergraduates.
Exclusively graduate/professional (ExGP)—students are only awarded degrees higher than bachelor's.
The Enrollment Profile of institutions are classified according to (a) the level of the highest degree awarded and (b) the ratio of undergraduate to graduate students.[10]
PT2: Higher part-time two-year—more than 60 percent of students at this 2-year institution are part-time.
Mix2: Mixed part/full-time two-year—between 39 and 60 percent of students at this 2-year institution are part-time.
MFT2: Medium full-time two-year—more than 60 but fewer than 91 percent of students at this 2-year institution are full-time.
FT2: Higher full-time two-year—more than 90 percent of students at this 2-year institution are full-time.
PT4: Higher part-time four-year—more than 39 percent of students at this 4-year or higher institution are part-time.
MFT4: Medium full-time four-year—more than 60 percent but fewer than 80 percent of students at this 4-year or higher institution are full-time.
FT4: Full-time four-year—more than 79 percent of students at this 4-year or higher institution are full-time.
Very small two-year (VS2)—fewer than 500 FTEs attend this two-year institution.
Small two-year (S2)—at least 500 but fewer than 2000 FTEs attend this two-year institution.
Medium two-year (M2)—at least 2000 but fewer than 5000 FTEs attend this two-year institution.
Large two-year (L2)—at least 5000 but fewer than 10000 FTEs attend this two-year institution.
Very large two-year (VL2)—10000 or more FTEs attend this two-year institution.
Very small four-year (VS4)—fewer than 1000 FTEs attend this four-year institution.
Small four-year (S4)—at least 1000 but fewer than 3000 FTEs attend this four-year institution.
Medium four-year (M4)—at least 3000 but fewer than 10000 FTEs attend this four-year institution.
Large four-year (L4)—more than 10000 FTEs attend this four-year institution.