List of research universities in the United States
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This is a list of universities in the United States classified as research universities in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Research institutions are a subset of doctoral degree-granting institutions and conduct research. These institutions "conferred at least 20 research/scholarship doctorates in 2019-20 and reported at least $5 million in total research expenditures in FY20 were assigned to one of two categories based on a measure of research activity."[1]
History
[edit]The 1994 edition of the Carnegie Classification defined Research I universities as those that:
- Offer a full range of baccalaureate programs
- Are committed to graduate education through the doctorate
- Give high priority to research
- Award 50 or more doctoral degrees each year
- Receive annually $40 million or more in federal support[2]
The Carnegie Foundation reported that 59 institutions met these criteria in 1994.[3]
In their interim 2000 edition of the classification, the Carnegie Foundation renamed the category to Doctoral/research universities-extensive in order to avoid the inference that the categories signify quality differences."[4] The foundation replaced their single classification system with a multiple classification system in their 2005 comprehensive overhaul of the classification framework [4][5] so that the term "Research I university" was no longer valid, though many universities continued to use it.
In 2015, the Carnegie Classification System reinstated the "Research I university" designations along with "Research II" and "Research III." The current system, introduced in 2018, includes the following three categories for doctoral universities:[6]
- R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity
- R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity
- D/PU: Doctoral/Professional Universities
In the 2018 classification, institutions were classified as either R1 or R2 if they "conferred at least 20 research/scholarship doctorates in 2016-17 and reported at least $5 million in total research expenditures."[6] A "research activity index" was then calculated that included the following measures:
- Research & development (R&D) expenditures in science and engineering (S&E)
- R&D expenditures in non-S&E fields
- S&E research staff (postdoctoral appointees and other non-faculty research staff with doctorates)
- Doctoral conferrals in humanities, social science, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields, and in other fields (e.g., business, education, public policy, social work)
These four measures were combined using principal component analysis to create two indices of research activity, one representing an aggregate level of research activity and the other representing per-capita research activity. Institutions that were high on both indices were classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity."[6]
In 2023, it was announced that the Carnegie Classification System would again be revised for the 2025 classifications. R1 institutions will be defined as those that (1) have $50 million in research expenditures, and (2) grant 70 research doctorates. Other changes to the classification system include multiple labels to identify institutions, and recognition for non-doctoral universities.[7]
Universities classified as "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity"
[edit]There are 187 institutions that are classified as "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as of the 2025 update.[8]
These universities have a very high level of both research activity and per capita in such research activity, using aggregate data to determine both measurements. In other words, these institutions provide a lot of resources for research and have a lot of people conducting research at their respective institution. These two classifications can be seen as the aggregate supply and demand for research, respectively.[9]
In 2025, 187 institutions have been given a designation of R1, up from the previous 146 in the 2021 classification. Examples of new R1 universities include American University, Brigham Young University, the College of William & Mary, and San Diego State University.
Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity 2025
Name | City | State | Control |
---|---|---|---|
American University | Washington | DC | Private not-for-profit |
Arizona State University | Tempe | AZ | Public |
Auburn University | Auburn | AL | Public |
Baylor College of Medicine | Houston | TX | Private not-for-profit |
Baylor University | Waco | TX | Private not-for-profit |
Binghamton University | Vestal | NY | Public |
Boston College | Chestnut Hill | MA | Private not-for-profit |
Boston University | Boston | MA | Private not-for-profit |
Brandeis University | Waltham | MA | Private not-for-profit |
Brigham Young University | Provo | UT | Private not-for-profit |
Brown University | Providence | RI | Private not-for-profit |
California Institute of Technology | Pasadena | CA | Private not-for-profit |
Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh | PA | Private not-for-profit |
Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland | OH | Private not-for-profit |
Clemson University | Clemson | SC | Public |
Colorado School of Mines | Golden | CO | Public |
Colorado State University-Fort Collins | Fort Collins | CO | Public |
Columbia University in the City of New York | New York | NY | Private not-for-profit |
Cornell University | Ithaca | NY | Private not-for-profit |
CUNY Graduate School and University Center | New York | NY | Public |
Dartmouth College | Hanover | NH | Private not-for-profit |
Drexel University | Philadelphia | PA | Private not-for-profit |
Duke University | Durham | NC | Private not-for-profit |
East Carolina University | Greenville | NC | Public |
Emory University | Atlanta | GA | Private not-for-profit |
Florida Atlantic University | Boca Raton | FL | Public |
Florida International University | Miami | FL | Public |
Florida State University | Tallahassee | FL | Public |
George Mason University | Fairfax | VA | Public |
George Washington University | Washington | DC | Private not-for-profit |
Georgetown University | Washington | DC | Private not-for-profit |
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | Atlanta | GA | Public |
Georgia State University | Atlanta | GA | Public |
Harvard University | Cambridge | MA | Private not-for-profit |
Howard University | Washington | DC | Private not-for-profit |
Indiana University-Bloomington | Bloomington | IN | Public |
Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis | Indianapolis | IN | Public |
Iowa State University | Ames | IA | Public |
Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore | MD | Private not-for-profit |
Kansas State University | Manhattan | KS | Public |
Kent State University at Kent | Kent | OH | Public |
Lehigh University | Bethlehem | PA | Private not-for-profit |
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | Baton Rouge | LA | Public |
Loyola University Chicago | Chicago | IL | Private not-for-profit |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge | MA | Private not-for-profit |
Medical University of South Carolina | Charleston | SC | Public |
Michigan State University | East Lansing | MI | Public |
Michigan Technological University | Houghton | MI | Public |
Mississippi State University | Mississippi State | MS | Public |
Missouri University of Science and Technology | Rolla | MO | Public |
Montana State University | Bozeman | MT | Public |
New Jersey Institute of Technology | Newark | NJ | Public |
New Mexico State University-Main Campus | Las Cruces | NM | Public |
New York University | New York | NY | Private not-for-profit |
North Carolina State University at Raleigh | Raleigh | NC | Public |
North Dakota State University-Main Campus | Fargo | ND | Public |
Northeastern University | Boston | MA | Private not-for-profit |
Northern Arizona University | Flagstaff | AZ | Public |
Northwestern University | Evanston | IL | Private not-for-profit |
Nova Southeastern University | Fort Lauderdale | FL | Private not-for-profit |
Ohio State University-Main Campus | Columbus | OH | Public |
Ohio University-Main Campus | Athens | OH | Public |
Oklahoma State University | Stillwater | OK | Public |
Old Dominion University | Norfolk | VA | Public |
Oregon State University | Corvallis | OR | Public |
Princeton University | Princeton | NJ | Private not-for-profit |
Purdue University-Main Campus | West Lafayette | IN | Public |
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Troy | NY | Private not-for-profit |
Rice University | Houston | TX | Private not-for-profit |
Rutgers University-New Brunswick | New Brunswick | NJ | Public |
Saint Louis University | Saint Louis | MO | Private not-for-profit |
San Diego State University | San Diego | CA | Public |
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | Carbondale | IL | Public |
Southern Methodist University | Dallas | TX | Private not-for-profit |
Stanford University | Stanford | CA | Private not-for-profit |
Stony Brook University | Stony Brook | NY | Public |
SUNY at Albany | Albany | NY | Public |
Syracuse University | Syracuse | NY | Private not-for-profit |
Temple University | Philadelphia | PA | Public |
Texas A & M University-College Station | College Station | TX | Public |
Texas Tech University | Lubbock | TX | Public |
The Catholic University of America | Washington | DC | Private not-for-profit |
The Pennsylvania State University | University Park | PA | Public |
The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa | AL | Public |
The University of Montana | Missoula | MT | Public |
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center | Memphis | TN | Public |
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | Knoxville | TN | Public |
The University of Texas at Arlington | Arlington | TX | Public |
The University of Texas at Austin | Austin | TX | Public |
The University of Texas at Dallas | Richardson | TX | Public |
The University of Texas at El Paso | El Paso | TX | Public |
The University of Texas at San Antonio | San Antonio | TX | Public |
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston | Houston | TX | Public |
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio | San Antonio | TX | Public |
Tufts University | Medford | MA | Private not-for-profit |
Tulane University of Louisiana | New Orleans | LA | Private not-for-profit |
University at Buffalo | Buffalo | NY | Public |
University of Alabama at Birmingham | Birmingham | AL | Public |
University of Arizona | Tucson | AZ | Public |
University of Arkansas | Fayetteville | AR | Public |
University of California-Berkeley | Berkeley | CA | Public |
University of California-Davis | Davis | CA | Public |
University of California-Irvine | Irvine | CA | Public |
University of California-Los Angeles | Los Angeles | CA | Public |
University of California-Merced | Merced | CA | Public |
University of California-Riverside | Riverside | CA | Public |
University of California-San Diego | La Jolla | CA | Public |
University of California-San Francisco | San Francisco | CA | Public |
University of California-Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara | CA | Public |
University of California-Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz | CA | Public |
University of Central Florida | Orlando | FL | Public |
University of Chicago | Chicago | IL | Private not-for-profit |
University of Cincinnati | Cincinnati | OH | Public |
University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder | CO | Public |
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus | Denver | CO | Public |
University of Connecticut | Storrs | CT | Public |
University of Dayton | Dayton | OH | Private not-for-profit |
University of Delaware | Newark | DE | Public |
University of Denver | Denver | CO | Private not-for-profit |
University of Florida | Gainesville | FL | Public |
University of Georgia | Athens | GA | Public |
University of Hawaii at Manoa | Honolulu | HI | Public |
University of Houston | Houston | TX | Public |
University of Idaho | Moscow | ID | Public |
University of Illinois Chicago | Chicago | IL | Public |
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Champaign | IL | Public |
University of Iowa | Iowa City | IA | Public |
University of Kansas | Lawrence | KS | Public |
University of Kentucky | Lexington | KY | Public |
University of Louisiana at Lafayette | Lafayette | LA | Public |
University of Louisville | Louisville | KY | Public |
University of Maine | Orono | ME | Public |
University of Maryland-Baltimore County | Baltimore | MD | Public |
University of Maryland-College Park | College Park | MD | Public |
University of Maryland, Baltimore | Baltimore | MD | Public |
University of Massachusetts-Amherst | Amherst | MA | Public |
University of Massachusetts-Boston | Boston | MA | Public |
University of Massachusetts-Lowell | Lowell | MA | Public |
University of Memphis | Memphis | TN | Public |
University of Miami | Coral Gables | FL | Private not-for-profit |
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor | MI | Public |
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | Minneapolis | MN | Public |
University of Mississippi | University | MS | Public |
University of Missouri-Columbia | Columbia | MO | Public |
University of Missouri-Kansas City | Kansas City | MO | Public |
University of Nebraska Medical Center | Omaha | NE | Public |
University of Nebraska-Lincoln | Lincoln | NE | Public |
University of Nevada-Las Vegas | Las Vegas | NV | Public |
University of Nevada-Reno | Reno | NV | Public |
University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | Durham | NH | Public |
University of New Mexico-Main Campus | Albuquerque | NM | Public |
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill | NC | Public |
University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Charlotte | NC | Public |
University of North Dakota | Grand Forks | ND | Public |
University of North Texas | Denton | TX | Public |
University of Notre Dame | Notre Dame | IN | Private not-for-profit |
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | Norman | OK | Public |
University of Oregon | Eugene | OR | Public |
University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | PA | Private not-for-profit |
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | Pittsburgh | PA | Public |
University of Rhode Island | Kingston | RI | Public |
University of Rochester | Rochester | NY | Private not-for-profit |
University of South Carolina-Columbia | Columbia | SC | Public |
University of South Florida | Tampa | FL | Public |
University of Southern California | Los Angeles | CA | Private not-for-profit |
University of Southern Mississippi | Hattiesburg | MS | Public |
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center | Dallas | TX | Public |
University of Toledo | Toledo | OH | Public |
University of Utah | Salt Lake City | UT | Public |
University of Vermont | Burlington | VT | Public |
University of Virginia-Main Campus | Charlottesville | VA | Public |
University of Washington-Seattle Campus | Seattle | WA | Public |
University of Wisconsin-Madison | Madison | WI | Public |
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | Milwaukee | WI | Public |
University of Wyoming | Laramie | WY | Public |
Utah State University | Logan | UT | Public |
Vanderbilt University | Nashville | TN | Private not-for-profit |
Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond | VA | Public |
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | Blacksburg | VA | Public |
Washington State University | Pullman | WA | Public |
Washington University in St Louis | Saint Louis | MO | Private not-for-profit |
Wayne State University | Detroit | MI | Public |
Weill Medical College of Cornell University | New York | NY | Private not-for-profit |
West Virginia University | Morgantown | WV | Public |
William & Mary | Williamsburg | VA | Public |
Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Worcester | MA | Private not-for-profit |
Yale University | New Haven | CT | Private not-for-profit |
Map of institutions
[edit]}}
Universities classified as "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity"
[edit]There are 132 institutions that are classified as "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as of the 2021 update.[10]
These universities have a very high level of either research activity or per capita in such research activity, using aggregate data to determine both measurements, while having a very low level on the other qualification. In other words, these institutions either lack research facilities or do not have a lot of people conducting research at their respective institution. These two classifications can be seen as the aggregate supply and demand for research, respectively.[9]
- ^ a b c "New York" is the U.S. Postal Service designation for the New York City borough of Manhattan.
- ^ The Indiana University and Purdue University systems will dissolve IUPUI at the end of the 2023–24 academic year. The vast majority of IUPUI academic programs will transfer to the new Indiana University Indianapolis, with some programs becoming part of the new Purdue University in Indianapolis.
- ^ The campus has a Kennesaw mailing address but is located in unincorporated Cobb County.
- ^ LIU has two main campuses—one in Brookville and the other in Brooklyn.
- ^ The main Oakland campus has a Rochester mailing address, but is divided between the separate cities of Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills.
- ^ RIT has a Rochester mailing address, but is located in the nearby town of Henrietta.
- ^ The campus has a Princess Anne mailing address but is located in unincorporated Somerset County.
- ^ UTRGV's overall administration is in Edinburg, but it operates multiple campuses within the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and has mailing addresses in Brownsville, Edinburg, and Harlingen.
- ^ Wright State has a Dayton mailing address but is located in the separate city of Fairborn.
Map of institutions
[edit]Universities classified as "Special Focus – Research Institutions"
[edit]There are 23 institutions that are classified as "Special Focus – Research Institutions" in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as of the 2021 update.
This new category has the same threshold for inclusion as R1 and R2 schools do (At least twenty research doctorates awarded and five million dollars in research expenditures), but unlike R1 and R2 schools, they only award degrees in a single academic area.[11]
Map of institutions
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ [1] Archived 2016-08-11 at the Wayback Machine. Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
- ^ University of Washington. "Carnegie Research I Universities". Archived from the original on 2009-03-06. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
- ^ David Weerts, State Governments and Research Universities: A Framework for a Renewed Partnership. New York: Routledge, 2002, p. 26.
- ^ a b Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. "Carnegie Classifications FAQs". Archived from the original on 2013-04-14. Retrieved 2012-02-09.
- ^ Educause. "Appendix E: Carnegie Classification (2000) Definitions" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-03-27. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
- ^ a b c "Basic Classification Description". Center for Postsecondary Research. 2019. Archived from the original on August 11, 2016. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
- ^ "Carnegie Classifications to Make Major Changes in How Colleges and Universities Are Grouped and Recognized, Set Clear Threshold for Highest Level of Research". American Council on Education. Archived from the original on 2023-12-20. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
- ^ "Doctoral Universities: Highest Research Activity". Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Archived from the original on 16 December 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ a b "Basic Classification Methodology". Carnegie Classifications. Archived from the original on 27 February 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
- ^ "The Carnegie Classification of Institutions". Archived from the original on 9 December 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ "Carnegie Classifications | Standard Listings". Archived from the original on 2022-01-12. Retrieved 2022-01-12.