Explore the data / Sources / Carnegie Classifications What is Carnegie Classifications? Carnegie groups colleges by their programs, size, research activity, access, and graduate earnings. The 2025 system uses several separate classifications.
Full name Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education
Published by American Council on Education (ACE) + Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Edition in EduInsights 2025
Current availability Used in the current EduInsights data release. Why it matters
Why we use Carnegie Classifications These classifications help us compare colleges that serve similar students or have similar academic and research profiles.
What kinds of degrees the college awards One label comes from the mix of undergraduate and graduate degrees the college reports.
Its size and research activity Other labels use enrollment, research spending, and research doctorates. They answer a different question.
Who gets in and what graduates earn The access and earnings label compares a college with others using federal student and income data.
Good to know
What to keep in mind
There is no single Carnegie type anymore The 2025 system uses several labels because degree mix, research, and access are different things.
Compare the same label An academic label cannot be lined up against an access and earnings label. Choose the question first.
A shared label does not make two colleges twins The label gives you a sensible starting group. The colleges can still differ in important ways. On its own
Questions this source can answer by itself These questions need no facts from another source.
Which colleges share a similar academic profile? How does Carnegie describe a college's research activity? Which access and earnings category includes a college? With other sources
Questions this source helps answer We use another source only when it describes the same college, field, career, place, or time.
How does a college compare with similar colleges? Are program or enrollment changes unusual among comparable colleges? Where it stops
What this source cannot tell you A Carnegie category does not measure quality. The classifications answer different questions and should remain separate. A label change does not prove that a college's mission changed. Use this source in a real question. Ask about a college, field, career, place, or change over time.
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