List of research universities in the United States explained

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

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in their 2005 comprehensive overhaul of the classification framework ^[5] so that the term "Research I university" was no longer valid, though many universities continued to use it.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." 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."

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 USD 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"

There are 146 institutions that are classified as "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as of the 2021 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]

Among the 50 U.S. states and the national capital of Washington, D.C., only five states do not have an R1 level university: Alaska, Idaho, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming.

Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity

Institution	Control	City	State
	Public		AZ
Auburn University	Public	Auburn	AL
Baylor University	Private (non-profit)	Waco	TX
Binghamton University	Public		NY
Boston College	Private (non-profit)	Chestnut Hill	MA
Boston University	Private (non-profit)	Boston	MA
Brandeis University	Private (non-profit)	Waltham	MA
Brown University	Private (non-profit)	Providence	RI
California Institute of Technology	Private (non-profit)	Pasadena	CA
Carnegie Mellon University	Private (non-profit)	Pittsburgh	PA
Case Western Reserve University	Private (non-profit)	Cleveland	OH
Clemson University	Public	Clemson	SC
Colorado School of Mines	Public	Golden	CO
Colorado State University	Public	Fort Collins	CO
Columbia University	Private (non-profit)		NY
Cornell University	Private (non-profit)	Ithaca	NY
Dartmouth College	Private (non-profit)	Hanover	NH
Drexel University	Private (non-profit)	Philadelphia	PA
Duke University	Private (non-profit)	Durham	NC
Emory University	Private (non-profit)	Atlanta	GA
Florida International University	Public	Miami	FL
Florida State University	Public	Tallahassee	FL
George Mason University	Public		VA
George Washington University	Private (non-profit)	Washington, D.C.	DC
Georgetown University	Private (non-profit)	Washington, D.C.	DC
Georgia Institute of Technology	Public	Atlanta	GA
Georgia State University	Public	Atlanta	GA
Graduate Center, CUNY	Public	New York City	NY
Harvard University	Private (non-profit)	Cambridge	MA
Indiana University Bloomington	Public	Bloomington	IN
Iowa State University	Public	Ames	IA
Johns Hopkins University	Private (non-profit)	Baltimore	MD
Kansas State University	Public	Manhattan	KS
Kent State University	Public	Kent	OH
Louisiana State University	Public	Baton Rouge	LA
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Private (non-profit)	Cambridge	MA
Michigan State University	Public	East Lansing	MI
	Public		MS
Montana State University	Public	Bozeman	MT
New Jersey Institute of Technology	Public	Newark	NJ
New York University	Private (non-profit)		NY
North Carolina State University	Public	Raleigh	NC
North Dakota State University	Public	Fargo	ND
Northeastern University	Private (non-profit)	Boston	MA
Northwestern University	Private (non-profit)	Evanston	IL
Ohio State University	Public	Columbus	OH
Ohio University	Public	Athens	OH
Oklahoma State University–Stillwater	Public	Stillwater	OK
Old Dominion University	Public	Norfolk	VA
Oregon State University	Public	Corvallis	OR
Pennsylvania State University	Public	University Park	PA
Princeton University	Private (non-profit)	Princeton	NJ
Purdue University	Public	West Lafayette	IN
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	Private (non-profit)	Troy	NY
Rice University	Private (non-profit)	Houston	TX
Rutgers University–New Brunswick	Public	New Brunswick	NJ
Stanford University	Private (non-profit)	Stanford	CA
Stony Brook University	Public	Stony Brook	NY
Syracuse University	Private (non-profit)	Syracuse	NY
Temple University	Public	Philadelphia	PA
Texas A&M University	Public	College Station	TX
Texas Tech University	Public	Lubbock	TX
Tufts University	Private (non-profit)	Medford	MA
Tulane University	Private (non-profit)	New Orleans	LA
University at Albany, SUNY	Public	Albany	NY
University at Buffalo	Public		NY
University of Alabama	Public	Tuscaloosa	AL
University of Alabama at Birmingham	Public	Birmingham	AL
University of Alabama in Huntsville	Public	Huntsville	AL
University of Arizona	Public	Tucson	AZ
University of Arkansas	Public	Fayetteville	AR
University of California, Berkeley	Public	Berkeley	CA
University of California, Davis	Public	Davis	CA
University of California, Irvine	Public	Irvine	CA
University of California, Los Angeles	Public	Los Angeles	CA
University of California, Riverside	Public	Riverside	CA
University of California, San Diego	Public	San Diego	CA
University of California, Santa Barbara	Public	Santa Barbara	CA
University of California, Santa Cruz	Public	Santa Cruz	CA
University of Central Florida	Public		FL
University of Chicago	Private (non-profit)	Chicago	IL
University of Cincinnati	Public	Cincinnati	OH
University of Colorado Boulder	Public	Boulder	CO
University of Colorado Denver	Public	Denver	CO
University of Connecticut	Public	Storrs	CT
University of Delaware	Public	Newark	DE
University of Denver	Private (non-profit)	Denver	CO
University of Florida	Public	Gainesville	FL
University of Georgia	Public	Athens	GA
University of Hawaii at Manoa	Public	Honolulu	HI
University of Houston	Public	Houston	TX
University of Illinois Chicago	Public	Chicago	IL
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign	Public		IL
University of Iowa	Public	Iowa City	IA
University of Kansas	Public	Lawrence	KS
University of Kentucky	Public	Lexington	KY
University of Louisiana at Lafayette	Public	Lafayette	LA
University of Louisville	Public	Louisville	KY
University of Maine	Public	Orono	ME
University of Maryland, Baltimore County	Public		MD
University of Maryland, College Park	Public	College Park	MD
University of Massachusetts Amherst	Public	Amherst	MA
University of Memphis	Public	Memphis	TN
University of Miami	Private (non-profit)	Coral Gables	FL
University of Michigan	Public	Ann Arbor	MI
University of Minnesota	Public	Minneapolis	MN
University of Mississippi	Public	University	MS
University of Missouri	Public	Columbia	MO
University of Montana	Public	Missoula	MT
University of Nebraska–Lincoln	Public	Lincoln	NE
	Public		NV
	Public		NV
University of New Hampshire	Public	Durham	NH
University of New Mexico	Public	Albuquerque	NM
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Public	Chapel Hill	NC
University of North Texas	Public	Denton	TX
University of Notre Dame	Private (non-profit)	Notre Dame	IN
University of Oklahoma	Public	Norman	OK
University of Oregon	Public	Eugene	OR
University of Pennsylvania	Private (non-profit)	Philadelphia	PA
University of Pittsburgh	Public	Pittsburgh	PA
University of Rochester	Private (non-profit)	Rochester	NY
University of South Carolina	Public	Columbia	SC
University of South Florida	Public	Tampa	FL
University of Southern California	Private (non-profit)	Los Angeles	CA
University of Southern Mississippi	Public	Hattiesburg	MS
University of Tennessee	Public	Knoxville	TN
University of Texas at Arlington	Public	Arlington	TX
University of Texas at Austin	Public	Austin	TX
University of Texas at Dallas	Public	Richardson	TX
University of Texas at El Paso	Public	El Paso	TX
University of Texas at San Antonio	Public	San Antonio	TX
University of Utah	Public	Salt Lake City	UT
University of Virginia	Public	Charlottesville	VA
University of Washington	Public	Seattle	WA
University of Wisconsin–Madison	Public	Madison	WI
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee	Public	Milwaukee	WI
Utah State University	Public	Logan	UT
Vanderbilt University	Private (non-profit)	Nashville	TN
Virginia Commonwealth University	Public	Richmond	VA
Virginia Tech	Public	Blacksburg	VA
Washington State University	Public	Pullman	WA
Washington University in St. Louis	Private (non-profit)		MO
Wayne State University	Public	Detroit	MI
West Virginia University	Public	Morgantown	WV
Yale University	Private (non-profit)	New Haven	CT

Map of institutions

Universities classified as "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity"

There are 133 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.

Doctoral Universities – High research activity!Institution!Control!City!State

Air Force Institute of Technology Graduate School of Engineering & Management	Public	Wright-Patterson AFB	OH
American University	Private (non-profit)	Washington	DC
Arizona State University Digital Immersion	Public	Scottsdale	AZ
Arkansas State University	Public	Jonesboro	AR
Augusta University	Public	Augusta	GA
Azusa Pacific University	Private (non-profit)	Azusa	CA
Ball State University	Public	Muncie	IN
Boise State University	Public	Boise	ID
Bowling Green State University	Public	Bowling Green	OH
Brigham Young University	Private (non-profit)	Provo	UT
California State University, East Bay	Public	Hayward	CA
California State University, Fresno	Public	Fresno	CA
California State University, Fullerton	Public	Fullerton	CA
California State University, Long Beach	Public	Long Beach	CA
California State University, San Bernardino	Public	San Bernardino	CA
Catholic University of America	Private (non-profit)	Washington	DC
Central Michigan University	Public	Mount Pleasant	MI
Chapman University	Private (non-profit)	Orange	CA
Claremont Graduate University	Private (non-profit)	Claremont	CA
Clark Atlanta University	Private (non-profit)	Atlanta	GA
Clark University	Private (non-profit)	Worcester	MA
Clarkson University	Private (non-profit)	Potsdam	NY
Cleveland State University	Public	Cleveland	OH
College of William & Mary	Public	Williamsburg	VA
Creighton University	Private (non-profit)	Omaha	NE
CUNY City College	Public	New York	NY
DePaul University	Private (non-profit)	Chicago	IL
Duquesne University	Private (non-profit)	Pittsburgh	PA
East Carolina University	Public	Greenville	NC
East Tennessee State University	Public	Johnson City	TN
Eastern Michigan University	Public	Ypsilanti	MI
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University	Public	Tallahassee	FL
Florida Atlantic University	Public	Boca Raton	FL
Florida Institute of Technology	Private (non-profit)	Melbourne	FL
Fordham University	Private (non-profit)	Bronx	NY
Georgia Southern University	Public	Statesboro	GA
Howard University	Private (non-profit)	Washington	DC
Idaho State University	Public	Pocatello	ID
Illinois Institute of Technology	Private (non-profit)	Chicago	IL
Illinois State University	Public	Normal	IL
Indiana University Indianapolis	Public	Indianapolis	IN
Indiana University of Pennsylvania	Public	Indiana	PA
Jackson State University	Public	Jackson	MS
James Madison University	Public	Harrisonburg	VA
Kennesaw State University	Public	Kennesaw	GA
Lehigh University	Private (non-profit)	Bethlehem	PA
Loma Linda University	Private (non-profit)	Loma Linda	CA
	Private (non-profit)	Brookville	NY
Louisiana Tech University	Public	Ruston	LA
Loyola Marymount University	Private (non-profit)	Los Angeles	CA
Loyola University Chicago	Private (non-profit)	Chicago	IL
Marquette University	Private (non-profit)	Milwaukee	WI
Marshall University	Public	Huntington	WV
Mercer University	Private (non-profit)	Macon	GA
Miami University	Public	Oxford	OH
Michigan Technological University	Public	Houghton	MI
Middle Tennessee State University	Public	Murfreesboro	TN
Missouri University of Science and Technology	Public	Rolla	MO
Montclair State University	Public	Montclair	NJ
Morgan State University	Public	Baltimore	MD
New Mexico State University	Public	Las Cruces	NM
North Carolina A&T State University	Public	Greensboro	NC
Northern Arizona University	Public	Flagstaff	AZ
Northern Illinois University	Public	DeKalb	IL
Nova Southeastern University	Private (non-profit)	Fort Lauderdale	FL
Oakland University	Public	Rochester	MI
Portland State University	Public	Portland	OR
Prairie View A&M University	Public	Prairie View	TX
Rochester Institute of Technology	Private (non-profit)	Rochester	NY
Rowan University	Public	Glassboro	NJ
Rutgers University–Camden	Public	Camden	NJ
Rutgers University–Newark	Public	Newark	NJ
Saint Louis University	Private (non-profit)		MO
Sam Houston State University	Public	Huntsville	TX
San Diego State University	Public	San Diego	CA
San Francisco State University	Public	San Francisco	CA
Seton Hall University	Private (non-profit)	South Orange	NJ
South Dakota State University	Public	Brookings	SD
Southern Illinois University Carbondale	Public	Carbondale	IL
Southern Methodist University	Private (non-profit)	Dallas	TX
Southern University	Public	Baton Rouge	LA
Stevens Institute of Technology	Private (non-profit)	Hoboken	NJ
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry	Public	Syracuse	NY
Tarleton State University	Public	Stephenville	TX
Teachers College, Columbia University	Private (non-profit)	New York	NY
Tennessee State University	Public	Nashville	TN
Tennessee Technological University	Public	Cookeville	TN
Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi	Public	Corpus Christi	TX
Texas A&M University–Kingsville	Public	Kingsville	TX
Texas Christian University	Private (non-profit)	Fort Worth	TX
Texas Southern University	Public	Houston	TX
Texas State University	Public	San Marcos	TX
The New School	Private (non-profit)	New York	NY
Thomas Jefferson University	Private (non-profit)	Philadelphia	PA
University of Akron Main Campus	Public	Akron	OH
University of Alaska Fairbanks	Public	Fairbanks	AK
University of Arkansas at Little Rock	Public	Little Rock	AR
University of California, Merced	Public	Merced	CA
University of Colorado Colorado Springs	Public	Colorado Springs	CO
University of Dayton	Private (non-profit)	Dayton	OH
University of Idaho	Public	Moscow	ID
University of Maryland Eastern Shore	Public	Princess Anne	MD
University of Massachusetts Boston	Public	Boston	MA
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth	Public	North Dartmouth	MA
University of Massachusetts Lowell	Public	Lowell	MA
University of Missouri–Kansas City	Public	Kansas City	MO
University of Missouri–St. Louis	Public		MO
University of Nebraska Omaha	Public	Omaha	NE
University of New England	Private (non-profit)	Biddeford	ME
University of New Orleans	Public	New Orleans	LA
University of North Carolina at Charlotte	Public	Charlotte	NC
University of North Carolina at Greensboro	Public	Greensboro	NC
University of North Carolina Wilmington	Public	Wilmington	NC
University of North Dakota	Public	Grand Forks	ND
University of North Florida	Public	Jacksonville	FL
University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus	Public	San Juan	PR
University of Rhode Island	Public	Kingston	RI
University of San Diego	Private (non-profit)	San Diego	CA
University of South Alabama	Public	Mobile	AL
University of South Dakota	Public	Vermillion	SD
University of Texas at Tyler	Public	Tyler	TX
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley	Public	Edinburg	TX
University of Toledo	Public	Toledo	OH
University of Tulsa	Private (non-profit)	Tulsa	OK
University of Vermont	Public	Burlington	VT
University of Wyoming	Public	Laramie	WY
Villanova University	Private (non-profit)	Villanova	PA
Wake Forest University	Private (non-profit)	Winston-Salem	NC
West Chester University of Pennsylvania	Public	West Chester	PA
Western Michigan University	Public	Kalamazoo	MI
Wichita State University	Public	Wichita	KS
Worcester Polytechnic Institute	Private (non-profit)	Worcester	MA
Wright State University	Public	Dayton	OH

Map of institutions

Universities classified as "Special Focus – Research Institutions"

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]

Special Focus – Research Institutions!Institution!Control!City!State

Albert Einstein College of Medicine	Private (non-profit)	Bronx	NY
Baylor College of Medicine	Private (non-profit)	Houston	TX
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai	Private (non-profit)	New York	NY
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science	Private (non-profit)	Rochester	MN
Medical College of Wisconsin	Private (non-profit)	Milwaukee	WI
Medical University of South Carolina	Public	Charleston	SC
Oregon Health & Science University	Public	Portland	OR
Rockefeller University	Private (non-profit)	New York	NY
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center	Public	Lubbock	TX
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences	Public	Bethesda	MD
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences	Public	Little Rock	AR
University of California, San Francisco	Public	San Francisco	CA
University of Maryland, Baltimore	Public	Baltimore	MD
University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School	Public	Worcester	MA
University of Nebraska Medical Center	Public	Omaha	NE
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center	Public	Oklahoma City	OK
University of Tennessee Health Science Center	Public	Memphis	TN
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston	Public	Houston	TX
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio	Public	San Antonio	TX
University of Texas Medical Branch	Public	Galveston	TX
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center	Public	Dallas	TX
Virginia Health Sciences	Public	Norfolk	VA
Weill Cornell Medicine	Private (non-profit)	New York	NY

Map of institutions

See also

• Association of American Universities
• Research university

External links

• Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education
• The Top American Research Universities – Annual report by the Center for Measuring University Performance at Arizona State University

Notes and References

1. http://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/classification_descriptions/basic.php
2. Web site: University of Washington. Carnegie Research I Universities. 2009-03-18. 2009-03-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20090306033451/http://math.la.asu.edu/~kuang/ResearchI.html. live.
3. David Weerts, State Governments and Research Universities: A Framework for a Renewed Partnership. New York: Routledge, 2002, p. 26.
4. Web site: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Carnegie Classifications FAQs. dead. 2012-02-09. https://archive.today/20130414134203/http://classifications.carnegiefoundation.org/resources/faqs.php. 2013-04-14.
5. Web site: Educause. Appendix E: Carnegie Classification (2000) Definitions. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090327110251/http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/pub8003l.pdf. 2009-03-27. 2009-03-18.
6. Web site: 2019. Basic Classification Description. Center for Postsecondary Research. March 18, 2019. August 11, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160811041453/http://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/classification_descriptions/basic.php. live.
7. Web site: 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. 2024-01-03. 2023-12-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20231220142215/https://www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pages/Carnegie-Classifications-to-Make-Major-Changes.aspx. live.
8. Web site: Doctoral Universities: Highest Research Activity. Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. 16 December 2021. 16 December 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211216205056/https://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/lookup/srp.php?clq=%7B%22basic2005_ids%22:%2215%22%7D. live.
9. Web site: Basic Classification Methodology . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180227143241/http://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/methodology/basic.php . 27 February 2018 . 14 August 2023 . Carnegie Classifications.
10. Web site: The Carnegie Classification of Institutions. 16 December 2021. 9 December 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211209074648/https://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/lookup/srp.php?clq=%7B%22basic2005_ids%22%3A%2216%22%7D&start_page=standard.php&backurl=standard.php&limit=0%2C50. live.
11. Web site: Carnegie Classifications | Standard Listings. 2022-01-12. 2022-01-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20220112060730/https://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/lookup/srp.php?clq=%7B%22basic2005_ids%22:%2227%22%7D&start_page=standard.php&backurl=standard.php&limit=0,50. live.