On February 13, 2025, the Carnegie Foundation and the American Council on Education released the first phase of the redesigned Carnegie Classifications to more fully recognize the amount of research happening at higher education institutions.
The Carnegie Classifications include any institution that conferred at least one degree during the 2019-2020 academic year, as reported through the National Center for Education Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.
- The Research Activity Designation "Research 1" recognizes institutions with very high research spending and significant doctorate production.
- The "Research 2" designation identifies institutions with high research spending and doctorate production.
- The third designation, "Research Colleges and Universities," includes institutions with varying levels of research activity.
In the context of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) with ABET-accredited engineering programs, the 2025 Carnegie Classification has designated Howard University as a Research 1 institution alongside Florida State University, Temple University, and the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.
Institutions classified as Research 2, characterized by high research spending and doctorate production, include Delaware State University, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Hampton University, Morgan State University, North Carolina A&T State University, Prairie View A&M University, Southern University and A&M College, Tennessee State University, Texas Southern University, and Virginia State University.
Alabama A&M University has been classified as a research college and university, and its specific institutional classification will be announced in April 2025.
Other institutions in this category include Bowie State University, Central State University, Norfolk State University, Tuskegee University, the University of the District of Columbia, and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.