New rules show research universities how to achieve top spot

An elite club in higher education reserved for the top research universities in the United States will change its rules of entry in 2025, which could mean a clearer path for Texas universities to obtain the coveted status, writes Kate McGee for The Texas Tribune.

The American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching announced this week they are revising the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. It is a tiered system that classifies universities based on the calibre and breadth of their research activity. Most notably, they are drastically simplifying the qualifications for schools to earn the title of an ‘R1’ research university to just focus on two factors: annual research spending and the number of doctorates a school awards in a year.

The changes will give universities in Texas and across the country that are striving to reach that status a clearer understanding of how to earn a spot in the upper echelon of research institutions, a highly desired title viewed by university leaders as an important step to help recruit high-quality faculty, obtain more prestigious research grants and grow the national reputation of their campuses.
Full report on The Texas Tribune site