R1 Research Universities

146 universities with a Carnegie R1 classification. R1 means very high research activity.

College
Type
Auburn UniversityAuburn, AlabamaPublicThe University of AlabamaTuscaloosa, AlabamaPublicUniversity of Alabama at BirminghamBirmingham, AlabamaPublicUniversity of Alabama in HuntsvilleHuntsville, AlabamaPublicUniversity of ArkansasFayetteville, ArkansasPublicArizona State University Campus ImmersionTempe, ArizonaPublicUniversity of ArizonaTucson, ArizonaPublicCalifornia Institute of TechnologyPasadena, CaliforniaPrivateStanford UniversityStanford, CaliforniaPrivateUniversity of California-BerkeleyBerkeley, CaliforniaPublicUniversity of California-DavisDavis, CaliforniaPublicUniversity of California-IrvineIrvine, CaliforniaPublicUniversity of California-Los AngelesLos Angeles, CaliforniaPublicUniversity of California-RiversideRiverside, CaliforniaPublicUniversity of California-San DiegoLa Jolla, CaliforniaPublicUniversity of California-Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, CaliforniaPublicUniversity of California-Santa CruzSanta Cruz, CaliforniaPublicUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, CaliforniaPrivateColorado School of MinesGolden, ColoradoPublicColorado State University-Fort CollinsFort Collins, ColoradoPublicUniversity of Colorado BoulderBoulder, ColoradoPublicUniversity of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical CampusDenver, ColoradoPublicUniversity of DenverDenver, ColoradoPrivateUniversity of ConnecticutStorrs, ConnecticutPublicYale UniversityNew Haven, ConnecticutPrivateGeorge Washington UniversityWashington, District of ColumbiaPrivateGeorgetown UniversityWashington, District of ColumbiaPrivateUniversity of DelawareNewark, DelawarePublicFlorida International UniversityMiami, FloridaPublicFlorida State UniversityTallahassee, FloridaPublicUniversity of Central FloridaOrlando, FloridaPublicUniversity of FloridaGainesville, FloridaPublicUniversity of MiamiCoral Gables, FloridaPrivateUniversity of South FloridaTampa, FloridaPublicEmory UniversityAtlanta, GeorgiaPrivateGeorgia Institute of Technology-Main CampusAtlanta, GeorgiaPublicGeorgia State UniversityAtlanta, GeorgiaPublicUniversity of GeorgiaAthens, GeorgiaPublicUniversity of Hawaii at ManoaHonolulu, HawaiiPublicIowa State UniversityAmes, IowaPublicUniversity of IowaIowa City, IowaPublicNorthwestern UniversityEvanston, IllinoisPrivateUniversity of ChicagoChicago, IllinoisPrivateUniversity of Illinois ChicagoChicago, IllinoisPublicUniversity of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignChampaign, IllinoisPublicIndiana University-BloomingtonBloomington, IndianaPublicPurdue University-Main CampusWest Lafayette, IndianaPublicUniversity of Notre DameNotre Dame, IndianaPrivateKansas State UniversityManhattan, KansasPublicUniversity of KansasLawrence, KansasPublicUniversity of KentuckyLexington, KentuckyPublicUniversity of LouisvilleLouisville, KentuckyPublicLouisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical CollegeBaton Rouge, LouisianaPublicTulane University of LouisianaNew Orleans, LouisianaPrivateUniversity of Louisiana at LafayetteLafayette, LouisianaPublicBoston CollegeChestnut Hill, MassachusettsPrivateBoston UniversityBoston, MassachusettsPrivateBrandeis UniversityWaltham, MassachusettsPrivateHarvard UniversityCambridge, MassachusettsPrivateMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MassachusettsPrivateNortheastern UniversityBoston, MassachusettsPrivateTufts UniversityMedford, MassachusettsPrivateUniversity of Massachusetts-AmherstAmherst, MassachusettsPublicJohns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MarylandPrivateUniversity of Maryland-Baltimore CountyBaltimore, MarylandPublicUniversity of Maryland-College ParkCollege Park, MarylandPublicUniversity of MaineOrono, MainePublicMichigan State UniversityEast Lansing, MichiganPublicUniversity of Michigan-Ann ArborAnn Arbor, MichiganPublicWayne State UniversityDetroit, MichiganPublicUniversity of Minnesota-Twin CitiesMinneapolis, MinnesotaPublicUniversity of Missouri-ColumbiaColumbia, MissouriPublicWashington University in St LouisSt. Louis, MissouriPrivateMississippi State UniversityMississippi State, MississippiPublicUniversity of MississippiUniversity, MississippiPublicUniversity of Southern MississippiHattiesburg, MississippiPublicMontana State UniversityBozeman, MontanaPublicThe University of MontanaMissoula, MontanaPublicDuke UniversityDurham, North CarolinaPrivateNorth Carolina State University at RaleighRaleigh, North CarolinaPublicUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill, North CarolinaPublicNorth Dakota State University-Main CampusFargo, North DakotaPublicUniversity of Nebraska-LincolnLincoln, NebraskaPublicDartmouth CollegeHanover, New HampshirePrivateUniversity of New Hampshire-Main CampusDurham, New HampshirePublicNew Jersey Institute of TechnologyNewark, New JerseyPublicPrinceton UniversityPrinceton, New JerseyPrivateRutgers University-New BrunswickNew Brunswick, New JerseyPublicUniversity of New Mexico-Main CampusAlbuquerque, New MexicoPublicUniversity of Nevada-Las VegasLas Vegas, NevadaPublicUniversity of Nevada-RenoReno, NevadaPublicBinghamton UniversityVestal, New YorkPublicColumbia University in the City of New YorkNew York, New YorkPrivateCornell UniversityIthaca, New YorkPrivateCUNY Graduate School and University CenterNew York, New YorkPublicNew York UniversityNew York, New YorkPrivateRensselaer Polytechnic InstituteTroy, New YorkPrivateStony Brook UniversityStony Brook, New YorkPublicSyracuse UniversitySyracuse, New YorkPrivateUniversity at AlbanyAlbany, New YorkPublicUniversity at BuffaloBuffalo, New YorkPublicUniversity of RochesterRochester, New YorkPrivateCase Western Reserve UniversityCleveland, OhioPrivateKent State University at KentKent, OhioPublicOhio State University-Main CampusColumbus, OhioPublicOhio University-Main CampusAthens, OhioPublicUniversity of Cincinnati-Main CampusCincinnati, OhioPublicOklahoma State University-Main CampusStillwater, OklahomaPublicUniversity of Oklahoma-Norman CampusNorman, OklahomaPublicOregon State UniversityCorvallis, OregonPublicUniversity of OregonEugene, OregonPublicCarnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPrivateDrexel UniversityPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaPrivatePennsylvania State University-Main CampusUniversity Park, PennsylvaniaPublicTemple UniversityPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaPublicUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaPrivateUniversity of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh CampusPittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPublicBrown UniversityProvidence, Rhode IslandPrivateClemson UniversityClemson, South CarolinaPublicUniversity of South Carolina-ColumbiaColumbia, South CarolinaPublicThe University of Tennessee-KnoxvilleKnoxville, TennesseePublicUniversity of MemphisMemphis, TennesseePublicVanderbilt UniversityNashville, TennesseePrivateBaylor UniversityWaco, TexasPrivateRice UniversityHouston, TexasPrivateTexas A&M University-College StationCollege Station, TexasPublicTexas Tech UniversityLubbock, TexasPublicThe University of Texas at ArlingtonArlington, TexasPublicThe University of Texas at AustinAustin, TexasPublicThe University of Texas at DallasRichardson, TexasPublicThe University of Texas at El PasoEl Paso, TexasPublicThe University of Texas at San AntonioSan Antonio, TexasPublicUniversity of HoustonHouston, TexasPublicUniversity of North TexasDenton, TexasPublicUniversity of UtahSalt Lake City, UtahPublicUtah State UniversityLogan, UtahPublicGeorge Mason UniversityFairfax, VirginiaPublicOld Dominion UniversityNorfolk, VirginiaPublicUniversity of Virginia-Main CampusCharlottesville, VirginiaPublicVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmond, VirginiaPublicVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityBlacksburg, VirginiaPublicUniversity of Washington-Seattle CampusSeattle, WashingtonPublicWashington State UniversityPullman, WashingtonPublicUniversity of Wisconsin-MadisonMadison, WisconsinPublicUniversity of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeMilwaukee, WisconsinPublicWest Virginia UniversityMorgantown, West VirginiaPublic

Research class is Carnegie Basic classification code 15 (CCBASIC). Enrollment and admission rates come from the College Scorecard.

Guide

What R1 means on this page

R1 is a Carnegie classification, not a trophy. On this page it means Carnegie code 15, the class for very high research activity. A university people call a research school stays off when its code is different.

The list sorts by state. Use it to see where very-high-research universities sit, and to compare price and earnings inside that class. It will not tell you which one is the best university in America. This site does not make that claim.

Schools
146
States
46
Median admit rate
61%
All schools report a rate
Median earnings
$68,733
10 years after entry

Code 15, and only code 15

The Carnegie Classification groups colleges by research activity and by the mix of degrees they award. Code 15 is the very-high-research doctoral class. This page takes that code from the Scorecard and lists every campus that has it.

A campus is in one basic class at a time. An R1 university is not also R2. If a classification update moves a campus, this page moves when the Scorecard field moves. It does not keep a private hall of fame.

High research is the next class

Code 16 is R2, high research activity rather than very high. Those universities have their own page. Leaving them off this one is the classification doing its job, not an insult from this site.

A liberal arts college can produce important scholarship and still sit in a baccalaureate class. Williams College is a clear example of a famous college that is not R1. Research reputation in conversation is not the field this page reads.

What to compare inside R1

R1 campuses differ in size, control, and price by a wide margin. Public flagships and private research universities share the code and do not share a tuition bill. Read the sticker-price split below before you treat the class as one type of school.

Admission rates inside R1 run from very low to much more open. The class measures research activity. It does not measure selectivity. A low rate on this list is a fact about entry, not a reason the campus earned code 15.

How this differs from a ranking

Magazine rankings mix reputation, resources, and outcomes into one number. Carnegie does not. Two R1 universities can sit far apart in a magazine and still belong on the same page here. That is intentional.

Flagship lists and the Ivy Plus list overlap this class, but they are different rules. A state can have more than one R1 and only one campus on the flagship page. Use the list that matches the question you are asking.

Where the schools are

These schools sit in 46 states. The largest groups are California (11), New York (11), Texas (11), Massachusetts (8), and Florida (6). The rest of the roll is spread across the other states in the table.

Who runs them

By reported control, 107 are public and 39 are private nonprofit. A blank control stays out of that split.

Predominant degree is the credential the campus awards most often. On this list it is a bachelor's degree at 146 schools. A campus can still award other credentials.

How large they are

The largest undergraduate enrollments on this list are Arizona State University Campus Immersion in Tempe, Arizona, with 64,674 undergraduates, Texas A&M University-College Station in College Station, Texas, with 59,615 undergraduates, University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, with 59,146 undergraduates, Ohio State University-Main Campus in Columbus, Ohio, with 45,638 undergraduates, and Purdue University-Main Campus in West Lafayette, Indiana, with 44,503 undergraduates. Enrollment is the undergraduate figure. It is not a ranking, and it leaves out graduate students.

Admission

146 of 146 schools report an admission rate. The median of those rates is 61%. Schools with no reported rate stay out of the median. A missing rate is not an open door, and it is not a closed one.

The lowest reported admission rates on this list are California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, at 3%, Stanford University in Stanford, California, at 4%, and Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at 4%. A lower rate is harder entry. It is not a score for the school.

The highest reported admission rates on this list are The University of Texas at El Paso in El Paso, Texas, at 100%, University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, at 99%, and University of Maine in Orono, Maine, at 97%.

What they charge

Among 107 public colleges that report an in-state sticker price, the median is $12,180. Among 39 private colleges that report a sticker price, the median is $66,608.

Sticker price is not net price. Grants, waivers, and a service commitment can move the bill by a wide margin. Open a school for the net-price figures.

Earnings and graduation

Among 146 schools that report earnings, the median of those school-level medians is $68,733. The clock starts at entry, not at graduation. The highest reported medians on this list are Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at $143,372, California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, at $128,566, and Stanford University in Stanford, California, at $124,080.

Among 145 schools that report a graduation rate, the median rate is 80%. A blank rate is left out. It is not treated as zero.

Athletics in this file

125 report NCAA Division I athletics, 90 play FBS football, and 18 play FCS football. A blank athletics field means this file has no division for that campus. It does not prove the campus has no team.

Also on other lists

Some of these schools also meet the rule for another list on this site. The overlap is a second flag or a second classification. It is not a second ranking.

25 are also on Hispanic-serving institutions.

How these figures work

Admission rate, enrollment, sticker price, earnings, and graduation rate all come from the College Scorecard. Earnings are the median 10 years after a student entered the school. Tuition for a public college is the in-state sticker price. Tuition for a private college is the published sticker price. None of these is net price after aid.

A blank field stays blank. This page does not turn a blank admission rate into an open door, a blank fee into a free application, or a blank earnings figure into zero. The table above is membership under the rule in this guide. Sort order is not a quality ranking.

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