Baccalaureate institutions in the United States
Baccalaureate colleges are four-year institutions where the bachelor’s degree is the predominant award. This dataset includes 493 U.S. institutions classified as Baccalaureate under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, maintained by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, enrolling about 797,270 students in total.
Of these, 85 are public and 408 private. The largest by enrollment include BYU, CUNY New York City College of Technology, and Utah Tech. Among institutions that report the figure, the median graduation rate is 52% and the median average net price is $21,083.
R1 vs R2 vs Doctoral/Professional
The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, maintained by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation, sorts doctoral universities into these research tiers.
| Tier | Research activity | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| R1 | Very high research activity | Doctoral universities with the highest level of research activity, the top Carnegie research tier (e.g. Harvard, MIT, most flagship state universities). |
| R2 | High research activity | Doctoral universities with high research activity, the second Carnegie research tier, below R1 but above the doctoral/professional category. |
| Doctoral/Professional | Doctoral or professional-practice degrees | Universities that award research or professional-practice doctorates but fall below the research-activity thresholds for R1 or R2. |
493 institutions
Page 5 of 11Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Bayamon
Bayamon, Puerto Rico
Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Fajardo
Fajardo, Puerto Rico
Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Guayama
Guayama, Puerto Rico
Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Ponce
Mercedita, Puerto Rico
Jarvis Christian University
Hawkins, Texas
John Paul the Great Catholic University
Escondido, California
Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina
Johnson C Smith University
Charlotte, North Carolina
Juniata College
Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
Kalamazoo College
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Kansas Wesleyan University
Salina, Kansas
Keene State College
Keene, New Hampshire
Kentucky Christian University
Grayson, Kentucky
Kentucky Mountain Bible College
Jackson, Kentucky
Kentucky State University
Frankfort, Kentucky
Kentucky Wesleyan College
Owensboro, Kentucky
Kenyon College
Gambier, Ohio
Keystone College
La Plume, Pennsylvania
Knox College
Galesburg, Illinois
Kuyper College
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Lafayette College
Easton, Pennsylvania
LaGrange College
Lagrange, Georgia
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, Illinois
Lake Superior State University
Sault Ste Marie, Michigan
Lander University
Greenwood, South Carolina
Lane College
Jackson, Tennessee
Lawrence University
Appleton, Wisconsin
Le Moyne - Owen College
Memphis, Tennessee
Lees - McRae College
Banner Elk, North Carolina
Lewis & Clark College
Portland, Oregon
Lewis - Clark State College
Lewiston, Idaho
Life Pacific University
San Dimas, California
Limestone University
Gaffney, South Carolina
Lincoln University
Jefferson City, Missouri
Linfield University
McMinnville, Oregon
Livingstone College
Salisbury, North Carolina
Loras College
Dubuque, Iowa
Louisiana State University - Alexandria
Alexandria, Louisiana
Luther College
Decorah, Iowa
Lycoming College
Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Lyon College
Batesville, Arkansas
Macalester College
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Maine Maritime Academy
Castine, Maine
Manna University
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Marietta College
Marietta, Ohio
Mars Hill University
Mars Hill, North Carolina
Martin University
Indianapolis, Indiana
Marymount Manhattan College
New York, New York
Frequently asked questions
- What is a Baccalaureate institution under the Carnegie Classification?
- Baccalaureate colleges are four-year institutions where the bachelor’s degree is the predominant award. This dataset tracks 493 of them in the United States.
- What are the largest Baccalaureate in the U.S.?
- By total enrollment, the largest are BYU, CUNY New York City College of Technology, Utah Tech, Georgia Gwinnett College, and Farmingdale State College.
- What is the typical graduation rate and net price for these institutions?
- The median graduation rate among institutions that report one is 52%, and the median average net price is $21,083. Figures come from IPEDS and College Scorecard.
Related categories
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Data: IPEDS Fall 2025–26 provisional · College Scorecard (June 2026 release). All sources & release dates →
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