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 7 of 11Pacific Rim Christian University
Honolulu, Hawaii
Pacific Union College
Angwin, California
Paier College
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Paine College
Augusta, Georgia
Patrick Henry College
Purcellville, Virginia
Paul Quinn College
Dallas, Texas
Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science
Paul Smiths, New York
Peirce College
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philander Smith University
Little Rock, Arkansas
Pillar College
Newark, New Jersey
Pitzer College
Claremont, California
Point University
West Point, Georgia
Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico - Miami
Miami, Florida
Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico - Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Pomona College
Claremont, California
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
Pontifical College Josephinum
Columbus, Ohio
Presbyterian College
Clinton, South Carolina
Principia College
Elsah, Illinois
Providence Christian College
Pasadena, California
Quincy University
Quincy, Illinois
Randall University
Moore, Oklahoma
Randolph College
Lynchburg, Virginia
Randolph - Macon College
Ashland, Virginia
Rasmussen University - Florida
Ocala, Florida
Reed College
Portland, Oregon
Reinhardt University
Waleska, Georgia
Rhodes College
Memphis, Tennessee
Ripon College
Ripon, Wisconsin
Roanoke College
Salem, Virginia
Rochester University
Rochester Hills, Michigan
Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design
Lakewood, Colorado
Rogers State University
Claremore, Oklahoma
Rust College
Holly Springs, Mississippi
Sacred Heart Major Seminary
Detroit, Michigan
Saint Anselm College
Manchester, New Hampshire
Saint Augustine's University
Raleigh, North Carolina
Saint Johns University
Collegeville, Minnesota
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, Indiana
Saint Michael's College
Colchester, Vermont
Saint Norbert College
De Pere, Wisconsin
Saint Vincent College
Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Salem College
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Sarah Lawrence College
Bronxville, New York
Scripps College
Claremont, California
Shaw University
Raleigh, North Carolina
Simmons College of Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Simpson College
Indianola, Iowa
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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