Doctoral/Professional institutions in the United States
Doctoral/professional universities award research and professional-practice doctorates but fall below the research-activity thresholds for R1 or R2. This dataset includes 185 U.S. institutions classified as Doctoral/Professional 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 1,596,347 students in total.
Of these, 30 are public and 155 private. The largest by enrollment include Grand Canyon, University of Phoenix-Arizona, and Liberty. Among institutions that report the figure, the median graduation rate is 57% and the median average net price is $22,583.
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. |
185 institutions
Page 1 of 4Abilene Christian University
Abilene, Texas
Adelphi University
Garden City, New York
Alabama State University
Montgomery, Alabama
Albizu University - Miami
Miami, Florida
Alliant International University - San Diego
San Diego, California
Alvernia University
Reading, Pennsylvania
American International College
Springfield, Massachusetts
Andrews University
Berrien Springs, Michigan
Ashford University
San Diego, California
Aurora University
Aurora, Illinois
Baker University
Baldwin City, Kansas
Barry University
Miami, Florida
Bastyr University
Kenmore, Washington
Belhaven University
Jackson, Mississippi
Bellarmine University
Louisville, Kentucky
Belmont University
Nashville, Tennessee
Bethel University
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Biola University
La Mirada, California
Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois
Brenau University
Gainesville, Georgia
Briar Cliff University
Sioux City, Iowa
California Institute of Integral Studies
San Francisco, California
California Intercontinental University
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Campbell University
Buies Creek, North Carolina
Capella University
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Capitol Technology University
Laurel, Maryland
Carson - Newman University
Jefferson City, Tennessee
Chatham University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
City University of Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Clarke University
Dubuque, Iowa
Colorado Technical University - Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Concordia University - Irvine
Irvine, California
Concordia University - Wisconsin
Mequon, Wisconsin
D'Youville University
Buffalo, New York
Daemen University
Amherst, New York
Dallas Baptist University
Dallas, Texas
DeSales University
Center Valley, Pennsylvania
Dominican University New York
Orangeburg, New York
Drake University
Des Moines, Iowa
East Texas A&M University
Commerce, Texas
Eastern Kentucky University
Richmond, Kentucky
Edgewood College
Madison, Wisconsin
Elon University
Elon, North Carolina
Erskine College
Due West, South Carolina
Fairfield University
Fairfield, Connecticut
Ferris State University
Big Rapids, Michigan
Fielding Graduate University
Santa Barbara, California
Florida Gulf Coast University
Fort Myers, Florida
Frequently asked questions
- What is a Doctoral/Professional institution under the Carnegie Classification?
- Doctoral/professional universities award research and professional-practice doctorates but fall below the research-activity thresholds for R1 or R2. This dataset tracks 185 of them in the United States.
- What are the largest Doctoral/Professional in the U.S.?
- By total enrollment, the largest are Grand Canyon, University of Phoenix-Arizona, Liberty, Walden, and Capella.
- What is the typical graduation rate and net price for these institutions?
- The median graduation rate among institutions that report one is 57%, and the median average net price is $22,583. Figures come from IPEDS and College Scorecard.
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Data: IPEDS Fall 2025–26 provisional · College Scorecard (June 2026 release). All sources & release dates →
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