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 2 of 4Gallaudet University
Washington, District of Columbia
Gannon University
Erie, Pennsylvania
Gardner - Webb University
Boiling Springs, North Carolina
George Fox University
Newberg, Oregon
Gonzaga University
Spokane, Washington
Grand Canyon University
Phoenix, Arizona
Grand Valley State University
Allendale, Michigan
Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania
Hampton University
Hampton, Virginia
Hardin - Simmons University
Abilene, Texas
Harding University
Searcy, Arkansas
Hofstra University
Hempstead, New York
Husson University
Bangor, Maine
Immaculata University
Immaculata, Pennsylvania
Indiana State University
Terre Haute, Indiana
Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global
Marion, Indiana
Kean University
Union, New Jersey
Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
La Salle University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Lamar University
Beaumont, Texas
Lesley University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia
Lincoln Memorial University
Harrogate, Tennessee
Lipscomb University
Nashville, Tennessee
Loyola University New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
Marian University
Indianapolis, Indiana
Mary Baldwin University
Staunton, Virginia
Marymount University
Arlington, Virginia
Maryville University of Saint Louis
Saint Louis, Missouri
Misericordia University
Dallas, Pennsylvania
Mississippi College
Clinton, Mississippi
Missouri State University - Springfield
Springfield, Missouri
Mount St. Joseph University
Cincinnati, Ohio
National American University - Rapid City
Rapid City, South Dakota
National Louis University
Chicago, Illinois
Northcentral University
San Diego, California
Northeastern University Professional Programs
Boston, Massachusetts
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, Kentucky
Oakland City University
Oakland City, Indiana
Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Our Lady of the Lake University
San Antonio, Texas
Pace University
New York, New York
Pacific University
Forest Grove, Oregon
Palm Beach Atlantic University
West Palm Beach, Florida
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California
Point Park University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Arecibo
Arecibo, Puerto Rico
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Ponce
Ponce, Puerto Rico
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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