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 4 of 4University of Hartford
West Hartford, Connecticut
University of Hawaii at Hilo
Hilo, Hawaii
University of Houston - Clear Lake
Houston, Texas
University of Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana
University of La Verne
La Verne, California
University of Louisiana at Monroe
Monroe, Louisiana
University of Lynchburg
Lynchburg, Virginia
University of Management and Technology
Arlington, Virginia
University of Mary
Bismarck, North Dakota
University of Mary Hardin - Baylor
Belton, Texas
University of Massachusetts Global
Aliso Viejo, California
University of Michigan - Flint
Flint, Michigan
University of Northern Colorado
Greeley, Colorado
University of Phoenix - Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
University of Pikeville
Pikeville, Kentucky
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California
University of St Francis
Joliet, Illinois
University of St Thomas
Saint Paul, Minnesota
University of St Thomas
Houston, Texas
University of the Cumberlands
Williamsburg, Kentucky
University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, Texas
University of the Pacific
Stockton, California
University of West Georgia
Carrollton, Georgia
University of Western States
Portland, Oregon
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Valdosta State University
Valdosta, Georgia
Valparaiso University
Valparaiso, Indiana
Walden University
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Walsh University
North Canton, Ohio
Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, North Carolina
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Western New England University
Springfield, Massachusetts
Widener University
Chester, Pennsylvania
Wilkes University
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
William Carey University
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
William Woods University
Fulton, Missouri
Wilmington University
New Castle, Delaware
Wingate University
Wingate, North Carolina
Winston - Salem State University
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Xavier University
Cincinnati, Ohio
Yeshiva University
New York, New York
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.
Related categories
Browse by state
Data: IPEDS Fall 2025–26 provisional · College Scorecard (June 2026 release). All sources & release dates →
Explore every U.S. college in one conversation
Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card