Master's institutions in the United States
Master's colleges and universities award a significant number of master's degrees but few or no doctorates, under the Carnegie classification. This dataset includes 646 U.S. institutions classified as Master's 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 3,611,715 students in total.
Of these, 238 are public and 408 private. The largest by enrollment include Western Governors, Southern New Hampshire, and UMGC. Among institutions that report the figure, the median graduation rate is 52% and the median average net price is $19,076.
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. |
646 institutions
Page 6 of 14Indiana University - Southeast
New Albany, Indiana
Indiana Wesleyan University - Marion
Marion, Indiana
Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts
Portland, Maine
Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Aguadilla
Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Arecibo
Arecibo, Puerto Rico
Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Metro
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Inter American University of Puerto Rico - San German
San German, Puerto Rico
Iona University
New Rochelle, New York
Ithaca College
Ithaca, New York
Jacksonville State University
Jacksonville, Alabama
Jacksonville University
Jacksonville, Florida
John Brown University
Siloam Springs, Arkansas
John Carroll University
University Heights, Ohio
Johnson & Wales University - Online
Providence, Rhode Island
Johnson & Wales University - Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
Johnson University
Knoxville, Tennessee
Judson University
Elgin, Illinois
Keck Graduate Institute
Claremont, California
Kettering University
Flint, Michigan
Keuka College
Keuka Park, New York
King University
Bristol, Tennessee
King's College
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
Kutztown, Pennsylvania
La Roche University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
La Sierra University
Riverside, California
Lake Erie College
Painesville, Ohio
Lakeland University
Plymouth, Wisconsin
Lancaster Bible College
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Langston University
Langston, Oklahoma
Lasell University
Newton, Massachusetts
Lawrence Technological University
Southfield, Michigan
Le Moyne College
Syracuse, New York
Lebanon Valley College
Annville, Pennsylvania
Lee University
Cleveland, Tennessee
Lenoir - Rhyne University
Hickory, North Carolina
LeTourneau University
Longview, Texas
Lewis University
Romeoville, Illinois
Life University
Marietta, Georgia
Lincoln University
Lincoln University, Pennsylvania
Lindenwood University
Saint Charles, Missouri
Lindsey Wilson College
Columbia, Kentucky
Longwood University
Farmville, Virginia
Los Angeles Pacific University
San Dimas, California
Louisiana Christian University
Pineville, Louisiana
Louisiana State University - Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana
Lourdes University
Sylvania, Ohio
Loyola University Maryland
Baltimore, Maryland
Lubbock Christian University
Lubbock, Texas
Frequently asked questions
- What is a Master's institution under the Carnegie Classification?
- Master's colleges and universities award a significant number of master's degrees but few or no doctorates, under the Carnegie classification. This dataset tracks 646 of them in the United States.
- What are the largest Master's in the U.S.?
- By total enrollment, the largest are Western Governors, Southern New Hampshire, UMGC, APUS, and Utah Valley.
- 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 $19,076. 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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