R1 Research institutions in the United States
R1 universities are doctoral institutions with very high research activity, the top Carnegie research tier. This dataset includes 146 U.S. institutions classified as R1 Research 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 4,441,617 students in total.
Of these, 107 are public and 39 private. The largest by enrollment include ASUCI, TAUS, and University of Central Florida. Among institutions that report the figure, the median graduation rate is 80% and the median average net price is $18,589.
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. |
146 institutions
Page 3 of 4University of Hawaii at Manoa
Honolulu, Hawaii
University of Houston
Houston, Texas
University of Illinois Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign
Champaign, Illinois
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Lafayette, Louisiana
University of Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
University of Maine
Orono, Maine
University of Maryland - Baltimore County
Baltimore, Maryland
University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, Maryland
University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Amherst, Massachusetts
University of Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
University of Miami
Coral Gables, Florida
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, Minnesota
University of Mississippi
University, Mississippi
University of Missouri - Columbia
Columbia, Missouri
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska
University of Nevada - Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
University of Nevada - Reno
Reno, Nevada
University of New Hampshire - Main Campus
Durham, New Hampshire
University of New Mexico - Main Campus
Albuquerque, New Mexico
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
University of North Texas
Denton, Texas
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana
University of Oklahoma - Norman Campus
Norman, Oklahoma
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
University of Rochester
Rochester, New York
University of South Carolina - Columbia
Columbia, South Carolina
University of South Florida
Tampa, Florida
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California
University of Southern Mississippi
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia
University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Seattle, Washington
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Utah State University
Logan, Utah
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, Virginia
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, Virginia
Washington State University
Pullman, Washington
Washington University in St Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
Wayne State University
Detroit, Michigan
Frequently asked questions
- What is a R1 Research institution under the Carnegie Classification?
- R1 universities are doctoral institutions with very high research activity, the top Carnegie research tier. This dataset tracks 146 of them in the United States.
- Is Harvard a R1 or R2 university?
- Harvard University is classified R1: a doctoral university with very high research activity, the top Carnegie research tier. R1 and R2 are assigned by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation, not self-declared by institutions.
- What are the largest R1 Research in the U.S.?
- By total enrollment, the largest are ASUCI, TAUS, University of Central Florida, OSUC, and UIU.
- What is the typical graduation rate and net price for these institutions?
- The median graduation rate among institutions that report one is 80%, and the median average net price is $18,589. 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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