R2 Research institutions in the United States
R2 universities are doctoral institutions with high research activity, the second Carnegie research tier. This dataset includes 133 U.S. institutions classified as R2 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 1,993,648 students in total.
Of these, 93 are public and 40 private. The largest by enrollment include ASUDI, Kennesaw State, and CSU. Among institutions that report the figure, the median graduation rate is 61% and the median average net price is $16,697.
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. |
133 institutions
Page 3 of 3University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks, Alaska
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Little Rock, Arkansas
University of California - Merced
Merced, California
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, Colorado
University of Dayton
Dayton, Ohio
University of Idaho
Moscow, Idaho
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Princess Anne, Maryland
University of Massachusetts - Boston
Boston, Massachusetts
University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth
North Dartmouth, Massachusetts
University of Massachusetts - Lowell
Lowell, Massachusetts
University of Missouri - Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
University of Missouri - St Louis
Saint Louis, Missouri
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Omaha, Nebraska
University of New England
Biddeford, Maine
University of New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Greensboro, North Carolina
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Wilmington, North Carolina
University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota
University of North Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras
San Juan, Puerto Rico
University of Rhode Island
Kingston, Rhode Island
University of San Diego
San Diego, California
University of South Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
University of South Dakota
Vermillion, South Dakota
University of Toledo
Toledo, Ohio
University of Tulsa
Tulsa, Oklahoma
University of Vermont
Burlington, Vermont
University of Wyoming
Laramie, Wyoming
Villanova University
Villanova, Pennsylvania
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
West Chester, Pennsylvania
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Wichita State University
Wichita, Kansas
William & Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, Massachusetts
Wright State University - Main Campus
Dayton, Ohio
Frequently asked questions
- What is a R2 Research institution under the Carnegie Classification?
- R2 universities are doctoral institutions with high research activity, the second Carnegie research tier. This dataset tracks 133 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 R2 Research in the U.S.?
- By total enrollment, the largest are ASUDI, Kennesaw State, CSU, CSUB, and San Diego State.
- What is the typical graduation rate and net price for these institutions?
- The median graduation rate among institutions that report one is 61%, and the median average net price is $16,697. 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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