INSTITUTE, W.Va. – West Virginia State University (WVSU) has been recognized for its research activity in the prestigious Carnegie Classifications of the nation’s leading research colleges and universities.
Published by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, WVSU was recognized as a Research College and University (RCU) in the 2025 rankings.
The RCU is a new designation that identifies research happening at colleges and universities that historically have not been recognized for their research activity.
“The work of our research faculty has a tremendous impact on not just West Virginia but our nation and our world,” said WVSU President Ericke S. Cage. “Receiving a Carnegie Classification is an outstanding recognition of the quality and quantity of the research work we undertake here at the university.”
The 2025 Research Activity Designations include the following categories:
- Research 1: Very High Spending and Doctorate Production, now defined by a clear threshold of $50 million in total research spending and 70 research doctorates awarded annually. In 2025, 187 institutions have been given a designation of R1.
- Research 2: High Spending and Doctorate Production, which continues the previous requirement of $5 million in research spending and 20 research doctorates awarded annually. This year, 139 institutions received a designation of R2.
- Research Colleges and Universities (RCU), a new designation that identifies research happening at colleges and universities that historically have not been recognized for their research activity, including institutions that do not offer many or any doctoral degrees. This new designation includes any non-R1 or R2 institution that spends more than $2.5 million on research annually, accounting for 216 institutions.
“A highlight of our work to modernize the Carnegie Classification is the new Research Colleges and Universities designation, which will shed light on institutions that have engaged in research but historically haven’t been recognized for it,” said Ted Mitchell, president of ACE. “Instead of limiting research designations to the select institutions that award Ph.Ds, all types of colleges and universities will now be celebrated for their research contributions. That’s great news.”
More information about 2025 Research Activity Designations can be found here.
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About the American Council on Education
ACE unites and leads higher education institutions toward a shared vision for the future. With more than 1,600 member colleges, universities, and associations, ACE designs solutions for today’s challenges and advances public policy to support a diverse and dynamic higher education sector.
About the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
The mission of the Carnegie Foundation is to catalyze transformational change in education so that every student has the opportunity to live a healthy, dignified, and fulfilling life. Enacted by an act of Congress in 1906, the Foundation has a rich history of driving transformational change in the education sector, including the establishment of TIAA-CREF and the creation of the Education Testing Service, the GRE, Pell Grants, and the Carnegie Classifications for Higher Education.