Reflecting the changing landscape of higher education, the 2021 update of the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education features a smaller number of classified institutions.

The Carnegie Classification, produced by the Center for Postsecondary Research at the IU School of Education, is the leading framework for describing the diversity of U.S. colleges and universities. The tool is used by researchers, policymakers and administrators, as well as for informing grant-making and federal and state funding of institutions. It is even as the basis for the categories of annual rankings such as U.S. News & World Report.

Project director Victor Borden, a professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs, said the latest classification continues a trend since IU took responsibility to develop the classification updates in 2014. Updates are completed every three years, and the 2018 update saw the number of institutions shrink from 4,600 to 4,300. The 2021 update classifies just under 3,900 institutions.

Read the full story about the report at News at IU.