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The "basic" Carnegie Classification is an update of the classification
framework originally developed in 1970 by the Carnegie Commission on
Higher Education, and first published in 1973 for use in research on
higher education. Although this classification has undergone many
changes over the years, the current release involves some significant
changes from previous editions.
Visit the Carnegie website for definitions of the current Carnegie classifications. Below are the short labels used on this site for the new categories.
| Short label | Carnegie codes and categories | |
|---|---|---|
| Associate's-- Rural Small | 1 Associate's-- Public Rural-serving Small | |
| Associate's-- Rural Medium | 2 Associate's-- Public Rural-serving Medium | |
| Associate's-- Rural Large | 3 Associate's-- Public Rural-serving Large | |
| Associate's-- Suburban Single Campus | 4 Associate's-- Public Suburban-serving Single Campus | |
| Associate's-- Suburban Multicampus | 5 Associate's-- Public Suburban-serving Multicampus | |
| Associate's-- Urban Single Campus | 6 Associate's-- Public Urban-serving Single Campus | |
| Associate's-- Urban Multicampus | 7 Associate's-- Public Urban-serving Multicampus | |
| Associate's-- Special Use | 8 Associate's-- Public Special Use | |
| Associate's | 9 Associate's-- Private Not-for-profit | |
| Associate's | 10 Associate's-- Private For-profit | |
| Associate's-- 2-year under 4-year | 11 Associate's-- Public 2-year colleges under 4-year universities | |
| Primarily Associate's | 12 Associate's-- Public 4-year Primarily Associate's | |
| Primarily Associate's | 13 Associate's-- Private Not-for-profit 4-year Primarily Associate's | |
| Primarily Associate's | 14 Associate's-- Private For-profit 4-year Primarily Associate's | |
| Research (very high activity ) | 15 Research Universities (very high research activity) | |
| Research (high activity) | 16 Research Universities (high research activity) | |
| Doctoral/Research | 17 Doctoral/Research Universities | |
| Master's (larger programs) | 18 Master's Colleges and Universities (larger programs) | |
| Master's (medium programs) | 19 Master's Colleges and Universities (medium programs) | |
| Master's (smaller programs) | 20 Master's Colleges and Universities (smaller programs) | |
| Baccalaureate-- Arts & Sciences | 21 Baccalaureate Colleges-- Arts & Sciences | |
| Baccalaureate-- Diverse Fields | 22 Baccalaureate Colleges-- Diverse Fields | |
| Baccalaureate/Associate's | 23 Baccalaureate/Associate's Colleges | |
| Special Focus-- Theological | 24 Special Focus Institutions-- Theological seminaries and faith-related institutions | |
| Special Focus-- Medical | 25 Special Focus Institutions-- Medical schools and medical centers | |
| Special Focus-- Other health | 26 Special Focus Institutions-- Other health professions schools | |
| Special Focus-- Engineering | 27 Special Focus Institutions-- Schools of engineering | |
| Special Focus-- Other technology | 28 Special Focus Institutions-- Other technology-related schools | |
| Special Focus-- Business/management | 29 Special Focus Institutions-- Schools of business and management | |
| Special Focus-- Art, music, and design | 30 Special Focus Institutions-- Schools of art, music, and design | |
| Special Focus-- Law | 31 Special Focus Institutions-- Schools of law | |
| Special Focus-- Other | 32 Special Focus Institutions-- Other special-focus institutions | |
| Tribal Colleges | 33 Tribal Colleges | |
In determining financial aid eligibility, students are classified as either DEPENDENT or INDEPENDENT. Dependent students are assumed to be financially dependent on their parents or legal guardians. Students under the age of 24 are assumed to be dependent unless they are married, have children, or meet some of the other (less frequent) criteria of independence. For dependent students, the income of the parents is a major factor in calculating the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) that is used to determine financial aid need and Pell Grant eligibility. The income ranges in the FISAP include both the income of the parents and the dependent student's own income. Income is based on the calendar year prior to enrollment (for example, calendar year 2003 for academic year 2004-05). The total number of dependent students enrolled is an approximation. The estimated total number of dependent undergraduates is based on the age distribution reported in IPEDS. The total number of dependent students was estimated by first multiplying the percentage of undergraduates 24 or younger as reported in IPEDS times the 12-month enrollments reported in the FISAP, and then taking 90% of this number at 4-year colleges and 75% at 2-year colleges (based on national averages in the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study). This is used as the denominator to derive an estimated percentage of all dependent students who applied for aid and the percentage of all dependent students represented by the income levels of the aid applicants reported in the FISAP. When the estimated total number of dependent students was less than the number of dependent aid applicants reported in the FISAP, this income distribution was not shown.
The Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is the amount that a family is expected to contribute toward college costs according to federal financial aid formulas. The federal Expected Family Contribution determines the Pell Grant amount and eligibility for other federal need-based aid programs (primarily subsidized Stafford loans, Perkins loans, SEOG grants and College Work-study), and variations of the EFC formulas are used by many states and colleges to allocate their own need-based grant aid. The federal EFC is based on separate formulas for dependent students, independent students with children (or other dependents), and independent students (single or married) who have no dependents. In general, income in the prior calendar year is the most important factor in determining the EFC, but there are adjustments for such things as family size and number in college. Assets (excluding home equity) are considered if the income is above $50,000. A zero EFC means that the student or family is not expected to be able to contribute anything toward college costs. Until 2005-06, dependent students whose parents have incomes below $15,000 received an automatic zero EFC. This amount was increased to $20,000 in the 2006-07 academic year. Students with a zero EFC are eligible for the maximum Pell Grant amount.
The number of students enrolled in the Fall term,usually counted at the end of September. The number and percentage of students by attendance status (full-time/part-time) and by race-ethnicity is based on the Fall term enrollments.
Also called the "unduplicated" count, this is the number of students enrolled at any time during the academic year. It includes students who were only enrolled in one term (either Fall or Spring) and includes summer school students. At 4-year colleges, the 12-month enrollment count averages about 120% of the Fall enrollments, while at 2-year colleges it may be 150%-170% higher. In general, the higher the percentage of part-time students, the greater the difference between Fall and 12-month enrollments. Federal aid applications, Pell grants, and Stafford loans to students are counted over a 12-month period, so the most appropriate denominator is the 12-month enrollment count. The FISAP reported 12-month enrollment has been used in the calculations. The IPEDS reported 12-month enrollments are shown to help assess the reliability of the FISAP reported numbers since there are discrepancies in a number of cases.
Full-time Equivalent Enrollments (FTE) attempt to equate full-time and part-time students. In this data set the FTE are calulated as the sum of the Fall full-time students plus about 40% of the Fall part-time students (the percentage varies somewhat by type of college). FTE are used to compare colleges that have different percentages of full-time students. They also provide a common denominator to calculate averages that include all students. For example, the average Pell Grant per recipient may be $3,000, but the average per FTE may be $300, if only about 10% of the students receive a Pell Grant.
The Fiscal Operations Report and Application to Participate (FISAP) is an annual report filed by colleges that participate in the federal financial aid programs. The report includes institution-reported data on the number of federal financial aid applicants by dependency and income categories, the 12-month unduplicated enrollment count, and the total revenue received from tuition and fees, Pell Grants, and state grants. Information about these is available at the Department of Education website.
All undergraduates age 24 or older are considered to be financially independent of their parents for federal financial aid purposes. Undergraduates less than 24 may be considered to be independent if they are married, have legal dependents (usually children), are orphans or wards of the court, are veterans, or have been determined (by a financial aid officer) to be independent because of unusual circumstances. (All graduate students are assumed to be independent). The federal Expected Family Contribution (EFC) determines the Pell Grant amount and eligibility for other federal need-based aid programs (primarily subsidized Stafford loans, Perkins loans, SEOG grants and College Work-study). For independent students, the EFC calculation is based on the student's own financial situation (marital status, household income, assets, family size, number in college). The parents' finances are not taken into consideration. Independent student income categories in the FISAP include the income of a spouse, if the student is married. Income is based on the calendar year prior to enrollment (for example, calendar year 2003 for academic year 2004-05). See DEPENDENT STUDENTS.
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) is a federal database of information on about 10,000 US colleges, universities and trade schools. It includes such information as basic institutional characteristics, enrollments (fall, 12-month, full- time/part-time, age and racial categories, etc.), graduation and retention rates, and tuition and total costs. The IPEDS data for individual colleges may be accessed through the COOL system website. For information and data go to the IPEDS website.
Federal Stafford loans are available to students in two versions: subsidized (no interest is charged during school), and unsubsidized. The subsidized loans are need-based (depending on both income and the cost of the institution), while the unsubsidized loans are available to students at any income level. The annual maximum that may be borrowed varies by class level and dependency status. In 2000-01 and 2003-04 through 2005-06, the maximum amount that could be borrowed in an academic year for dependent students was $2,625 for first-year students, $3,500 for second-year students, and $5,500 for students in the third or higher year. For independent students the maximum was $6,625 for first-year, $7,500 for second-year, and $10,500 for third-year or higher. About 20% of dependent borrowers and 50% of independent borrowers take out both subsidized and unsubsidized loans. When students take out both types of loans, the unsubsidized maximum is also the maximum for the combined total. The cumulative maximum undergraduate total was $23,000 for dependent students and $46,000 for independent students.
The National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) is a database of all federal student loans taken out since 1965. The data on Stafford undergraduate loan totals on this website were derived from annual extract reports by institution from the NSLDS. Information about Stafford loans is available at the Department of Education website.
Federal Pell Grants are awarded to low-income undergraduates based on their EFC. The maximum Pell Grant amount for a full-time student enrolled for a full academic year was $3,300 in 2000-01 and $4,050 in 2004-05 through 2005-06. The Pell Grant amount for which students are eligible is determined by subtracting the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) from the maximum amount(rounded in hundreds,with a minimum of $400). For example, in 2004-05 students with a zero EFC were eligible for the maximum amount ($4,050 minus 0 EFC), while those with an EFC of 2000 were eligible for $2,050 ($4,050 minus 2000 EFC). Pell Grants are awarded throughout the academic year. However, students enrolled for only one term are only eligible for one-half of the usual annual amount, and the amounts are lower for those enrolled less than full- time. Nationally, about one-fourth of all undergraduates receive a Pell Grant. Information about Pell Grants is available at the Department of Education website.
The various publishers of college guides have all devised their own methodologies for ranking 4-year colleges by freshmen admissions selectivity. The selectivity measure used on this website was developed for "Changes in Patterns of Prices and Financial Aid," a publication of the National Center for Education Statistics (2005), using the following criteria: whether or not the institution was open admission (no minimal requirements); the number of applicants; the number of students admitted; the 25th and 75th percentiles of ACT and/or SAT scores; and whether or not test scores were required. Open admission 4-year institutions were formed into a separate category. For non-open admission institutions, an index was created from two variables: 1) the centile distribution of the percentage of students who were admitted (of those who applied); and 2) the centile distribution of the midpoint between the 25th and 75th percentile SAT/ACT combined scores reported by each institution (ACT scores were converted into SAT equivalents). The two variables were given equal weight for those non-open admission institutions that had data for both, and the combined centile variable was divided into selectivity categories:very selective, moderately selective, and minimally selective, based on breaks in the distribution. Institutions that did not have test score data (about 10 percent of non-open admission institutions) were assigned to the selectivity categories using a combination of percent admitted and whether they required test scores; institutions that did not require test scores were assigned to the minimally selective category, while the remainder were assigned according to the range of centiles of percent admitted in which they fell.
Federal Stafford Subsidized Loans are federally subsidized student loans made on the basis of the student's financial need and other specific eligibility requirements. Stafford Subsidized loans have subsidized interest, which means that the federal government covers the interest on these loans while borrowers are enrolled at least halftime, during the six-month grace period following graduation, or during authorized periods of deferment. Stafford Subsidized loans are available to undergraduate and graduate students while the student is in school. The borrower begins to repay the principal and interest after leaving school. The annual maximum that may be borrowed varies by class level. The maximum amount that may be borrowed in an academic year in 2000-01 and 2003-04 through 2005-06 was $2,625 for first-year students, $3,500 for second-year students, and $5,500 for students in the third or higher years. The cumulative maximum for all undergraduate years is $23,000. The subsidized maximum amounts are the same for dependent and independent students. Students may borrow both subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford loans, but the combined total cannot exceed the maximum unsubsidized amounts (see UNSUBSIDIZED). About one-fourth of dependent and one-half of independent students with subsidized loans also borrow unsubsidized loans.
Federal Stafford Unsubsidized Loans are not need-based, and are available to students at any income level who are enrolled at least half-time (taking 2 or more courses). Interest on unsubsidized loans begins being charged when the student starts enrollment. The borrower may choose to pay the interest charged on the loan, or, more typically, allow the interest to be capitalized (added to the loan principal). The annual maximum that may be borrowed varies by class level and dependency status. The maximum amount that may be borrowed in an academic year in 2000-01 and 2003-04 through 2005-06 for dependent students was $2,625 for first-year students, $3,500 for second-year students, and $5,500 for students in the third or higher years. For independent students the maximum was $6,625 for first-year, $7,500 for second- year, and $10,500 for third-year or higher. When students take out both types of loans, the unsubsidized maximum is also the maximum for the combined total. For example, a dependent freshman with a $2,625 subsidized loan cannot also get an unsubsidized loan, but an independent freshman with a $2,625 subsidized loan can get an additional $4,000 unsubsidized. The cumulative maximum undergraduate total in unsubsidized loans (as well as combined totals) is $23,000 for dependent students and $46,000 for independent students.
