The University of South Carolina continues to rank among the top research institutions in America in the latest update to the Carnegie Foundation’s research activity designations, a leading framework for recognizing and describing U.S. higher education institutions.
In the new listings, USC earned the top research designation, which is now called “Research 1: Very High Spending and Doctorate Production,” by spending at least $50 million on research and development, and producing at least 70 research doctorate degrees on average in 2022-2023.
“Our scholars’ commitment to research excellence keeps us in the top Carnegie research category year after year,” said Julius Fridriksson, USC Vice President for Research. “Even as the classifications change, our position at the top remains unchanged because of our strong track record of innovation and the dedication of our faculty and staff to USC’s research mission.”
The American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching have made several changes to modernize the 2025 Carnegie Classifications, including a change in terminology for their research activity designations. Under the 2025 research designations, doctoral degree-granting universities are organized into three categories as follows:
- Research 1: Very High Spending and Doctorate Production
- Research 2: High Spending and Doctorate Production
- Research Colleges and Universities
The Carnegie Foundation has also changed the 2025 classification framework to separate research designations from institutional classifications, which have previously been combined into one set of classifications. The organization plans to launch its 2025 institution classifications later this spring.
13 February 2025