SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WPRI) — The University of Rhode Island (URI) has achieved a new designation, marking the school as one of the "highest level of research universities in the United States."
URI said it has achieved a Research 1 (R1) designation in the latest Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
The Carnegie Classification was developed by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education in the 1970s to offer a framework and recognize institutions for certain accomplishments.
URI said the classification is widely recognized as a standard for evaluating schools based on their research activity.
Schools that are classified as R1 spend an average of at least $50 million on research and development a year, awarding at least 70 research doctorates in that time.
"In 2023, the Department of Education counted 3,896 degree-granting postsecondary institutions in the United States," URI said in a press release. "Of that total, approximately 187 have achieved Carnegie’s R1 classification, placing URI among the top 4.8% of degree-granting postsecondary institutions nationally."
URI attributed its new classification in part to increases in both research expenditures and doctoral degree student enrollment.
"This is a proud day for the University of Rhode Island, and for the many outstanding faculty, staff, and students who have contributed to our broad and deep impacts on Rhode Island, the nation, and the world," URI President Marc Parlange said.
The University of Rhode Island Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (URI/AAUP) that represents full-time faculty at the school applauded the classification.
"The hard work and dedication of faculty made it possible for URI to be classified as a Very High Research Activity," URI/AAUP Vice President Dr. Cate Morrison said. "This is not an overnight success story. The work to achieve these results began more than fifteen years ago when faculty revamped the curriculum and improved retention and graduation rates."
Brown University is the only other school in Rhode Island classified as R1.