UofL is one of only 21 universities nationwide to earn both the Research 1 (R1) and Opportunity College & University (OCU) designations in the .

In April, UofL was named an OCU in the Student Access and Earnings Classification, the latest recognition in the redesigned system of Carnegie Classifications from the Carnegie Foundation and the American Council on ����ֱ��. OCUs “can serve as a model for studying how campuses can foster student success,” according to the Carnegie Foundation.

“UofL is dedicated to redefining student success, ensuring our Cardinals have access to an outstanding education that prepares them for the careers and challenges of tomorrow,” said President Gerry Bradley. “We are honored to be recognized as an Opportunity College and delighted for others to recognize what our students, our alumni and their employers have already discovered – the incredible value of a UofL degree.”

The Student Access and Earnings Classification measures whether institutions are enrolling and creating opportunities for students in communities they serve, as well as whether students earn competitive wages after they attend.

UofL was classified “higher access, higher earnings” to give it the OCU title. It is the only ACC institution to receive the OCU rating and one of only two public colleges in Kentucky, the other being Eastern Kentucky University. Bellarmine University, a private institution, also made the cut.

There are 479 OCUs across the country and 187 R1s. UofL received its reaffirmation as an R1 in February. The Carnegie Foundation and the American Council on ����ֱ�� set out to update the Carnegie Classifications this year to better reflect the current nature of higher education and its benefits.

“With this redesign of the Carnegie Classifications, we set out to measure what matters,”  Mushtaq Gunja, executive director of the Carnegie Classification systems and senior vice president at ACE, said in a press release. “Nowadays, institutions can’t be reduced down to the highest degree they award because they exist to serve a wide range of students in a wide variety of ways. Using multiple factors in how we classify institutions is an essential step toward making the classifications more useful to researchers, policymakers, funding agencies, and others.”

UofL also is one of 369 institutions nationwide classified as a Carnegie Community Engaged University, earning recognition for its multifaceted . Together, the three Carnegie Classifications highlight how UofL creates and applies knowledge and innovation that makes a positive impact on students, community and society.

Learn more about how UofL helps students for opportunities in college and their beyond.

Specifically, the  2025 has named UofL a “Research 1: Very High Spending and Doctorate Production” university. UofL is one of only 187 universities receiving this distinction as part of the new research activity designation introduced this year, and one of only two in the state.

“We are exceptionally pleased and honored to once again receive this designation as a “Research 1” institution, attesting to our enduring success in biomedical, engineering, scientific and creative activities,” said UofL President Kim Schatzel.  

The 2025 designation was based on nearly $221 million in research expenditures UofL made in fiscal year 2023 and 159 research doctorate degrees UofL awarded in 2022-2023. That funding supports our research to prevent and treat cancer, reduce the impact of spinal cord injury and improve the use of robotics and artificial intelligence in health care. 

“We are as committed as ever to conducting research that changes and improves lives, and that commitment is affirmed by this renewed R1 designation,” said Jon Klein, UofL’s executive vice president for research and innovation.

The criteria for “Research 1: Very High Spending and Doctorate Production” include an average of at least $50 million in research and development expenditures each year and at least 70 research doctorates awarded.

UofL also holds a Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, which recognizes institutions that work with community partners to exchange knowledge and resources for public benefit.

In late April 2025, the American Council on ����ֱ�� (ACE) and the Carnegie Foundation will publish the 2025 Institutional Classification. This is an update to the historic Basic Classification and will group institutions by characteristics including the types of degrees they award, the fields of study in which students receive their degree and the size of the institution. 

Previously, ACE and the Carnegie Foundation considered Research Activity Designations as part of the Basic Classification. The new Institutional Classification will not incorporate research in its methodology. For that reason, the 2025 Research Activity Designations are being published separately. 

In 2021, under the Basic Classification methodology, UofL was designated a “Research 1 doctoral university with very high research activity.”