NYC Gazette

The City University of New York (CUNY) has been recognized as a leading research institution in the latest Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education. The classifications, managed by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, have reaffirmed CUNY's Graduate Center's status as a Research 1 (R1) institution. Additionally, Hunter College has joined City College as a Research 2 (R2) institution, marking the first time two CUNY colleges have achieved this designation.

Seven other CUNY senior colleges have been included in a new category called Research Colleges and Universities. These institutions are Baruch College, Brooklyn College, College of Staten Island, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Lehman College, Queens College, and New York City College of Technology.

The classifications evaluate institutions based on their annual research and development expenditures and the number of doctoral degrees they award. In fiscal year 2024, CUNY reported university-wide external grant funds totaling $622 million—a significant increase since 2014.

“CUNY’s extraordinary showing in the new Carnegie Classifications is an affirmation of our tremendous growth as a research university over the past decade,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. He emphasized that advancing scientific discovery with public impact and training future researchers are central to CUNY's mission.

“This is a momentous day for CUNY Research because it reflects the hard work that our researchers are putting in conducting public impact research," stated Rosemarie Wesson, Associate Vice Chancellor and University Vice Provost for Research at CUNY.

The scope of CUNY's research projects is extensive. At the Graduate Center, a $1 million Google grant supports exploring generative artificial intelligence's impact across fields. Hunter College researchers collaborate with Temple University under a $13 million National Cancer Institute grant to address treatment disparities. City College structural biologists developed a drug-testing technique leading to approval for treating specific cancers.

The updated Carnegie Classifications use new methodology reflecting higher education's public purpose and mission more accurately. R1 institutions require at least $50 million in research expenditures and 70 awarded doctorates annually; R2 institutions need at least $5 million spent on research yearly and 20 doctoral degrees awarded.

In April, ACE and the Carnegie Foundation will release their 2025 Institutional Classification detailing characteristics such as degree types awarded by various institutions.

CUNY remains an integral part of New York City's educational landscape with its mix of quality education and affordability driving social mobility. Founded in 1847 as America’s first free public higher education institution, it continues to serve over 240,000 students across New York City's five boroughs while contributing significantly to the city's workforce diversity.