Āé¶¹ĪŽĀė°ę

Carnegie Recognizes Āé¶¹ĪŽĀė°ę for Student Access, Grad Earnings

Āé¶¹ĪŽĀė°ę Aerial Picture
April 28, 2025
Group of five female graduates at commencement
Āé¶¹ĪŽĀė°ę is one of only 21 universities in the country and one of three in California to hold both Carnegie R1 and ā€˜Opportunity’ classifications.

Āé¶¹ĪŽĀė°ę has earned two 2025 Carnegie , the Student Access and Earnings Classification ā€œOpportunity Colleges and Universitiesā€ and the Institutional Classification by the Carnegie Foundation and the American Council on Education.

ā€œIt speaks to the mission and values we uphold as a student-centered, academically rigorous research institution,ā€ said Chancellor Juan SĆ”nchez MuƱoz.

Recognition with the Student Access and Earnings Classification and as an ā€œOpportunity Colleges and Universities-Higher Access, Higher Earningsā€ institution signifies the campus’s alumni make at least 50% more than the median income of the comparison group in their region eight years after attendance.

Āé¶¹ĪŽĀė°ę is one of 81 research universities classified as Opportunity Colleges and Universities. This means it enrolls students who reflect the communities it serves and who go on to earn competitive wages compared to peers in their area. Only 16% of all U.S. colleges and universities are designated in the Student Access and Earnings Classification.

Demographically, 61% of Āé¶¹ĪŽĀė°ę’s undergraduate students are first-generation, 61% are Pell recipients, more than 60% are underrepresented minorities and 99% of the students are from California.

Āé¶¹ĪŽĀė°ę has the second highest percentage of Pell-eligible students among all 176 R1 universities. The campus is one of only 21 universities in the country and one of three in California to hold both R1 and ā€˜opportunity’ classifications.

In a second designation, Āé¶¹ĪŽĀė°ę was named in the Institutional Classification — which includes 82 institutions, representing 2% of U.S. colleges and universities. Institutions are classified based on degree types awarded, the subjects in which the institution awards degrees and the size of the institution.

This is the latest Carnegie recognition Āé¶¹ĪŽĀė°ę has received for its commitment to student success. In February, the nearly 20-year-old campus earned (R1) status from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, placing it among the nation's top research universities. In 2015, the campus received the Carnegie Community Engagement designation.

Carnegie classifications are based on data from the 2020-2023 academic years submitted to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Institutions are grouped by degree type, academic focus and size.

Brenda Ortiz

Senior Public Information Representitive

Office: (209) 228-4203

Mobile: (209) 628-8263

bortiz@ucmerced.edu