Oregon home to eight top research institutions

Oregon is now home to eight colleges and universities ranked among the top research institutions in the U.S.  The American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation have released an updated review of higher education’s research landscape. The review, commonly known as Carnegie Classifications, identifies institutions with the largest output of research based on certain criteria. Schools with the strongest research foundations have been deemed “Research 1” or “R1” universities followed by “Research 2” or “R2.”  

In this year’s update, both Oregon State University and the University of Oregon maintained their R1 status. Schools in this category spend at least $70 million on research and award at least 70 research doctorates per year. OSU spent $422 million on research last year, according to the university’s 2024 annual research and innovation report. UO research expenditures in 2024 topped out at $116 million.  Oregon Health and Science University moved into the R2 category, joining Portland State University. R2 schools spend at least $5 million on research and award at least 20 research doctorates annually. 

The classification system also introduced a new research category this year that aims to highlight smaller institutions that may not have had research designations before. Lewis & Clark College, Reed College, Pacific University and the Oregon Institute of Technology were all recognized under the new designation of “Research Colleges and Universities.” These schools have at least $2.5 million in research expenditures a year.