R2 to R1
In 2021, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University began a formal examination of the university's classification within the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The intent: To better understand the university's current rank of "Doctoral University: High Research Activity," more commonly known as R2, and to explore whether reclassification as "Doctoral Research University: Very High Research Activity" or R1.
A&T's evolution as a doctoral research university in recent years made this project practically inevitable. In July 2021, A&T closed a fiscal year that saw its faculty earn $97.3 million in research contracts and grants. Over the past two years, that total has grown by 62%. Over the past 10 years, the number of doctoral graduates from A&T has more than doubled. Those are two of the most prominent growth indicators of A&T's development as a research-intensive institution among many, including R&D expenditures and research staffing.
Doctorates Awarded
68
2022-2023
69
2021-2022
64
2020-2021
66
2019-2020
59
2018-2019
Chancellor Harold L. Martin, Sr., his Cabinet and the A&T Board of Trustees began framing the university's intentions to move toward R1 in 2021, along with public messages about A&T's readiness to rise to the top 4.5% of universities across the United States. The documents linked to this page will allow readers to understand the university's journey to reclassification.
Total Research Expenditures*
$62.3M
2022-2023
$49.9M
2021-2022
$45.8M
2020-2021
$42.6M
2019-2020
$44.5M
2018-2019
*Adjusted for inflation
"In the 2025 Carnegie Classifications, the updated methodology will use a clear threshold to define the highest research designation: $50 million in total research spending and 70 research doctorates. In the new methodology, any institution that meets the threshold will be classified as R1: Very High Research Spending and Doctorate Production." — The American Council on Education (ACE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (Carnegie Foundation)
