Drexel now has the same top research status as Harvard, Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania.
Drexel has been designated at the highest level of research activity by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, which has recognized institutional diversity in U.S. higher education for decades. The organization’s 2018 classification system assigned Drexel to its “R1 Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity” category, which is the highest level of research activity.
Drexel was one of 130 colleges and universities to reach this level of status. Previously, the University had been listed in the organization’s R2 category (for high research activity). Its inclusion in the R1 prestigious category marks an affirmation of the University’s rising stature in research and national recognition of its research enterprise.
“We are familiar with the many ways in which Drexel researchers are making their mark — buoyed by an impressive, 15 percent increase in sponsored research awards last year, to nearly $124 million,” says President John Fry. “But the Carnegie designation is a welcome affirmation by independent reviewers.”
The University was one of only 34 private institutions in the nation included on the Carnegie list, which is significant because it is not a public university and therefore lacks the public funding that supports sponsored research at those institutions.