Eleven of New York’s universities are now designated as “R1”, indicating the highest level of research activity in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. This ties the state with California for the most R1 institutions and underscores New York’s strength as a hotspot for technological innovation and entrepreneurship.
Research activity is measured using a number of variables, including research and development expenditures, science and engineering research staff, and doctoral conferrals in various fields. In addition to the eleven R1 institutions, the state is home to nine R2 universities and nine R3 universities.
The R1 institutions are Binghamton University, Columbia University, Cornell University, CUNY Graduate School, New York University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Stony Brook University, Syracuse University, University at Albany, University at Buffalo, and University of Rochester.
At the time of the last Carnegie Classification in 2015, nine New York universities were ranked as R1. Rensselaer and Binghamton climbed from R2 in 2015 to R1 in the 2018 report.
The Carnegie Classification has been the leading framework for recognizing and describing institutional diversity in U.S. higher education since 1970. For more information, click here.
