Seton Hall University recently received two distinctions in the new Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education’s 2025 classifications, which are meant to be more reflective of the complexities and multidimensional nature of higher education institutions since the rankings were originally designed in 1973.
First, it was designated as one of 479 “Opportunity Colleges and Universities” in the new Student Access and Earnings classification for its success in fostering social mobility and competitive earnings outcomes, placing Seton Hall in the top 16 percent of more than 3,000 classified institutions. Specifically, this new category identifies institutions that provide higher access to students who receive Pell Grants and/or come from racially/ethnically underrepresented backgrounds, as well as higher earnings among graduates compared to their demographic and economic peers. Ratios are calculated for both to determine which of six categories an institution falls.
Opportunity Colleges and Universities, such as Seton Hall, are institutions identified as providing greater access for students from lower socioeconomic and historically underrepresented backgrounds, as well as greater prospects for their students to earn more competitive wages. Nationally, only 81 (or 15%) of all research universities were so recognized, with just eight Catholic research institutions receiving this acknowledgment. Seton Hall is also one of the five four-year institutions in New Jersey that earned the Opportunity Colleges and Universities designation.
“With this redesign of the Carnegie Classifications, we set out to measure what matters,” said Mushtaq Gunja, executive director of the Carnegie Classification systems and senior vice president at ACE. “…Using multiple factors in how we classify institutions is an essential step toward making the classifications more useful to researchers, policymakers, funding agencies and others.”
In its second designation, Seton Hall was also one of 100 institutions — among 3% of all U.S. colleges and universities — that received the new institutional classification as a “Mixed Undergraduate/Graduate-Doctoral Medium” institution, reflecting the University’s distinctive academic profile and comprehensive scope. The classification reflects institutions that award degrees at all levels, including doctorates, across a broad array of programs, while maintaining an enrollment between 4,000 and 20,000 students.
In February, the Carnegie Foundation and ACE announced its research designations and Seton Hall was recognized as an R2 “high research activity” institution placing it among top national institutions receiving at least $5 million in total research and development funding.
“These combined recognitions reflect the comprehensive strength of Seton Hall,” said Monsignor Joseph R. Reilly, S.T.L., Ph.D., president of Seton Hall University. “They affirm our Catholic mission to be a university that not only advances knowledge through research but also broadens access and delivers meaningful outcomes for our students. We are proud to stand among a select group of institutions that balance academic excellence, opportunity and impact.”
