The University of Rhode Island (URI) has entered the uppermost echelon of public higher education, thanks to a prestigious new designation that marks it among the most robust research schools in the country.
URI announced last Thursday that it now has an R1 designation from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, placing it in the top 4.8% of colleges and universities nationwide. Only 187 higher education institutions in the United States have achieved this designation.
“It means more recognition, more opportunities, and a stronger reputation — not just in New England, but nationally and globally,” URI President Marc Parlange said in a statement. “With R1 status, URI will continue to attract world-class faculty, researchers, and students. This designation will help us continue to bring millions in research funding, new industry partnerships, and high-paying jobs to Rhode Island.”
The new ranking was released Thursday by Carnegie as part of the latest batch of university classifications. The rating system defines an R1 university as one with $50 million or more in total research spending, plus the awarding of at least 70 research doctorates annually.
URI is one of 135 public universities on the R1 list. The remainder of the top tier comprises not-for-profit, private universities (including the only other Rhode Island school on the list, Brown University).
URI had 612 doctoral program enrollees in fall 2024, representing an 11% increase over the past five years. Research expenditures have also gone up 25% in that same time period, for a total of $144 million in research dollars in fiscal year 2023. In 2023, researchers associated with the university published 1,172 articles.
University officials, Gov. Dan McKee and lawmakers celebrated the new designation with a special event in the Memorial Union Ballroom on the Kingston campus Thursday. The university had learned the news six days earlier and prepared an announcement that was under an embargo, said Dawn Bergantino, a university spokesperson.
“I have to say it took all my will not to ‘spill the tea’ before now — that’s what the students say these days, right?” Parlange was quoted in a university news article that said the accolade “wasn’t the best kept secret on campus” ahead of the announcement.
This article was originally published by the Rhode Island Current.
