R1

In February 2022 we were informed that Kent State achieved a major research milestone by being elevated to an “R1” classification by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. R1 (or very high research) is the highest research ranking that Carnegie designates, putting KSU into a category of the highest 146 research universities in the U.S. This announcement followed from years of strategic investment in KSU’s research infrastructure, including the creation of the research institutes and a focus on research development. Here we detail what an R1 designation means, the criteria used by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, and our plans for growing our reputation as an R1 national public research institution.