In April 2025, the Carnegie Foundation and the American Council on Education published a series of updates to the Carnegie Classifications. The redesigned system includes a revision of the historic Basic Classification, now titled the Institutional Classification, and a newly developed Student Access and Earnings Classification. 

These updates are intended to reflect the multifaceted nature of higher education in the 21st century and measure the extent to which institutions provide students access and a path to earning competitive wages. Additionally, the Carnegie Classifications now identify institutions within the Student Access and Earnings Classification that can serve as models for studying how campuses can foster student success, designating 478 of them as Opportunity Colleges and Universities (OCU). 

More information about the Institutional Classification and the Student Access and Earnings Classification can be found here.