Stony Brook University has been named an Opportunity College and University by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. This recognition highlights Stony Brook as a model for promoting student success on campuses.
The designation is part of the new Student Access and Earnings Classification introduced by the Carnegie Foundation and the American Council on Education this month. This classification evaluates how well institutions create student success by assessing if their student populations reflect their communities and comparing students' earnings to peers in their local area.
In 2025, a total of 479 institutions, representing about 16% of U.S. colleges and universities, have been recognized as Opportunity Colleges and Universities.
Stony Brook is one of three American Association of Universities (AAU) members to receive the higher opportunity and earnings designation, alongside Arizona State University and the University of California Irvine. Among the four university centers in the State University of New York (SUNY) system, Stony Brook stands alone in receiving this distinction. Other SUNY colleges recognized include SUNY at Fredonia, SUNY College of Technology at Alfred, SUNY Cortland, SUNY Oneonta, and SUNY Polytechnic Institute.
"Stony Brook is one of the nation’s leading research universities, with a growing and highly diverse student body that includes many who are the first in their families to attend college," said Interim President Richard L. McCormick. "This Carnegie Classifications recognition is a testament to Stony Brook’s commitment to providing an exceptional education that is accessible to students from all backgrounds. Our students graduate and we are among the top universities in propelling their affluence and opportunity."
The Student Access and Earnings Classification methodology employs multidimensional groupings of the 2025 Institutional Classification to assess student access and earnings across similar institutions. Data for the classification is drawn from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, and the U.S. Census Bureau. Institutions are evaluated based on access, as measured by the percentage of students receiving Pell Grants and the proportion of underrepresented racial or ethnic groups among undergraduates, along with post-attendance earnings eight years after enrollment. The data is adjusted for local demographic and economic contexts.
The Carnegie Classification remains a primary framework for recognizing and describing the diversity of institutions in U.S. higher education. It was first established in 1973 and has undergone multiple updates, with the next scheduled for 2028 and subsequent updates every three years.
For more information on the 2025 Student Access and Earnings Classifications, including the methodology, the Carnegie Classification website offers further details.