The University of New Orleans has once again been recognized as a High Spending and Doctorate Production institution, also known as an R2 university, according to the 2025 designations announced today by the Carnegie Foundation and American Council on Education.  

According to the Carnegie classification, R2 institutions, on average in a single year, spend at least $5 million a year on research and development, and award at least 20 research doctorates. UNO’s research activity designation was based on its research expenditures of $20.3 million in fiscal year 2023 and its 38 research doctorates awarded from 2022-23.

“This is exciting news for our entire university community,” said President Kathy Johnson. “We take seriously our mission as an urban public research university, and we aspire to further expand our research enterprise while maintaining our focus on ensuring that we offer an excellent and affordable education to thousands of students every year. Our status as an R2 is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our faculty, staff and students. I want the people of greater New Orleans to know that the University of New Orleans is committed to addressing and solving the challenges of our region and beyond through research, discovery and creative activities.”

The University of New Orleans is the only public research institution in metro New Orleans. The University’s adjacent 30-acre research park, known as The Beach at UNO, is also the only research park in greater New Orleans.

The Carnegie Classification is the leading framework for recognizing and describing institutional diversity in U.S. higher education. In 1970, the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education began developing a classification of colleges and universities to support its program of research and policy analysis. The framework was first published in 1973 and is now updated every three years to reflect changes among colleges and universities.

The American Council on Education (ACE) is a membership organization that leads higher education with a united vision for the future. As the major coordinating body for the nation’s colleges and universities, ACE’s strength lies in its diverse membership of more than 1,600 colleges and universities, related associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. ACE is the only major higher education association to represent all types of U.S. accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities. Its members educate two out of every three students in all accredited, degree-granting U.S. institutions.