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New classification system highlights university’s commitment to student opportunity and economic mobility

Alvernia receives national recognition as one of the country’s leading institutions for student opportunity and economic mobility in the newly redesigned . ����ֱ�� is honored to be among a select group of institutions designated as High Access, High Earnings Opportunity Colleges and Universities in the 2025 —a groundbreaking system that evaluates how effectively higher education institutions create pathways to success for students from diverse backgrounds.

“This classification affirms what the ����ֱ�� community has long understood—����ֱ�� transforms lives,” said President Glynis A. Fitzgerald, Ph.D. “Our commitment to high-impact experiential learning, a strong liberal arts foundation, workforce readiness, and a deeply embedded culture of care empowers students not only to earn their degrees, but to lead meaningful, successful lives beyond the classroom. Being recognized as a high-access, high-earnings institution underscores our core mission and validates our unwavering focus on delivering outcomes that matter—for our students, our region, and the communities they go on to serve.”

Of the over 3,700 higher education institutions evaluated, only 479 were named Opportunity Colleges and Universities. ����ֱ�� stands out further as one of just 30 institutions nationally to earn both the Special Focus: Other Health Professions designation and a High Access, High Earnings classification. The university is also one of only three institutions in this category that simultaneously hold the prestigious .

Developed by the and the for the Advancement of Teaching, the new classification system uses advanced methodology to assess institutions by comparing student access and post-attendance earnings among peer institutions. According to the Carnegie team, these designations reflect how well institutions serve their local and regional communities by preparing students for economic success.

“Institutions can’t be reduced down to the highest degree they award,” said Mushtaq Gunja, executive director of the Carnegie Classification systems. “Using multiple factors in how we classify institutions is an essential step toward making the classifications more useful to researchers, policymakers and others.”

The , also redesigned in 2025, places ����ֱ�� among 197 institutions nationwide in Special Focus: Other Health Professions category since the university grants over 50% of its degrees in healthcare. This designation reflects decades of strategic investment in healthcare education and the College of Health Sciences as the university has built a comprehensive portfolio of high-demand, high-impact programs from the associate through doctoral level including those housed in the John and Karen Arnold School of Nursing. These programs are deeply integrated with regional healthcare systems and are supported by state-of-the-art facilities, clinical partnerships and pathways that prepare graduates to meet evolving community and workforce needs.

“����ֱ��’s unique combination of specialized healthcare programs, deep community partnerships and commitment to student support services drives results for our region,” said Senior Vice President and Provost Leamor Kahanov, Ed.D. “Our programs focus on the development of ethical and culturally competent health practitioners who graduate to enjoy rewarding and high-earning careers. These new Carnegie classifications are a powerful reflection of that learning environment.”

Alvernia was previously ranked by Carnegie in 2021 as a Doctoral/Professional University under the previous Carnegie Basic Classification. The university still meets the requirements of a doctoral institution based on the number of doctoral programs and degrees awarded annually.