Jacksonville State Recognized By Carnegie Foundation Among Top Institutions and Student Access and Earnings

04/24/2025

JACKSONVILLE - Jacksonville State University has been recognized in the newly redesigned 2025 Carnegie Classifications, released today by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Council on Education. The university earned distinction in both the Institutional and the new Student Access and Earnings Classification categories. 

Jax State is classified as a Professions-Focused Undergraduate/Graduate-Doctorate Medium institution—one of only 135 institutions nationwide, representing just 3% of U.S. colleges and universities. This designation reflects the university’s vast offering of professional degrees across undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels, and recognizes its medium enrollment size of 4,000 to 20,000 students. 

In addition, Jacksonville State has been named one of the nation’s Opportunity Colleges and Universities-Higher Access, Higher Earnings in the inaugural Student Access and Earnings Classification. This elite designation highlights institutions that enroll students from historically underserved communities while also helping those students achieve above-average earnings compared to peers in their region. Only 16% of U.S. institutions earned this classification, highlighting Jax State’s commitment to both access and outcomes. 

“This recognition from the Carnegie Foundation reflects our mission and momentum here at Jacksonville State University,” said Jax State President Dr. Don C. Killingsworth, Jr. “We’re committed to providing meaningful access, offering degrees that lead to real opportunity, and supporting our students every step of the way. It’s an honor to be named among the institutions leading the way in access and outcomes and it affirms the impact we’re making in the lives of our students and the communities we serve.”  

The 2025 Carnegie Classifications represent the most significant redesign of the framework in over a decade. The Institutional Classification has been updated to better reflect institutions' missions by examining degree offerings, program focus, and size. The new Student Access and Earnings Classification—developed in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau and Department of Education—uses federal data to measure how institutions support economic mobility and equity in their regions. 

To explore Jacksonville State University’s Carnegie profile, visit: https://carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu/institution/jacksonville-state-university 

For more about the Carnegie Classifications redesign, visit: https://carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu/news/carnegie-classifications-redesign-better-reflects-the-higher-education-landscape-and-recognizes-student-success