San Diego State University has come a long way since its founding as the “San Diego Normal School” in 1897.
The university has officially been classified as an R1 research institution, the highest distinction given to doctoral universities in the Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education.
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Council on Education announced the designation Thursday.
The university said that the designation is a culmination of a years-long strategic plan.
“Being designated an R1 is a testament to the hard work, dedication and innovation of our faculty, students and staff,” said SDSU President Dr. Adela de la Torre.
“The R1 classification is recognition of how we teach and train our students, especially our doctoral students, and the impact of our collective research on the communities we serve throughout the San Diego region and the world.”
Of the 3,941 higher education institutions ranked by the Carnegie Foundation and American Council on Education, just 187 — less than 5% — were designated as R1 in 2025.
The university also holds designations as both a Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution.
Only 19 institutions in the country are designated as both R1 and a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Even fewer, only 15 of the R1s, are classified as both HSIs and Minority-Serving Institutions, which includes AANAPISIs.
More information about State’s R1 designation can be found here.
