The University of Maryland Baltimore County is now one the nation’s top schools with a high rate of research activity.
UMBC, known for elevating engineers and scientists of color, joins 146 other schools across America, including Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland-College Park, as a Research 1 school.
The ranking is decided by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
Everything from the number of students who earn doctorate degrees, to research and productivity, play into the decision process to be ranked as an R1 school.
How much funding is dedicated to a range of fields is also taken into consideration. According to the university, in 2021 UMBC secured $200 million to support research.
It’s what President Freeman Hrabowski calls an amazing accomplishment: “This milestone reflects our commitment to excellence across the disciplines, from the humanities to the sciences,” he added.
While no historically Black colleges and universities have reached this ranking, the Carnegie Classification plans to revamp its qualification process to make it more inclusive.
