Cal State San Bernardino has been designated as an Opportunity College and University by Carnegie Classifications, recognizing the university as an institution that can serve as a model for studying how campuses can foster student success, and highlighting the value of a college degree.

The Opportunity Colleges and Universities designation is part of a newly developed Student Access and Earnings Classification published this month by the Carnegie Foundation and the American Council on Education (ACE). This new classification, which was previously referenced as the Social and Economic Mobility Classification, examines the extent to which institutions foster opportunities for student success by measuring whether institutions are enrolling students reflective of the communities they serve and how the earnings of those students compare to peers in their area.

In 2025, 479 institutions have been identified as Opportunity Colleges and Universities, which is about 16% of all U.S. colleges and universities that are in the Student Access and Earnings Classification.

“This designation from the Carnegie Foundation and ACE reaffirms Cal State San Bernardino’s role as a national leader in advancing student success and social mobility,” said university President Tomás D. Morales. “We are proud to be recognized for our intentional efforts to serve students from diverse backgrounds, provide equitable access to higher education, and help them achieve meaningful, rewarding careers. This reflects our unwavering commitment to transforming lives and strengthening communities through opportunity and academic excellence.”

The Carnegie/ACE classification comes after The Wall Street Journal placed CSUSB at No. 3 nationally for social mobility on its 2025 Best Colleges list, the College Futures Foundation ranked the university No. 6 in the state on its Four-Year California Mobility Index, and U.S. News and World Report ranked the university at No. 12 in the country on its 2025 Best Colleges ranking.

CSUSB is one of 15 California State University campuses that received the Opportunity College and University designation. Additionally, seven CSU campuses were classified as Higher Access, Medium Earnings.

“The new Carnegie Classification for Student Access and Earnings is closely aligned with our core educational mission, and we’re pleased that it affirms what we’ve long known: that the CSU is a national leader in inclusive excellence and driving social mobility,” said CSU Chancellor Mildred García. “We take great pride in serving and empowering students from all walks of life to achieve economic independence and meaningful careers. This new classification underscores the profound impact of our mission and will help us strengthen and expand our life-changing work.”

The methodology for the new Student Access and Earnings Classification uses multidimensional groupings of the 2025 Institutional Classification to evaluate student access and earnings between similar colleges and universities.

To measure access, the classification evaluates whether institutions are enrolling a student population that is representative of the locations they serve, using data describing the enrollment of undergraduate students by underrepresented race and ethnicity as well as Pell grant status, as reported to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Those data would be contextualized based on the location that students are from.

To measure economic outcomes, the classification will use undergraduate post-attendance earnings as reported by the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which partners with the Internal Revenue Service to provide earnings data for institutions. Those median earnings are compared to earnings of peers ages 22-30 who hold a high school diploma or higher. This earnings data would be adjusted and analyzed based on the geographical and racial/ethnic composition of the student body, recognizing that students’ experiences in the labor market may be affected by their location and race/ethnicity. For those adjustments and analyses, the Carnegie Classifications use data from the U.S. Census.

“The majority of students apply to college with the hope it is a path to opportunity, and the job they’ve dreamt about,” said Timothy F.C. Knowles, president of the Carnegie Foundation. “This work is about ensuring that institutions are recognized when they empower students to reach their goals and succeed.” 

“Hundreds of institutions nationwide are providing students an excellent opportunity to use higher education as a springboard to a better life,” said Ted Mitchell, president of ACE. “The Student Access and Earnings Classification highlights the depth and breadth of schools where student success is front and center.”

More information about the 2025 Student Earnings and Access Classifications, including the methodology, can be found on its webpage. Also see the CSUSB webpage on the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

About the Carnegie Classification
The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education is the leading framework for recognizing and describing institutional diversity in U.S. higher education. The Carnegie Commission on Higher Education developed the classification in 1973 to support its program of research and policy analysis, and it was updated in 1976, 1987, 1994, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2018, 2021, and 2025 to reflect changes among colleges and universities. It will next be updated in 2028, with subsequent updates every three years.

About the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
The mission of the Carnegie Foundation is to catalyze transformational change in education so that every student has the opportunity to live a healthy, dignified, and fulfilling life. Enacted by an act of Congress in 1906, the Foundation has a rich history of driving transformational change in the education sector, including the establishment of TIAA-CREF and the creation of the Education Testing Service, the GRE, Pell Grants, and the Carnegie Classifications for Higher Education.

About the American Council on Education
ACE unites and leads higher education institutions toward a shared vision for the future. With more than 1,600 member colleges, universities, and associations, ACE designs solutions for today’s challenges and advances public policy to support a diverse and dynamic higher education sector. Learn more at www.acenet.edu or follow ACE on X (formerly Twitter) @ACEducation and LinkedIn american-council-on-education.