The Catholic University of America achieves prestigious R1 research title

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Feb 13, 2025 / 17:15 pm (CNA).

The Catholic University of America announced that it has earned the R1 designation for institutes with the “highest levels of research activity,” according to Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education, which grants the status. 

“Being named an R1 institution affirms what we have long known: That intellectual discovery and a commitment to Catholic identity are mutually supportive,” Catholic University President Peter Kilpatrick said.

Fewer than 5% of universities nationwide have been recognized as R1 institutions. To receive the designation, a university must spend at least $50 million on research and grants and award at least 70 research doctorates yearly.

Catholic University surpassed the goal by granting 94 research doctorates in one year. 

The college is carrying out initiatives in multiple fields including suicide prevention, vaccine delivery, technology for stroke survivors, and containment of nuclear waste, and it holds a partnership with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

“Since our founding, we have seen the pursuit of truth through research as a sacred duty. Today, this approach continues to drive our private and public partnerships, and our groundbreaking work in the sciences, the social sciences, the arts and humanities, law, philosophy, and theology,” Kilpatrick said. 

The Catholic University of America, which was the first Catholic research university in the nation, is now one of seven Catholic higher education institutions to receive the elite title. 

“Our commitment to academic excellence and our Catholic identity set us apart in the research landscape. We are proud to be one of a small number of Catholic institutions to have achieved R1 status,” said H. Joseph Yost, senior vice provost of research.  

“There’s a false narrative out there that you can’t be a research university and be faithfully Catholic. That’s simply not true, and we’re proving it,” Yost said.

The Washington, D.C.-based college is now one of five R1 institutions in the city, helping to mark the nation’s capital as a research hub. 

“R1 status recognizes the volume and breadth of the serious research we do here, and points to the discoveries and breakthroughs we make in service to our world,” said Catholic University Executive Vice President and Provost Aaron Dominguez.