Don’t get confused by labels of colleges and universities
What are National Universities?
National Universities offer a full range of undergraduate majors as well as master’s and doctoral degrees. In many cases, they place strong emphasis on research and receive federal money to support their research endeavors. There are 311 National Universities – 190 public, 114 private and seven for-profit – based on the categories that the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education established.
What are National Liberal Arts Colleges?
National Liberal Arts Colleges emphasize undergraduate education. To be included in this category, colleges must award at least 50 percent of their degrees in liberal arts disciplines, such as languages and literature, biology and life sciences, philosophy, cultural studies and psychology. There are 233 National Liberal Arts Colleges – 213 private and 20 public. No for-profit schools are included.
What are Regional Universities and Regional Colleges?
Like National Universities, Regional Universities offer a full range of undergraduate programs and provide graduate education at the master’s level. However, they differ by offering few, if any, doctoral programs. Of the 659 Regional Universities, 259 are public, 388 are private and 12 are for-profit. The 324 Regional Colleges – including 116 public institutions, 193 private schools and 15 for-profits – focus on undergraduate education but grant less than 50 percent of their degrees in liberal arts disciplines. The Regional Colleges category includes some institutions where only a small number of the degrees awarded are at the bachelor’s level.
