Agnes Scott College Named an Opportunity College and University in New Carnegie Classifications
A new Student Access and Earnings Classification recognizes institutions that foster opportunities for student success.
DECATUR, Ga. — Agnes Scott College has been designated as an Opportunity College and University – Higher Access, Higher Earnings in the Carnegie Classifications, recognizing Agnes Scott as an institution that can serve as a model for studying how campuses can foster student success.
The Opportunity Colleges and Universities – Higher Access, Higher Earnings 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. This new 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. Only 16 percent of colleges and universities achieved this top designation for higher access/higher earnings.
“This recognition is further evidence of Agnes Scott’s longstanding commitment to preparing students for lifelong success,” says Agnes Scott President Leocadia I. Zak. “I am proud of Agnes Scott’s record of not only enrolling, but graduating, students from underserved backgrounds ready to claim their places as leaders in our communities, workplaces and world.”
Agnes Scott’s Career Exploration Center guides students throughout their four years with strengths-based coaching, career-literacy programming and professional-skills development. In their second year, students practice leadership skills and career readiness through SCALE (Sophomore Class Atlanta Leadership Experience), a weeklong on-site immersion experience in an Atlanta-area corporation or not-for- profit. More than 80 percent of graduates have participated in an internship or mentored research project, and on average 95 percent are employed or continuing their education after one year.
More information about 2025 Student Earnings and Access Classifications, including the methodology, can be found here .
About Agnes Scott College
Located in Decatur, Georgia, Agnes Scott College was founded in 1889 and is a highly selective women’s liberal arts college with approximately 1,100 students in its undergraduate and coed graduate programs. Named “Most Innovative” seven years in a row by U.S. News & World Report, Agnes Scott is known for SUMMIT, its dynamic experiential learning curriculum, and graduate programs that prepare students to lead inclusively in medicine, health sciences and strategic communications. To learn more about Agnes Scott College, please visit agnesscott.edu.
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 EducationACE 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.
