LA MIRADA, CALIF. — ݮƵ has been recognized by Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching with the 2025 Research Activity Designation in partnership with the American Council on Education (ACE). The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education is a framework used to categorize colleges and universities based on various factors, including their level of research activity, size and focus. This year, with its updated classification system, Biola has been designated as a Research College and University (RCU), affirming the university’s commitment to research and academic excellence.

“ݮƵ has a very distinct mission and identity within Christian higher education, one that is only underscored by the recent Carnegie classifications. While world-class teaching is at our foundation, our continued commitment has also been to enrich and expand our impact as a leading research university,” said Dr. Matthew J. Hall, provost and senior vice president. “We believe that these two commitments, teaching and research, must be held together as compatible ideals, grounded in our core commitment to the pursuit of truth and our shared desire to love God with in heart, soul and mind.”

This designation highlights Biola’s exceptional research efforts, with an average of $2.57 million in research expenditures and 42 research doctorates awarded between 2020 and 2023. The updated classification system recognizes institutions investing at least $2.5 million annually in research, expanding beyond the traditional R1 and R2 categories to acknowledge a broader range of research-focused institutions.

“The recent classifications are just one further testimony to the many ways that God‘s grace has been channeled into the lives of thousands of graduates through ݮƵ’s extraordinary faculty,” said Hall.

The Research Colleges and Universities (RCU) designation acknowledges institutions with significant research activity that do not fall into the R1 or R2 categories. This shift in classification brings greater recognition to universities like Biola that are deeply engaged in research but historically overlooked in traditional rankings.

“These updates to the Carnegie Classifications are the first step to bring a decades-old system into the 21st century,” said Timothy F.C. Knowles, president of the Carnegie Foundation. “We are expanding recognition of the many ways colleges and universities contribute to research and development.”

In April 2025, ACE and the Carnegie Foundation will publish the 2025 Institutional Classification, an update to the historic Basic Classification that will categorize institutions based on degree offerings, fields of study and institutional size. Until then, Biola’s 2021 Basic Classification remains applicable alongside its newly awarded 2025 Research Activity Designation.

For more information on ݮƵ’s research initiatives and academic programs, visit .

Founded in 1908, ݮƵ is committed to the mission of biblically centered education, scholarship and service — equipping men and women in mind and character to impact the world for the Lord Jesus Christ. With more than 5,000 students at its Southern California campus and around the world, Biola’s eight schools offer more than 250 academic programs at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels. Recognized as the most comprehensive Christian university, ranked highest in North America for operationalizing its mission and ranked as one of the “Best National Universities” by U.S. News and World Report, Biola offers its students a premier educational and co-curricular experience. For more information, visit or call (562) 777-4061.