A New Milestone: NewSchool Recognized as an “Opportunity College”

NewSchool of Architecture & Design Was Recognized as an “Opportunity College” by the 2025 Carnegie Classifications

We are thrilled to share a landmark achievement for the NewSchool of Architecture and Design community.

In spring 2025, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Council on Education (ACE) released the much-anticipated 2025 Carnegie Classifications. This updated framework introduced a groundbreaking new metric: the Student Access and Earnings Classification.

We are incredibly proud to announce that as part of this release, NewSchool of Architecture & Design has been officially classified in the top tier of this new system: Higher Access, Higher Earnings—a designation officially known as an Opportunity College and University.

What Does This Classification Mean?

For decades, the Carnegie Classifications have been the leading framework for categorizing colleges and universities in the United States. The new Student Access and Earnings Classification was designed to recognize institutions that are true engines of social and economic mobility.

To earn the “Opportunity College” designation, an institution must excel in two key areas:

• Higher Access: Enrolling a student population that is representative of and reflects the diverse communities the institution serves.
• Higher Earnings: Ensuring that after students leave the institution, they go on to earn competitive, wealth-generating wages compared to peers in their job market.

Being named an Opportunity College is a powerful affirmation of our core mission. It proves by the numbers what we see every day in our studios and classrooms: NewSchool is not just an accessible place to learn; it is a springboard for thriving, lucrative careers in architecture, design, and beyond.

To commemorate this milestone, the Carnegie Foundation has provided recognized institutions with official branding to celebrate their impact.

Today, we are incredibly proud to share the newly designed official seal for our Opportunity College and University classification.

Whenever you see this seal on our website, campus materials, or alumni network, let it serve as a reminder of our collective commitment to student success, equity, and post-graduation prosperity. This recognition belongs to our dedicated faculty, our hardworking staff, and most importantly, our brilliant students and alumni who go out and shape the world.

Thank you for being a part of the NewSchool journey. Here is to continuing to build a brighter, more accessible future together!