UIW Named an Opportunity College and University by the Carnegie Classifications

New Designation Recognizes UIW’s Unwavering Commitment to Student Success

San Antonio – April 24, 2025 – The University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) is proud to announce that it has been designated as an “Opportunity College and University” by the Carnegie Classifications, recognizing UIW as an institution that can serve as a model for studying how campuses can foster student success.

The “Opportunity Colleges and Universities” 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. Carnegie’s methodology calculated that UIW has the highest access ratio and earnings ratio among Baccalaureate and Above institutions in San Antonio. In 2025, 479 institutions have been identified as Opportunity Colleges and Universities, which is about 16% of all U.S. colleges and universities that are in the Student Access and Earnings Classification.

“At the University of the Incarnate Word, we are called to fulfill the great promise of Catholic higher education, which is to provide a transformative experience that emphasizes the development of the whole person,” said Dr. Thomas M. Evans, UIW president. “This new, national designation among ‘Opportunity Colleges and Universities’ not only affirms our long-standing institutional commitment to social mobility but recognizes the critical work of our faculty and staff of preparing students for successful careers and to lead lives of purpose.”

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. 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.

This prestigious recognition adds to the list of recent accolades received by the University of the Incarnate Word. UIW’s Healthcare Management program was recently ranked #46 by U.S. News and World Report on its annual list of Best Graduate Schools. This year’s edition of Best Graduate Schools list featured rankings of more than 7,000 degree-granting programs at more than 1,100 universities. And UIW’s 3-D Animation and Game Design program was ranked #3 in the Southwest region and #40 overall by the Princeton Review in its Top 50 Undergraduate Schools for Game Design list. That survey measured UIW in four areas: academics, faculty, technology and career prospects.