Marian University receives Research University Carnegie Classification

Marian University has been designated a Research University in the new Carnegie Classification. The designation makes Marian University the first Franciscan research university in the United States.

According to an article on Marian University’s website, Dan Elsener, the university’s president, was quoted as saying of the designation, “This recognition affirms our commitment to faculty-led, student-driven research while staying true to our Catholic and Franciscan mission. As a private Catholic university, this designation carries additional significance—demonstrating that faith-based institutions can be at the forefront of rigorous research while maintaining their commitment to values, ethics, and student formation. We are a research university – but doing it the Marian Way.”

Marian University was one of four private national doctoral universities to have received the designation among the 62 total universities recognized as such with the new classification. On its path to gain the designation, Marian University has seen more than 300 research articles published from 273 members of its campus community, including from students, faculty, and staff, in the past three years. It has also grown to have $5 million in external research funding, up from a few thousand dollars in 2014.

The university first became a national doctoral university in 2021 and in 2024 met the financial threshold needed to achieve an R2 designation, which the university believes it will meet in 2028.

According to the Carnegie Classifications website, the classifications are a “framework,” which is “used in the study of higher education and are intended to be an objective, degree-based lens through which researchers can group and study similar institutions. Carnegie Classifications are used in research study design to ensure adequate representation of sampled institutions, students, or faculty.”

Jonathan Lowery PhD, who serves as the Assistant Provost for Research and Scholarship, said of the designation, “As the only faith-based research university in Central Indiana, we integrate scholarly inquiry with our Catholic and Franciscan values. This designation affirms that research and faith-based education work together to drive meaningful impact. As a private Catholic university, we are proving that high-caliber research can thrive within an institution rooted in service, ethics, and spiritual development.”

For more information about Marian University, visit the school’s website.