Arkansas Tech University has been designated as a Carnegie Classifications Opportunity University, which recognizes ATU as an institution that models how campuses can foster student success.
According to information provided by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, the Opportunity University 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. Inclusion in the Carnegie Opportunity University or Carnegie Opportunity College classification is indicative of institutions that are shown to be high access and provide their graduates with high income potential.
In 2025, 479 institutions have been identified as Carnegie Opportunity Universities or Carnegie Opportunity Colleges, which is approximately 16 percent of all U.S. higher education institutions that are in the Student Access and Earnings classification.
Only two four-year institutions in Arkansas — ATU and the University of Arkansas at Monticello — earned the Opportunity University designation from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
The list of qualifying institutions was announced on Thursday, April 24.
“Arkansas Tech University is proud to receive this recognition from the Carnegie Foundation and the American Council on Education,” said Dr. Russell Jones, ATU president. “Achieving Carnegie Opportunity University status is representative of our mission at Arkansas Tech. Students come to ATU seeking a better life through higher education, and we deliver that with high-quality and relevant programs, dedicated faculty and staff and a commitment to providing a learning environment that develops the whole student.”
Founded in 1909, Arkansas Tech University serves more than 9,000 students through campuses in Russellville and Ozark.
Academic programs at the doctoral, master’s, baccalaureate, associate and certificate levels are delivered on the ATU campus in Russellville through the ATU College of Arts and Humanities, the ATU College of Business and Economic Development, the ATU College of Education and Health, the ATU College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and the ATU College of Research and Graduate Studies.
Academic programs at the associate and certificate levels are delivered on the ATU campus in Ozark. ATU-Ozark programs, which are focused on career education and workforce development, include offerings in health care, business technology, logistics management, law enforcement, computer information technology and skilled trades.
ATU-Ozark Campus also operates Arkansas Tech Career Center as a pathway for high school students seeking career education and workforce credentials.
Learn more about Arkansas Tech University at www.atu.edu.
Learn more about ATU’s recognition from the Carnegie Foundation and the American Council on Education at https://carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu/carnegie-classification/2025-student-access-and-earnings-classification/.
