EUGENE, Ore. -- (Jan. 25, 2011) -- In its continued dedication to academic excellence, the University of Oregon has taken the next step to solidifying itself among the nation's top prestigious universities. The UO is now in the top category -- "Very High Research Activity" -- in the updated 2010 rankings of the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

The multi-level classifications system is a ranking method created by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

"As a validation of the high quality and productivity of UO's research scholars, it is most gratifying to be included in the newly updated Carnegie Classification's top category for research universities," said Richard Linton, vice president for research and graduate studies.

Of 4,633 higher education institutions included in the Carnegie Classification, the UO is among 108 designated in the top tier. The Carnegie Classification has been the leading structure for recognizing and describing institutional diversity in U.S. higher education for four decades.

"This is an especially remarkable achievement considering the comparably small size of our university's faculty and research staff as well as the absence of medical, engineering and agricultural schools that attract large federal investments," Linton said.

The UO was previously in the "Research Universities - High Research Activity" category when the current Carnegie Classification framework was introduced in 2005. The UO joins Oregon State University, the University of Washington and Washington State University as the four top research institutions in the Pacific Northwest.

Founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an Act of Congress, the Carnegie Foundation is an independent policy and research center located at Stanford University. (For more information about the foundation's classifications, see the Carnegie FAQ.)