FAU Recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for Community Engagement

University is One of Only 11 to Have Three Carnegie Designations

BOCA RATON, Fla., Jan. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida Atlantic University is one of 277 U.S. colleges and universities to receive the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification for 2026, an elective designation awarded by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching that highlights an institution's commitment to community engagement.

This is a reconfirmation as the university originally achieved this classification in 2020, reflecting the university's continued commitment to working with local partners.

With this recognition, Florida Atlantic is now one of only 11 universities in the United States to achieve three Carnegie Foundation designations: Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, "R1: Very High Research Spending and Doctorate Production," and "Opportunity College and University."

"Community engagement and strong local partnerships are central to Florida Atlantic's continued rise," said FAU President Adam Hasner. "This distinction affirms our momentum, and we are grateful to our growing network of community partners who support our mission as their hometown university."

The Carnegie Community Engagement Classification has been the leading framework for institutional assessment and recognition of community engagement in U.S. higher education for the past 19 years. Its purpose is to encourage colleges and universities to align their institutions to facilitate community engaged work. It emphasizes the importance of partnerships that enrich scholarship, research and creative activity; enhance curriculum, teaching and learning; prepare educated, engaged citizens; strengthen democratic values and civic responsibility; address critical societal issues; and contribute to the public good.

In the 2026 cycle, 237 institutions earned the classification, joining the 40 institutions classified in 2024 for a total of 277 institutions that currently hold the designation. Of the institutions recognized in 2026, 48 are receiving the classification for the first time, while 189 have previously held it. The 2026 cohort includes a diverse range of institutions, with 157 public institutions, 80 private colleges and universities, and 81 Minority Serving Institutions represented among the recipients.

FAU's Carnegie Community Engagement Classification is valid until 2032.

- FAU -

About Florida Atlantic University:

Florida Atlantic University serves more than 32,000 undergraduate and graduate students across six campuses along Florida's Southeast coast. Recognized as one of only 11 institutions nationwide to achieve three Carnegie Foundation designations - R1: Very High Research Spending and Doctorate Production," "Opportunity College and University," and Carnegie Community Engagement Classification - FAU stands at the intersection of academic excellence and social mobility. Ranked among the Top 100 Public Universities by U.S. News & World Report, FAU is also nationally recognized as a Top 25 Best-In-Class College and cited by Washington Monthly as "one of the country's most effective engines of upward mobility." As a university of first choice for students across Florida and the nation, FAU welcomed its most academically competitive incoming class in university history in Fall 2025. To learn more, visit www.fau.edu.

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Media Contacts:
Joshua Glanzer
Associate Vice President, University Communications
[email protected] 
Phone: 561-297-1168

SOURCE Florida Atlantic University