JACKSON & JOSEPHINE COUNTIES (April 24, 2025) – As the nation celebrates Community College Month, Rogue Community College (RCC) has even more reason to celebrate. RCC has been named the only community college in Oregon to receive the Opportunity College and University designation by the Carnegie Classifications. This recognition highlights RCC as a model institution for advancing student success.
The designation is part of the new Student Access and Earnings Classification, released this month by the Carnegie Foundation and the American Council on Education. The classification uses federal data to assess how well colleges reflect the demographics of their communities and how their graduates’ earnings compare to peers—highlighting institutions that drive access and upward mobility.
RCC falls under the 2025 Mixed Associate Medium classification, comprising 265 institutions—about 7% of U.S. colleges and universities. In Oregon, only two other institutions, both private universities, received this distinction.
In total, 479 institutions nationwide, roughly 16% of those classified, were designated as Opportunity Colleges and Universities. These institutions combine high levels of access with strong outcomes, particularly in student earnings, making them exemplary models for equitable student success.
“Being recognized as an Opportunity College reinforces RCC’s success in providing high-quality, accessible education that meets the needs of our students and our region. We’re proud to be part of each student’s educational journey, helping them build new skills and move forward on the path to meaningful careers and lifelong learning. This designation highlights the impact of our work and our ongoing commitment to the community we serve,” says RCC’s Vice President of Student Learning and Success Juliet Long.
The methodology for the new Student Access and Earnings Classification uses multidimensional groupings of the 2025 Institutional Classification to evaluate student access and earnings between similar colleges and universities.
More information about 2025 Student Earnings and Access Classifications, including the methodology, can be found here.
About the Carnegie Classification
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, and it was updated in 1976, 1987, 1994, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2018, 2021 and 2025 to reflect changes among colleges and universities. It will next be updated in 2028, with subsequent updates every three years.
About the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
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, including the establishment of TIAA-CREF and the creation of the Education Testing Service, the GRE, Pell Grants and the Carnegie Classifications for Higher Education.
About the American Council on Education
ACE unites and leads higher education institutions toward a shared vision for the future. With more than 1,600 member colleges, universities and associations, ACE designs solutions for today’s challenges and advances public policy to support a diverse and dynamic higher education sector. Learn more at www.acenet.edu or follow ACE on X (formerly Twitter) @ACEducation and LinkedIn american-council-on-education.
###
For general media inquiries or to schedule an interview with RCC staff, please contact Director, Marketing & Communications/PIO Kelly Gonzales at 541-955-7525, kgonzales@roguecc.edu.