April 24, 2025 | Awards & Recognition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 24, 2025
Design Institute of San Diego Named an Opportunity College and University by the Carnegie Classifications
A new Student Access and Earnings Classification recognizes institutions that foster opportunities for student success
San Diego, California – Design Institute of San Diego has been designated as an Opportunity College and University by the Carnegie Classifications, recognizing Design Institute of San Diego as an institution that can serve as a model for studying how campuses can foster student success.
The Opportunity Colleges and Universities 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. In 2025, 479 institutions have been identified as Opportunity Colleges and Universities, which is about 16% of all U.S. colleges and universities that are in the Student Access and Earnings Classification.
Margot Doucette, President of Design Institute of San Diego stated that “It is a great honor to be included among the 479 institutions that serve as models for studying how campuses can foster student success. We are pleased that the Carnegie Foundation and ACE have worked together to identify and recognize institutions that not only strive but also succeed in supporting student success. Design Institute staff and faculty have always provided individualized student support, and this recognition confirms the results of that commitment.”
Design Institute of San Diego is a small, private college that has been devoted to preparing students for rewarding, innovative and socially responsible careers in interior design and allied fields for more than 45 years, through graduate and undergraduate degree programs. Forward-thinking faculty, administration, and staff are committed to the purpose of facilitating an understanding of human-centered design with a grounding in liberal arts traditions, values, and critical inquiry. Design Institute provides an inspiring, creative, collaborative, and student-centered learning environment while preparing responsible and thriving graduates who apply their knowledge, skills and abilities to enrich the profession, the environment, and the global community.
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.
Media Contacts
Institution Media Relations Contact
Nicci D’Amico Howard
858-566-1200 ext. 1021
nhoward@disd.edu
Jon Riskind (ACE)
202-697-0741
jriskind@acenet.edu
Kito Cetrulo (Carnegie Foundation)
650-566-5100
kcetrulo@carnegiefoundation.org