Question about R1 universities in the US

[StatGuy2000]

Hi everyone. I have heard a number of mentions regarding R1 universities on PF, so I did a quick check online, and found this Wikipedia entry:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_research_universities_in_the_United_States

Presumably people talk about R1 schools as being particularly prestigious for research, so when I took a look at the list, I was surprised at some of the schools on the list.

Of course, Ivy League schools like Harvard, Yale, or Princeton would be on the list of R1 schools, but then I see schools like Arizona State, Florida International, University of Central Florida, or West Virginia University (schools I've never heard of, or know much about).

Any thoughts or comments on the list?

 

[ZapperZ]

Actually, I'm not surprised. A lot of people, especially from outside the US, are not aware of (i) the number of universities in the US (ii) that most of these universities are research institutions that are funding both via federal and state governments (iii) that many of these may not be known internationally, but are quite well-known either locally or nationally, and thus, are often well-funded and well-regarded.

Zz.

 

[jtbell]

Presumably people talk about R1 schools as being particularly prestigious for research

According to

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnegie_Classification_of_Institutions_of_Higher_Education

The R1/R2/R3 classification appears to be based mainly on size-related factors, not "prestige" factors: "level of research activity, as measured by research expenditures, number of research doctorates awarded, number of research-focused faculty, and other factors." I haven't found anything yet that says what those "other factors" are.