Methodology

Where the numbers come from and what they do and do not measure.

Source

Total research and development expenditures reported to the National Science Foundation's Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey, fiscal year 2023, in US dollars (millions). R1 and R2 tiers follow the 2025 Carnegie Classification. Research office links point to each school's research office, or its homepage where the office page blocked automated checks.

What is included

297 R1 and R2 universities, ranked by total R&D. Ranks are national positions among R1 and R2 schools; state ranks compare schools within this list only.

Data update in progress. 29 institutions (national ranks 88-96, 119-128, 215-224) are being added from the official NSF release. Their national rank positions are reserved, so national ranks will not change; state ranks may shift once they are added.

Independence

Research Spend Index is an independent reference. Any commercial partner is labeled as a partner wherever it appears and has no influence on rankings, which come only from the federal data above.