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By Sarah Stanley Executive Director of Marketing and Public Relations Siena Heights University
May 30, 2025, Adrian, Michigan – Siena Heights University has been designated as an Opportunity College and University by the Carnegie Classifications, recognizing Siena Heights University 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 last 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 were identified as Opportunity Colleges and Universities. This is about 16 percent of all U.S. colleges and universities that are in the Student Access and Earnings Classification.
“St. Catherine of Siena, our patron saint, is known for her quest for trust and social justice,” stated Dr. Douglas Palmer, President of Siena Heights University. “How better can we honor her legacy and be true to our Dominican values than to create a learning environment that encourages inquiry and respects the dignity of all?”
Siena Heights University removes barriers to its academic programs through the Brain Gain Promise, a tuition-free guarantee for eligible Michigan high school graduates designed to increase access to a quality, affordable, private education in their home state. Siena Heights promises to cover the remaining tuition costs after all federal and state aid has been applied.
As a result, more than a quarter of Siena Heights’ students are first-generation and its student base that identify as Hispanic and Pell Grant eligible have grown. Opening a pathway to education for these populations is just one way the University lives its Dominican values of study and community. According to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, Siena Heights is above average in critical categories such as retention, graduation, and earnings. Graduates have higher than average salaries and lower than average debt.
The methodology for the new Student Access and Earnings Classification uses multidimensional groupings of the 2025 Institutional Classification to evaluate student access and earnings among similar colleges and universities.
More information about 2025 Student Earnings and Access Classifications, including the methodology, can be found here.
Siena Heights University (SHU), a Catholic institution founded in 1919 by the Adrian Dominican Sisters, serves a diverse student body of traditional and adult learners. Renowned for its leading athletics program and a commitment to the Dominican intellectual tradition, the University offers associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees, including top-ranked online programs through SHU Global.