U. North Carolina, The, Chapel Hill

Rankings

Data year Earned doctorates Full-time graduate students Total R&D expenditures
Rank Percentile Institutions ranked Rank Percentile Institutions ranked Rank Percentile Institutions ranked Rank Percentile Institutions ranked
2023 28 94.2 459 45 92.8 602 9 99.1 914
2022 33 93 457 37 94.8 680 12 98.8 900
2021 30 93.6 447 36 95 691 47 92.2 583 13 98.7 908
2020 20 95.8 450 35 95.2 697 13 98.7 916
2019 27 94.2 447 39 94.6 696 43 92.9 589 12 98.8 914
2018 26 94.2 428 39 94.6 698 12 98.8 911
2017 18 96 425 42 94.1 684 44 92.6 575 11 98.9 898
2016 21 95.4 430 37 94.9 697 11 98.9 896
2015 23 94.9 426 34 95.3 693 46 92.2 570 11 98.9 898
2014 21 95.3 422 33 95.4 688 8 99.2 889
2013 30 94.8 555
NOTES:
  • 1. See TableBuilder for the prior year data.
  • 2. Blank white cells indicate data not available, not applicable, or institution not eligible for survey.
  • 3. Data from the Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities is collected every two years.

Data

Number of earned doctorates, by trend major field of study of recipients: 2023–14
Fields 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014
All fields 526 474 433 556 489 473 542 510 492 535
  Science and engineering 425 383 349 429 371 375 416 383 381 399
    Agricultural sciences and natural resources 1 1 3 4 3 4 5 6 4 9
      Agricultural sciences . . 2 . . 1 1 . . 2
      Natural resources and conservation 1 1 1 4 3 3 4 6 4 7
    Biological and biomedical sciences 165 138 124 144 112 146 146 137 158 157
      Biochemistry and biophysics 8 4 4 10 9 11 14 11 11 16
      Biology and biomedical sciences, general 12 10 7 7 11 2 5 10 8 2
      Bioinformatics, biostatistics, and computational biology 26 28 29 23 12 20 19 20 20 21
      Cellular and developmental biology, and anatomy 4 4 1 3 2 8 9 6 9 14
      Ecology, evolutionary biology, and epidemiology 42 35 33 31 31 40 31 33 36 27
      Genetics and genomics 12 8 10 16 11 10 6 9 12 8
      Microbiology and immunology 15 16 8 12 8 16 12 14 17 22
      Molecular biology 6 4 8 4 4 5 10 5 6 3
      Neurobiology and neurosciences 13 8 3 13 5 10 13 5 10 13
      Pharmacology and toxicology 13 9 6 9 7 12 7 8 11 15
      Physiology, pathology, and cancer biology 9 6 4 7 7 3 7 7 6 11
      Biology and biomedical sciences, other 5 6 11 9 5 9 13 9 12 5
    Computer and information sciences 17 16 14 23 18 18 20 19 18 16
      Computer science 15 13 13 21 16 16 18 14 18 14
      Computer and information sciences, other 2 3 1 2 2 2 2 5 . 2
    Engineering 17 16 18 26 14 12 17 12 8 22
      Bioengineering and biomedical engineering 11 8 13 12 6 5 6 6 3 11
      Civil, environmental, and transportation engineering 1 5 2 9 4 5 4 3 3 4
      Electrical and computer engineering . . 1 . . . . . . .
      Industrial engineering and operations research 1 . . . . . . . . 1
      Materials and mining engineering 4 3 1 4 3 2 6 3 2 3
      Mechanical engineering . . . 1 1 . . . . 3
      Engineering, other . . 1 . . . 1 . . .
    Geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences 7 6 8 7 12 6 12 8 7 4
      Geological sciences . 2 3 2 3 3 3 4 2 2
      Ocean, marine, and atmospheric sciences 7 4 5 5 9 3 9 4 5 2
    Health sciences 53 54 53 66 61 58 54 55 47 48
      Nursing science 5 11 8 8 4 10 5 9 5 5
      Pharmaceutical sciences 17 16 12 17 10 16 14 12 11 12
      Public health 18 17 19 21 32 24 25 27 19 15
      Health sciences, other 13 10 14 20 15 8 10 7 12 16
    Mathematics and statistics 21 22 26 17 22 18 20 24 16 22
      Applied mathematics 7 2 12 2 3 3 8 5 . 9
      Mathematics . 1 2 2 1 4 . 2 2 4
      Statistics 3 6 3 2 3 5 6 8 4 5
      Mathematics and statistics, other 11 13 9 11 15 6 6 9 10 4
    Physical sciences 49 46 46 58 52 45 59 46 43 37
      Astronomy and astrophysics 5 5 4 1 . 3 2 3 1 1
      Chemistry 36 37 38 41 40 35 46 30 37 29
      Physics 8 4 4 16 12 7 11 13 5 7
    Psychology 24 24 20 23 18 16 22 22 18 32
      Clinical psychology 7 6 7 6 6 4 5 2 4 12
      Counseling and applied psychology . 1 1 4 4 2 1 4 1 4
      Research and experimental psychology 11 13 8 10 4 8 9 11 8 9
      Psychology, other 6 4 4 3 4 2 7 5 5 7
    Social sciences 71 60 37 61 59 52 61 54 62 52
      Anthropology 6 10 2 5 5 6 7 4 7 3
      Economics 12 9 7 7 13 10 9 12 14 13
      Political science and government 14 10 6 7 16 5 6 7 10 13
      Public policy analysis 3 11 8 15 8 7 8 9 11 6
      Sociology, demography, and population studies 10 5 5 10 6 7 15 8 5 8
      Social sciences, other 26 15 9 17 11 17 16 14 15 9
  Non-science and engineering 101 91 84 127 118 98 126 127 111 136
    Business 8 13 8 17 9 9 13 7 7 13
      Business 8 13 8 17 9 9 13 7 7 13
    Education 22 13 17 20 31 23 26 23 23 25
      Education leadership and administration . 1 . . 1 . . . . .
      Education research 14 8 11 9 16 13 15 10 15 10
      Teacher education and teaching fields 2 . . 4 1 2 3 3 3 7
      Education, other 6 4 6 7 13 8 8 10 5 8
    Humanities and arts 43 46 42 65 63 42 68 76 59 73
      Letters 13 17 9 21 20 17 17 20 12 14
      Foreign languages and literature 6 5 4 9 11 1 8 17 21 14
      History 11 6 12 18 16 6 20 21 12 22
      Philosophy and religious studies 7 13 11 9 6 12 14 4 6 13
      Music and performing arts 2 3 2 2 3 1 7 2 4 5
      Humanities and arts, other 4 2 4 6 7 5 2 12 4 5
    Other non-science and engineering 28 19 17 25 15 24 19 21 22 25
      Communication 20 11 9 10 5 15 13 15 11 14
      Public administration and social services 6 3 4 4 5 6 3 5 10 6
      Non-science and engineering, other 2 5 4 11 5 3 3 1 1 5

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Earned Doctorates

Full-time graduate students in science, engineering, and health, by selected characteristics: 2022–13
All races 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013
All full-time students 4,009 3,851 3,531 3,436 3,287 3,233 3,352 3,625 3,732 3,657
    Male 1,481 1,485 1,421 1,393 1,361 1,375 1,419 1,570 1,595 1,614
    Female 2,528 2,366 2,110 2,043 1,926 1,858 1,933 2,055 2,137 2,043
  U.S. citizens and permanent residents 3,161 3,124 2,865 2,734 2,657 2,615 2,752 3,000 3,095 3,023
    Hispanic or Latino 294 257 248 221 191 184 181 182 167 148
    Not Hispanic or Latino 2,801 2,795 2,542 2,397 2,372 2,337 2,477 2,741 2,843 2,698
      American Indian or Alaska Native 8 7 8 5 1 3 2 7 6 14
      Asian 337 330 271 231 237 214 217 239 201 189
      Black or African American 301 289 211 184 184 150 174 221 226 228
      Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 2 2 1 2 3 4 4 9 10 11
      White 1,998 2,023 1,918 1,838 1,799 1,723 1,838 2,076 2,202 2,151
      More than one race 155 144 133 137 148 243 242 189 198 105
    Unknown ethnicity and race 66 72 75 116 94 94 94 77 85 177
  Temporary visa holders 848 727 666 702 630 618 600 625 637 634
  Science and engineering 2,726 2,613 2,496 2,575 2,564 2,496 2,666 2,933 3,030 2,821
    Science 2,619 2,494 2,388 2,474 2,462 2,394 2,544 2,820 2,966 2,703
      Agricultural and veterinary sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 92 110 110 0
      Biological and biomedical sciences 1,012 973 925 966 974 929 920 850 950 896
      Communication 0 0 0 0 0 0 123 131 130 113
      Computer and information sciences 308 267 229 250 278 260 217 224 247 258
      Family and consumer sciences and human sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 57 58 50 51 62 66 61 62 71 62
      Mathematics and statistics 139 154 158 164 156 152 157 166 155 156
      Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies 152 149 20 21 25 26 0 0 0 0
      Natural resources and conservation 92 88 81 88 99 96 0 0 0 0
      Neurobiology and neuroscience 0 0 0 0 0 0 31 34 39 45
      Physical sciences 385 372 368 365 324 331 337 343 313 310
      Psychology 35 33 162 168 161 154 154 157 146 145
      Social sciences 439 400 395 401 383 380 452 743 805 718
    Engineering 107 119 108 101 102 102 122 113 64 118
      Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Biological, biomedical, and biosystems engineering 107 119 108 101 102 102 102 91 42 96
      Chemical, petroleum, and chemical-related engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Civil, environmental, transportation and related engineering fields 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Electrical, electronics, communications and computer engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Industrial, manufacturing, systems engineering and operations research 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Mechanical engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Metallurgical, mining, materials and related engineering fields 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 22 22 22
      Other engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
    Health 1,283 1,238 1,035 861 723 737 686 692 702 836
      Clinical medicine 823 780 610 469 348 345 318 321 332 465
      Other health 460 458 425 392 375 392 368 371 370 371

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Fields of study are grouped as they appear in survey data table (https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvygradpostdoc/#tabs-2).

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering

Part-time graduate students in science, engineering, and health, by selected characteristics: 2022–13
All races 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013
All part-time students 640 518 280 187 209 150 358 373 293 329
    Male 140 121 84 79 70 55 158 165 133 129
    Female 500 397 196 108 139 95 200 208 160 200
  U.S. citizens and permanent residents 620 506 269 178 194 142 344 357 266 313
    Hispanic or Latino 52 42 20 11 12 9 21 17 17 13
    Not Hispanic or Latino 548 445 238 158 173 131 316 336 230 283
      American Indian or Alaska Native 2 1 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0
      Asian 70 49 27 16 23 10 19 26 11 31
      Black or African American 121 89 35 19 18 13 49 54 18 23
      Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 2 2 2 0 1 2 1 3 2 1
      White 330 282 169 113 122 97 223 238 181 211
      More than one race 23 22 5 10 9 9 21 14 18 17
    Unknown ethnicity and race 20 19 11 9 9 2 7 4 19 17
  Temporary visa holders 20 12 11 9 15 8 14 16 27 16
  Science and engineering 91 62 53 58 64 59 252 286 187 204
    Science 82 60 52 58 62 58 249 284 129 198
      Agricultural and veterinary sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 3 0
      Biological and biomedical sciences 19 18 18 21 23 23 25 16 11 15
      Communication 0 0 0 0 0 0 31 33 32 53
      Computer and information sciences 38 32 21 20 20 13 10 7 14 16
      Family and consumer sciences and human sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 2 2
      Mathematics and statistics 4 1 2 2 3 4 5 1 1 0
      Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0
      Natural resources and conservation 3 0 2 0 2 4 0 0 0 0
      Neurobiology and neuroscience 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Physical sciences 5 0 2 2 0 2 3 0 4 0
      Psychology 0 2 1 2 6 6 3 0 7 1
      Social sciences 11 6 5 10 6 4 170 224 55 111
    Engineering 9 2 1 0 2 1 3 2 58 6
      Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Biological, biomedical, and biosystems engineering 9 2 1 0 2 1 2 2 57 6
      Chemical, petroleum, and chemical-related engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Civil, environmental, transportation and related engineering fields 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Electrical, electronics, communications and computer engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Industrial, manufacturing, systems engineering and operations research 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Mechanical engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Metallurgical, mining, materials and related engineering fields 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
      Other engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
    Health 549 456 227 129 145 91 106 87 106 125
      Clinical medicine 492 404 204 101 121 76 96 87 104 120
      Other health 57 52 23 28 24 15 10 0 2 5

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Fields of study are grouped as they appear in survey data table (https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvygradpostdoc/#tabs-2).

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering

Full-time graduate students in science, engineering, and health receiving primary support from federal sources, by field: 2022–13
Field 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
All surveyed fields 1,204 1,109 912 922 911 897 967 1,018 1,045 984 0
  Science and engineering 1,063 1,013 826 837 829 808 876 934 970 845 0
    Science 1,054 1,003 813 827 819 799 862 927 960 830 0
      Agricultural and veterinary sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 44 37 46 0 0
      Biological and biomedical sciences 553 558 432 439 432 418 429 472 502 470 0
      Communication 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 5 0 0
      Computer and information sciences 95 88 81 80 82 75 82 81 60 45 0
      Family and consumer sciences and human sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 22 21 19 20 9 10 13 13 11 9 0
      Mathematics and statistics 37 27 30 40 37 36 21 27 35 41 0
      Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies 43 38 1 1 6 6 0 0 0 0 0
      Natural resources and conservation 39 31 20 30 16 17 0 0 0 0 0
      Neurobiology and neuroscience 0 0 0 0 0 0 28 32 39 45 0
      Psychology 4 7 35 32 44 44 43 44 44 43 0
      Physical sciences 205 192 169 170 171 173 166 163 151 129 0
      Social sciences 56 41 26 15 22 20 35 56 67 48 0
    Engineering 9 10 13 10 10 9 14 7 10 15 0
      Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Biological, biomedical, and biosystems engineering 9 10 13 10 10 9 8 1 0 2 0
      Chemical, petroleum, and chemical-related engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Civil, environmental, transportation and related engineering fields 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Electrical, electronics, communications and computer engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Industrial, manufacturing, systems engineering and operations research 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Mechanical engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Metallurgical, mining, materials and related engineering fields 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 6 10 13 0
      Other engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
    Health 141 96 86 85 82 89 91 84 75 139 0
      Clinical medicine 30 43 34 34 33 38 59 41 33 88 0
      Other health 111 53 52 51 49 51 32 43 42 51 0

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Fields of study are grouped as they appear in survey data table (https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvygradpostdoc/#tabs-2).

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering

Full-time graduate students in science, engineering, and health, by type and primary source of support: 2022–13
Type and primary source of support 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013
All types and sources of support 4,009 3,851 3,531 3,436 3,287 3,233 3,352 3,625 3,732 3,657
  Fellowships 532 586 483 530 573 573 656 529 469 568
    Federal 371 404 313 320 322 323 375 315 282 318
    Institutional 116 118 116 172 219 218 215 158 117 187
    Nonfederal 45 64 54 38 32 32 66 56 70 63
  Research assistantships 1,390 1,290 1,220 1,185 1,161 1,149 1,230 1,355 1,458 1,331
    Federal 805 686 581 585 575 561 583 669 752 647
    Institutional 486 503 559 493 481 483 506 576 564 558
    Nonfederal 99 101 80 107 105 105 141 110 142 126
  Teaching assistantships 737 775 944 917 801 780 746 828 771 857
    Federal 12 11 9 12 12 12 0 7 0 3
    Institutional 719 756 930 899 783 766 740 801 766 850
    Nonfederal 6 8 5 6 6 2 6 20 5 4
  Other types of support 1,350 1,200 884 804 752 731 720 913 1,034 901
    Federal 16 8 9 5 2 1 9 27 11 16
    Institutional 32 43 35 34 17 13 62 94 91 88
    Nonfederal 15 71 56 34 44 52 44 46 58 55
    Personal resources 1,287 1,078 784 731 689 665 605 746 874 742

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering

Postdoctorates in science, engineering, and health, by selected characteristics: 2022–13
All races 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013
  Science and engineering 391 399 388 390 409 426 435 434 440 449
    Science 384 389 379 379 398 414 434 424 432 443
      Agricultural and veterinary sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Biological and biomedical sciences 253 244 239 246 257 261 253 275 263 257
      Communication 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Computer and information sciences 6 9 7 3 2 6 5 3 5 9
      Family and consumer sciences and human sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 8 12 8
      Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 9 5 12 12 9 8 8 9 7 9
      Mathematics and statistics 7 7 10 11 13 9 15 8 9 5
      Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies 14 17 13 15 16 21 32 16 32 31
      Natural resources and conservation 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Neurobiology and neuroscience 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 6 8 12
      Physical sciences 56 64 50 38 53 54 55 57 56 72
      Psychology 26 31 40 23 22 28 32 25 22 24
      Social sciences 13 12 8 31 26 27 18 17 18 16
    Engineering 7 10 9 11 11 12 1 10 8 6
      Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Biological, biomedical, and biosystems engineering 7 10 9 11 11 12 1 10 8 6
      Chemical, petroleum, and chemical-related engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Civil, environmental, transportation and related engineering fields 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Electrical, electronics, communications and computer engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Industrial, manufacturing, systems engineering and operations research 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Mechanical engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Metallurgical, mining, materials and related engineering fields 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Other engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
    Health 284 242 285 309 334 380 390 369 362 329
      Clinical medicine 143 136 170 177 205 236 290 279 253 217
      Other health 141 106 115 132 129 144 100 90 109 112

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Fields of study are grouped as they appear in survey data table (https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvygradpostdoc/#tabs-2).

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering

Federally supported science, engineering, and health postdoctorates, by field: 2022–13
Field 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013
All surveyed fields 558 541 579 564 525 544 599 550 616 571
  Science and engineering 318 344 331 342 342 347 340 318 340 325
    Science 309 334 322 331 331 347 340 318 340 325
      Agricultural and veterinary sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Biological and biomedical sciences 211 223 217 221 222 233 210 209 221 204
      Communication 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Computer and information sciences 3 5 5 2 2 4 3 3 1 6
      Family and consumer sciences and human sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 7 11 7
      Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 7 6 10 8 5 6 8 9 5 2
      Mathematics and statistics 2 4 5 7 9 8 15 8 9 5
      Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies 13 8 6 7 11 9 16 12 23 16
      Natural resources and conservation 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Neurobiology and neuroscience 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 4 7 10
      Psychology 27 34 42 26 20 26 26 23 21 23
      Physical sciences 36 42 30 30 38 38 34 32 32 41
      Social sciences 10 12 7 30 24 23 13 11 10 11
    Engineering 9 10 9 11 11 0 0 0 0 0
      Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Biological, biomedical, and biosystems engineering 9 10 9 11 11 0 0 0 0 0
      Chemical, petroleum, and chemical-related engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Civil, environmental, transportation and related engineering fields 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Electrical, electronics, communications and computer engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Industrial, manufacturing, systems engineering and operations research 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Mechanical engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Metallurgical, mining, materials and related engineering fields 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Other engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
    Health 240 197 248 222 183 197 259 232 276 246
      Clinical medicine 130 116 177 150 145 170 208 187 215 185
      Other health 110 81 71 72 38 27 51 45 61 61

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Fields of study are grouped as they appear in survey data table (https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvygradpostdoc/#tabs-2).

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering

Total R&D expenditures, by field: 2023–14
(Dollars in thousands)
Field 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014
  All R&D fields 1,549,617 1,361,028 1,205,883 1,159,725 1,153,773 1,136,158 1,102,063 1,045,338 966,781 989,766
    Science 1,426,447 1,265,369 1,129,589 1,085,002 1,081,829 1,065,554 1,031,603 983,552 934,238 950,587
      Computer and information sciences 41,385 39,486 32,344 26,765 23,146 18,483 14,473 15,988 17,225 23,145
      Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 34,095 23,339 16,879 19,242 16,922 19,136 19,991 17,709 28,972 33,132
        Atmospheric science and meteorology 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Geological and earth sciences 6,770 5,419 5,690 7,973 5,523 6,471 8,167 7,920 19,064 20,331
        Ocean sciences and marine sciences 20,908 12,356 6,294 6,765 7,370 7,355 7,743 7,614 7,771 10,498
        Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences nec 6,417 5,564 4,895 4,504 4,029 5,310 4,081 2,175 2,137 2,303
      Life sciences 1,141,727 1,020,666 925,380 868,276 846,630 826,287 798,649 765,284 716,708 714,830
        Agricultural sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Biological and biomedical sciences 231,074 222,099 191,773 167,907 165,804 157,615 164,272 157,817 216,193 238,994
        Health sciences 910,610 798,512 733,607 700,352 680,788 668,660 634,348 607,445 355,936 355,403
        Natural resources and conservation 43 55 0 17 38 12 29 22 0 0
        Life sciences nec 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 144,579 120,433
      Mathematics and statistics 4,894 5,464 5,489 6,729 3,049 3,186 4,369 3,552 8,017 7,642
      Physical sciences 51,933 49,368 38,809 39,979 37,055 35,118 33,807 35,524 27,727 30,012
        Astronomy and astrophysics 1,552 1,923 796 613 444 466 658 723 0 0
        Chemistry 30,227 31,221 23,102 22,546 24,143 22,770 22,182 23,485 19,397 22,234
        Materials science 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Physics 11,851 10,374 10,003 10,472 8,412 8,318 7,864 10,357 8,330 7,778
        Physical sciences nec 8,303 5,850 4,908 6,348 4,056 3,564 3,103 959 0 0
      Psychology 56,582 49,297 43,348 41,741 46,808 48,298 52,050 51,044 46,707 46,869
      Social sciences 95,692 77,515 67,325 82,154 108,095 114,814 108,178 94,310 88,667 94,306
        Anthropology 528 365 199 534 355 287 353 113 0 0
        Economics 1,403 309 214 368 534 623 572 595 573 203
        Political science and government 8,179 5,653 2,912 2,760 3,622 3,689 3,579 3,358 5,078 4,944
        Sociology, demography, and population studies 69,270 60,260 52,687 66,550 90,769 95,235 87,292 74,880 69,202 74,239
        Social sciences nec 16,312 10,928 11,313 11,942 12,815 14,980 16,382 15,364 13,814 14,920
      Sciences nec 139 234 15 116 124 232 86 141 215 651
    Engineering 49,721 39,242 30,935 30,774 31,825 28,509 29,932 29,576 5,014 5,014
      Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering 1,998 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
      Bioengineering and biomedical engineering 17,947 12,488 10,633 9,572 9,342 6,453 7,399 6,827 4,416 4,492
      Chemical engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Civil engineering 27,603 25,656 19,091 19,618 18,637 16,513 17,880 18,262 0 0
      Electrical, electronic, and communications engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Industrial and manufacturing engineering 2,173 1,098 1,211 1,584 3,846 5,543 4,651 4,487 0 0
      Mechanical engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Metallurgical and materials engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Engineering nec 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 598 522
    Non-S&E 73,449 56,417 45,359 43,949 40,119 42,095 40,528 32,210 27,529 34,165
      Business management and business administration 3,237 2,381 1,919 2,554 1,723 2,476 2,181 2,143 1,941 2,883
      Communication and communications technologies 2,315 1,637 1,600 1,998 2,046 2,063 1,753 1,089 3,237 3,662
      Education 18,326 13,233 12,734 12,874 9,391 8,581 9,599 6,049 376 413
      Humanities 6,323 4,259 3,055 2,943 3,718 4,524 6,569 4,409 5,367 6,786
      Law 207 248 351 302 232 803 963 530 608 498
      Social work 19,167 18,958 15,476 13,796 14,966 15,513 12,995 10,552 5,891 10,696
      Visual and performing arts 1,867 4,515 1,336 1,700 1,255 1,845 1,172 2,424 2,084 2,128
      Non-S&E nec 22,007 11,186 8,888 7,782 6,788 6,290 5,296 5,014 8,025 7,099

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Prior to FY 2016, expenditures for natural resources and conservation, materials science, anthropology, and industrial and manufacturing engineering were not collected separately. R&D expenditures in agricultural sciences decreased in FY 2016 because a number of disciplines previously reported in that field are now reported separately under natural resources and conservation.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Higher Education R&D Survey

Total R&D expenditures, by source of funds and R&D field: 2023
(Dollars in thousands)
Field All R&D expenditures Federal government State and local government Institution funds Business Nonprofit organizations All other sources
  All R&D fields 1,549,617 907,710 61,576 407,817 58,179 92,573 21,762
    Science 1,426,447 847,996 43,950 374,664 56,906 83,277 19,654
      Computer and information sciences 41,385 35,159 250 3,087 773 2,022 94
      Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 34,095 16,172 8,635 7,568 582 804 334
        Atmospheric science and meteorology 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Geological and earth sciences 6,770 4,159 299 1,147 184 793 188
        Ocean sciences and marine sciences 20,908 6,507 8,336 5,521 398 0 146
        Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences nec 6,417 5,506 0 900 0 11 0
      Life sciences 1,141,727 668,464 25,354 317,122 53,214 60,526 17,047
        Agricultural sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Biological and biomedical sciences 231,074 172,657 11,279 36,381 3,516 5,613 1,628
        Health sciences 910,610 495,807 14,075 280,698 49,698 54,913 15,419
        Natural resources and conservation 43 0 0 43 0 0 0
        Life sciences nec 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Mathematics and statistics 4,894 2,975 686 1,191 0 42 0
      Physical sciences 51,933 32,265 2,402 12,538 1,969 2,439 320
        Astronomy and astrophysics 1,552 888 0 256 0 408 0
        Chemistry 30,227 20,298 1,916 5,078 1,716 1,011 208
        Materials science 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Physics 11,851 8,245 69 3,373 38 123 3
        Physical sciences nec 8,303 2,834 417 3,831 215 897 109
      Psychology 56,582 27,799 3,630 16,590 233 7,715 615
      Social sciences 95,692 65,162 2,993 16,429 135 9,729 1,244
        Anthropology 528 62 0 466 0 0 0
        Economics 1,403 123 497 783 0 0 0
        Political science and government 8,179 3,090 606 3,309 134 958 82
        Sociology, demography, and population studies 69,270 56,406 12 5,843 0 6,839 170
        Social sciences nec 16,312 5,481 1,878 6,028 1 1,932 992
      Sciences nec 139 0 0 139 0 0 0
    Engineering 49,721 24,138 10,465 10,252 1,071 2,984 811
      Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering 1,998 0 1,998 0 0 0 0
      Bioengineering and biomedical engineering 17,947 9,109 4,525 1,797 659 1,755 102
      Chemical engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Civil engineering 27,603 13,594 3,942 7,748 386 1,224 709
      Electrical, electronic, and communications engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Industrial and manufacturing engineering 2,173 1,435 0 707 26 5 0
      Mechanical engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Metallurgical and materials engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Engineering nec 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
    Non-S&E 73,449 35,576 7,161 22,901 202 6,312 1,297
      Business management and business administration 3,237 835 222 1,048 153 979 0
      Communication and communications technologies 2,315 279 37 1,081 0 895 23
      Education 18,326 8,381 5,648 2,907 0 1,030 360
      Humanities 6,323 280 0 5,505 0 73 465
      Law 207 16 0 62 0 15 114
      Social work 19,167 11,815 738 4,590 49 1,740 235
      Visual and performing arts 1,867 139 31 1,409 0 264 24
      Non-S&E nec 22,007 13,831 485 6,299 0 1,316 76

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Prior to FY 2016, expenditures for natural resources and conservation, materials science, anthropology, and industrial and manufacturing engineering were not collected separately. R&D expenditures in agricultural sciences decreased in FY 2016 because a number of disciplines previously reported in that field are now reported separately under natural resources and conservation.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Higher Education R&D Survey

Federally funded R&D expenditures, by federal agency: 2023–14
(Dollars in thousands)
Source of funds 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014
Federal Agencies 907,710 827,158 747,895 706,145 720,613 701,169 676,282 632,426 585,758 610,664
  DOD 26,942 26,622 24,324 19,056 13,444 13,820 16,500 14,909 14,903 14,377
  DOE 10,693 13,674 7,609 5,847 6,662 7,173 6,956 7,977 7,475 9,701
  HHS 729,970 659,640 603,949 556,113 554,504 526,777 499,028 477,749 442,746 461,208
  NASA 1,887 1,804 1,868 2,522 2,167 1,779 705 1,031 732 558
  NSF 48,106 42,302 40,150 40,535 35,909 35,725 38,440 39,362 38,809 36,914
  USDA 2,554 2,599 2,659 2,886 2,615 2,672 1,873 1,443 913 661
  Other 87,558 80,517 67,336 79,186 105,312 113,223 112,780 89,955 80,180 87,245

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Higher Education R&D Survey

Headcount of R&D personnel: 2023–17 [temporarily discontinued]
Year
2023 . . . .
2022 . . . .
2021 . . . .
2020 . . . .
2019 9,320 1,888 7,432 .
2018 9,298 1,903 7,395 .
2017 9,354 1,886 7,468 .

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Higher Education R&D Survey

Science and engineering research space in academic institutions, by field: 2023–14
(Net assignable square feet in thousands)
Field, medical school space, and research animal space 2023 2021 2019 2017 2015
  All research space 1,427 1,425 1,391 1,356 1,309
    Agricultural sciences 75 73 0 0 0
    Biological and biomedical sciences 415 417 368 354 339
    Computer and information sciences 27 27 25 25 25
    Engineering 49 49 54 35 37
    Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 32 32 38 38 38
    Health sciences 610 611 678 675 642
    Mathematics and statistics 12 12 7 7 7
    Natural resources and conservation 0 0 0 0 0
    Physical sciences 136 134 150 150 150
    Psychology 32 32 27 27 27
    Social sciences 39 39 45 45 45
    Other 0 0 0 0 0

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Data from the Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities is collected every two years.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities

New construction of science and engineering research space, by field and time of construction: 2025–16
(Net assignable square feet in thousands)
Field, medical school space, and research animal space Planned to start in FY 2024 or FY 2025 Started in FY 2022 or FY 2023 Started in FY 2020 or FY 2021 Started in FY 2018 or FY 2019 Started in FY 2016 or FY 2017
  All research space 114,046 . . . .
    Agricultural sciences 42,000 . . . .
    Biological and biomedical sciences 59,746 . . . .
    Health sciences 12,300 . . . .

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Data from the Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities is collected every two years.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities

Costs for repair and renovation of science and engineering research space in academic institutions, by field and time of repair and renovation: 2025–16
(Dollars in thousands)
Field, medical school space, and research animal space Planned to start in FY 2024 or FY 2025 Started in FY 2022 or FY 2023 Started in FY 2020 or FY 2021 Started in FY 2018 or FY 2019 Started in FY 2016 or FY 2017
  All research space 11,793 1,376 1,560 16,645 69,270
    Agricultural sciences 480 0 0 0 0
    Biological and biomedical sciences 4,050 305 296 2,129 33,818
    Computer and information sciences 0 0 0 0 0
    Engineering 0 0 343 0 3,049
    Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 362 0 0 434 0
    Health sciences 2,790 1,071 921 14,082 31,985
    Mathematics and statistics 631 0 0 0 0
    Natural resources and conservation 0 0 0 0 0
    Physical sciences 2,876 0 0 0 417
    Psychology 605 0 0 0 0
    Social sciences 0 0 0 0 0
    Other 0 0 0 0 0

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Data from the Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities is collected every two years.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities

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