MILES CITY, MONTANA – Miles Community College (MCC) has been designated as an Opportunity College and University by the Carnegie Classifications, recognizing MCC as an institution that can serve as a model for studying how campuses can foster student success. Less than 5% of the community colleges in the U.S. earned this designation.
The Opportunity Colleges and Universities designation is part of a newly developed Student Access and Earnings Classification published in late April 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. Of those 479, only 60 were community colleges, placing MCC in the top 4.8% of associate degree-awarding community colleges in the country.
“Miles Community College embraces our mission of providing equitable access and opportunities for lifelong learning for all students,” stated MCC President Ron Slinger. “We are thrilled with this acknowledgment of our ongoing work in delivering high quality programs that result in strong, livable wages for the residents of eastern Montana and beyond.”
This news comes as Miles Community College wraps up a successful year marked by record enrollment and state and national recognition for its signature initiatives. MCC experienced its highest annual enrollment in 20 years, posting total full-time equivalent (FTE) numbers not seen since 2005. In terms of Montana resident FTE enrollment, MCC saw its highest enrollment since 2006. Student headcount also soared, with over 1,500 individual students enrolled throughout the 2024-2025 academic year; nearly 1,400 of those were Montana residents.
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.
