Membership Data

CIC’s membership includes more than 700 independent colleges and universities as well as a variety of higher education organizations. Members are diverse in size, location, mission, resources, and interests.

CIC Membership by Region

The map shows the percentage of overall CIC membership in six regions across the United States. (CIC also has international members.)

7% Far West; 11% West; 29% Midwest; 26% South; 19% Mid-Atlantic; 8% New England

Carnegie Classification of CIC Member Institutions

Data indicate that the majority of CIC colleges and universities are offering graduate programs at the master’s and doctoral levels, creating a more complex and nuanced depiction of CIC member institutions beyond simply being baccalaureate institutions offering degrees in the arts and sciences.

42% Masters; 22% Baccalaureate Other; 20% Baccalaureate Arts & Sciences; 16% Doctoral

Financial Quartile of CIC Member Institutions

CIC monitors financial health using a variety of metrics. One such metric is the financial quartile, which combines net tuition revenue per student and endowment assets per student. This chart shows the distribution of CIC institutions into the quartiles, with more than 50% of CIC institutions being in the top two quartiles.

19% Bottom; 28% Third; 30% Second; 23% Top

Enrollment Size of CIC Member Institutions

CIC member institutions are typically small to mid-sized colleges and universities with the majority of members (57%) having more than 1,000 students (based on undergraduate full-time enrollment).

Under 1,000: 22%; 1,001-2,000: 39%; 2,001-3,000: 18%; Over 3,000: 21%

CIC institutions have been steadily moving into the graduate space for some time and have been offering graduate degrees for many years. While almost 60% of CIC institutions are Carnegie classified as offering graduate programs, over 78% are offering some type of graduate program at their institution.

2005: 40.7%; 2010: 43.1%; 2015: 48.6%; 2018: 52%; 2021: 58.1%

CIC Network Participation

Members of CIC have the option of joining networks, including the Tuition Exchange Program (TEP), the Online Course Sharing Consortium (OCSC), and the Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE).

Fifteen Percent of CIC Members Belong to All Three of These Networks

15% All Three; 22%: NetVUE and OCSC; 26% TEP and NetVUE; 31% TEP and OCSC

Council of Independent Colleges