New Resource: Set of Peer and Target Peer Institutions

Dear colleagues,

I am writing to share the University of Arizona’s newly established set of peer institutions. Peer universities serve as a critical framework for institutional benchmarking and comparison, providing an objective reference point to inform the implementation of the university’s strategic imperatives and support consistent, data-informed decision-making.

We have created two webpages for this work. A public-facing page that provides a high-level overview of our peers and an internal page (NetID login required) for campus use.

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the deans and campus leaders who participated in this effort. Their time, expertise, and thoughtful engagement were instrumental in developing a well-aligned peer framework for the university.

This updated peer set was developed through an iterative and collaborative process involving two groups of deans and campus leaders. Using Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) data, these groups conducted a cluster analysis to identify institutions with comparable key characteristics. This work was further informed by a review of previous peer-identification analyses to ensure continuity and alignment with established guiding principles.

As an AAU institution with a land-grant mission and a comprehensive academic and research portfolio, the University of Arizona’s peer framework emphasizes AAU public universities, land-grant institutions, and R1 universities of comparable scale and scope. The resulting framework distinguishes between peer institutions and target peer institutions, offering both a realistic benchmark and a forward-looking comparison set.

The analysis indicates that the University of Arizona is broadly comparable with its peers and target peers across multiple dimensions, including enrollment size, tuition and fees, and research expenditures. At the same time, the data highlights a clear opportunity to improve undergraduate retention and graduation rates, a central measure of institutional effectiveness that reinforces our shared commitment to student success as our North Star.

Guided by our Academic Success Goals, we will continue to develop and implement action plans focused on improving retention and graduation outcomes. This work will require sustained collaboration across colleges and units, along with ongoing reflection on the policies, practices, and support resources that shape the student experience. 

As Arizona’s keystone institution, our focus on student success goes hand-in-hand with our commitment to sustained excellence in research that shapes the future and engagement that drives impact, uplifts communities and creates opportunity here and around the world. Together these strategic imperatives are mutually reinforcing and central to the University of Arizona’s mission as a leading land-grant research university.

Thank you for your continued leadership and partnership.

Sincerely,

Patricia A. Prelock
Provost and Chief Academic Officer

This email was sent to deans, department heads, chairs, directors, assistant/associate deans, senior leaders and provost leadership team.