R²
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | Coefficient of determination |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Units & Measurements, Education & Academia |
| Also written | R2 |
R² has two meanings. It stands for Coefficient of determination (statistics) or Doctoral universities with high research spending and doctorate production (Carnegie Classification) (academic).
Meanings of R² at a glance
| # | R² stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coefficient of determination | Units & Measurements › Statistics |
| 2 | Doctoral universities with high research spending and doctorate production (Carnegie Classification) | Education & Academia › Academic |
1. Coefficient of determination
Units & Measurements · Statistics Abbreviations
The proportion of the variance in an outcome explained by a regression model, from 0 to 1. An R² of 0.65 means the model accounts for 65 percent of the variation in the dependent variable.
Example: The model explained a substantial share of variance, R² = .65, F(3, 196) = 121.4, p < .001.
Adding predictors never lowers R², so adjusted R² penalizes extra variables. A high R² does not prove a model is correct or causal, and low values are normal in fields such as psychology. In simple linear regression, R² equals the square of Pearson's r. Also written R-squared or R2.
2. Doctoral universities with high research spending and doctorate production (Carnegie Classification) (R2)
Education & Academia · Academic Abbreviations
Second-tier research category in the Carnegie Classification. Under the 2025 criteria, R2 universities spend at least $5 million a year on research and award at least 20 research doctorates, without meeting the R1 thresholds.
Example: As an R2 institution, the university is investing in labs to reach R1 status.
Many regional public universities hold R2 status. Movement between R2 and R1 is closely watched by state legislators, alumni and athletic conferences. The categories describe research activity, not teaching quality or prestige.
Related abbreviations
More statistics abbreviations
- ROC – Receiver operating characteristic
- RR – Relative risk
- RSS – Residual sum of squares
- RV – Random variable
- SD – Standard deviation
- SE – Standard error
- SEM – Standard error of the mean
- SPC – Statistical process control
See all 88 statistics abbreviations →