Doctoral/ProfessionalPrivate nonprofit

Abilene Christian University

Abilene, Texas·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Southwest·acu.edu
6-yr Graduation
59%
-11.0pp vs Doctoral/Professional
Total enrollment
5,219
peer median 3,427
Avg net price
$27,401
+$917 vs Doctoral/Professional
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AboutAdmissionsOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersCampusesResearch fundingDocumentsGrantsAlumni

About

Abilene Christian University (ACU) is a private Christian research university in Abilene, Texas, United States. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as an R2 institution. It was founded in 1906 as Childers Classical Institute. It is affiliated with Churches of Christ.

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

IPEDS
Applied
11,332
11,332 candidates competed
Admitted
7,482
66.0% acceptance rate
Enrolled
906
12.1% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
59%-11.0pp vs Doctoral/Professional
4-year graduation
49%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
59%
Full-time retention
81%

Pell equity

9.0pp gap
Pell recipients
45%
Non-Pell
54%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 9.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

FVT/GE

Of 99 Title IV programs, 28 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 70 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
99
Passing
28
28.3% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
1.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
1.0%
+0.4pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

99programs
  • Passing28 · 28.3%
  • No Data70 · 70.7%
  • Failing1 · 1.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
1
Recoverable
0
At Risk
3
Watch
3
Safe
22
No data
70

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

29
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
-8.9%
$55,407 vs $60,823
Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution
Master's Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
+2.5%
$54,949 vs $53,607
Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution
Graduate Certificate · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
+5.2%
$56,391 vs $53,607
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+5.6%
$64,230 vs $60,823
Educational Administration and Supervision
Master's Degree · Education
+20.0%
$55,649 vs $46,391
Education General
Master's Degree · Education
+23.8%
$57,443 vs $46,391
Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology
Master's Degree · Psychology
+24.6%
$60,600 vs $48,653
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+29.8%
$78,976 vs $60,823

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

1
Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution
Master's Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
+2.5%
+$1,342

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

27
Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology
Master's Degree · Psychology
102%
$61,500 debt · $60,600 earn
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
99%
$54,668 debt · $55,407 earn
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
73%
$47,148 debt · $64,230 earn
Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution
Master's Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
72%
$39,292 debt · $54,949 earn
Educational Administration and Supervision
Master's Degree · Education
68%
$37,583 debt · $55,649 earn
Social Work
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
67%
$41,000 debt · $60,816 earn
Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution
Graduate Certificate · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
58%
$32,888 debt · $56,391 earn
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
55%
$43,500 debt · $78,976 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1971Next review Jun 2028

Programmatic accreditations · 16

Action history · 27

  1. Feb 2026Renewal of Accreditation
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIETI) - Dietetic Internship
  2. Feb 2025Approved for Distance Education
    American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs
  3. Dec 2024Grant Substantive Change: Other
    American Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy (OTD) - Programs leading to a Doctoral Degree
  4. Apr 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
  5. Dec 2023Removal of Monitoring Status
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$22,928
$30–48k$24,199
$48–75k$24,921
$75–110k$27,540
$110k+$32,121

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$27,401
+$917vs Doctoral/Professional median $26,485
Federal loans
42.2%
In-state tuition
$42,380
Out-of-state
$42,380

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 2,326 students received $14.3M in Pell grants, alongside $52.0M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
2,326
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$14.3M
$14,317,640 total
Direct Loans
$52.0M
6,630 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
’20
1k
’21
1k
’22
2k
’23
2k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$8.6M
2,334 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$9.8M
2,314 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$21.8M
1,436 loan awards
Parent PLUS$5.8M
272 loan awards
Grad PLUS$6.0M
274 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 1,335 borrowers who entered repayment, 23 (1.7%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.7%
-0.6pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
1,335
Defaulted
23
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
4.8%
2017
6.6%
2018
4.2%
2019
1.7%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Abilene Christian

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs90
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

1,075 total completions
01Health Professions
31929.7%
02Business
20819.3%
03Education
13812.8%
04Theology
817.5%
05Liberal Arts
666.1%
06Psychology
625.8%
07Biological Sciences
585.4%
08Communication
565.2%
09Parks/Recreation
494.6%
10Public Admin
383.5%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
5,219
12-mo unduplicated
5,872
Undergraduate
3,465
Graduate
2,407

Gender split

Men
34%2,016
Women
66%3,856

Race / ethnicity composition

White
62.6%
Hispanic
18.0%
Black
6.8%
Two or more
4.5%
Non-resident
4.4%
Asian
1.9%
Unknown
1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.5%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

EADA
Athletes
344
208 M · 136 W
Women athletes
39.5%
Athletic aid
$10.4M
Total student aid
Budget
$25.5M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$6.2M
$4.2M
Recruiting expense
$226K
$114K
Head-coach salaries
$181K
$77K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 9

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
93 M · 84 W
$1.8M
Football
94 M · —
$6.8M
Baseball
40 M · —
$1.6M
Basketball
14 M · 14 W
$4.6M
Soccer
— · 28 W
$1.0M
Softball
— · 24 W
$1.0M

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
1.58
8 offenses · 5,079 students

3-year trend

2.272 yrs ago1.631 yr ago1.58Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
28
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
15
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
7

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
2
Motor vehicle theft
2
Incest
1
Fondling
1
Statutory rape
1
Aggravated assault
1

By location

8total
  • On campus8

Includes 1 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
1
Dating violence
2
Stalking
3 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons01
Drugs15
Liquor326

Residence-hall fires

  • University Park Bldg 81 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99
  • Bullock Hall1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
13.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
269

Abilene Christian vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Abilene Christian selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectAbilene Christian University
59%—5,219$27,401Doctoral/Professional
California Lutheran University
70%75.7%3,351$26,433Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
86%31.3%23,069$15,624Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Calvin University
74%70.9%3,681$24,783Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Chapman University
82%65.4%9,760$47,527R2 Research
Drake University
73%63.9%4,345$30,042Doctoral/Professional
Elon University
84%66.3%7,239$41,048Doctoral/Professional
George Fox University
72%93.5%4,916$29,981Doctoral/Professional
Gonzaga University
86%81.7%7,470$36,371Doctoral/Professional
Harding University
69%70.5%4,696$20,579Doctoral/Professional
Loyola Marymount University
79%45.1%10,179$45,723R2 Research
Mercer University
70%68.9%9,196$22,350R2 Research
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
57%44.5%1,622$8,265Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Northeastern University Oakland
62%16.7%640—Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Pacific Lutheran University
69%78.0%2,797$21,370Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Pacific University
67%89.6%3,427$35,350Doctoral/Professional
Point Loma Nazarene University
77%83.7%4,757$50,168Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Saint Edward's University
63%81.4%3,033$23,636Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Saint Joseph's University - Lancaster
69%41.2%1,439$37,208—
Saint Mary's College of California
70%86.5%2,734$31,198Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Samford University
77%82.4%6,097$30,795Doctoral/Professional
Santa Clara University
88%48.0%9,728$50,959Doctoral/Professional
Seattle Pacific University
62%83.4%2,261$24,820Doctoral/Professional
Seattle University
76%76.9%7,189$34,802Doctoral/Professional
St. John's College
55%53.1%467$24,351Baccalaureate
St. Mary's University
59%97.8%3,456$21,352Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Trinity University
84%25.9%2,687$23,650Baccalaureate
University of Dallas
73%53.4%2,078$25,470Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of Portland
80%89.2%3,285$36,371Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
University of Redlands
67%82.7%3,087$22,867Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of the Incarnate Word
50%98.1%7,047$20,498Doctoral/Professional
Valparaiso University
70%89.4%2,579$21,583Doctoral/Professional
Westminster University
64%66.6%1,155$26,536Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Wheaton College
85%87.4%2,874$26,984Baccalaureate
Whitworth University
71%89.8%2,314$25,884Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Peer group median70%76.3%3,427$26,485

Institutions like Abilene Christian

Explore the federal data for institutions in Abilene Christian's comparison group.

IPEDS

Campuses

The 1 campus that make up Abilene Christian University.

IPEDS

Research funding

External research funding from NSF, NIH, HERD, and federal spending sources.

NSF
USA Spending
$18,578,082
All sources
$18,578,082

Reports & documents (2)

Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

Grants & funding (1)

Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.

USA Spending

Notable alumni of Abilene Christian (10)

A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.

  • Chris Beard
    Athletics
  • Gordon Bethune
    Business
  • Max Lucado
    Literature
  • Ted Poe
    Politics
  • Bonnie Curtis
    Film
  • Kent Brantly
    Medicine
  • Jody Dean
    Media
  • Ronnie Dunn
    Music
  • Wes Kittley
    Athletics
  • Susan King
    Politics

Frequently asked questions about Abilene Christian University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Abilene Christian.

What is the graduation rate at Abilene Christian University?

Abilene Christian University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 59% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Abilene Christian University?

Abilene Christian University reports a total enrollment of 5,219 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Abilene Christian University?

The average net price at Abilene Christian University is $27,401 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Abilene Christian University?

Abilene Christian University's yield rate is 12.1%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Abilene Christian University located?

Abilene Christian University is located in Abilene, Texas 79699.

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