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.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
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.
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.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing28 · 28.3%
- No Data70 · 70.7%
- Failing1 · 1.0%
Severity spectrum
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.
Near the line (±5%)
Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
Programmatic accreditations · 16
Action history · 27
- Feb 2026Renewal of AccreditationAcademy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIETI) - Dietetic Internship
- Feb 2025Approved for Distance EducationAmerican Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs
- Dec 2024Grant Substantive Change: OtherAmerican Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy (OTD) - Programs leading to a Doctoral Degree
- Apr 2024Renewal of AccreditationAcademy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
- Dec 2023Removal of Monitoring StatusSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 2,326 students received $14.3M in Pell grants, alongside $52.0M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
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.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 1,335 borrowers who entered repayment, 23 (1.7%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* 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.
Academic programs at Abilene Christian
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 9
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus8
Includes 1 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
- University Park Bldg 81 fireCookingDamage $0-$99
- Bullock Hall1 fireCookingDamage $0-$99
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Abilene Christian vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Abilene Christian selected for federal comparison reporting.
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 | $27,401 | Doctoral/Professional |
California Lutheran University | 70% | 75.7% | 3,351 | $26,433 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | 86% | 31.3% | 23,069 | $15,624 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Calvin University | 74% | 70.9% | 3,681 | $24,783 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs |
Chapman University | 82% | 65.4% | 9,760 | $47,527 | R2 Research |
Drake University | 73% | 63.9% | 4,345 | $30,042 | Doctoral/Professional |
Elon University | 84% | 66.3% | 7,239 | $41,048 | Doctoral/Professional |
George Fox University | 72% | 93.5% | 4,916 | $29,981 | Doctoral/Professional |
Gonzaga University | 86% | 81.7% | 7,470 | $36,371 | Doctoral/Professional |
Harding University | 69% | 70.5% | 4,696 | $20,579 | Doctoral/Professional |
Loyola Marymount University | 79% | 45.1% | 10,179 | $45,723 | R2 Research |
Mercer University | 70% | 68.9% | 9,196 | $22,350 | R2 Research |
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | 57% | 44.5% | 1,622 | $8,265 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs |
Northeastern University Oakland | 62% | 16.7% | 640 | — | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Pacific Lutheran University | 69% | 78.0% | 2,797 | $21,370 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Pacific University | 67% | 89.6% | 3,427 | $35,350 | Doctoral/Professional |
Point Loma Nazarene University | 77% | 83.7% | 4,757 | $50,168 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Saint Edward's University | 63% | 81.4% | 3,033 | $23,636 | Masters 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 | $31,198 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Samford University | 77% | 82.4% | 6,097 | $30,795 | Doctoral/Professional |
Santa Clara University | 88% | 48.0% | 9,728 | $50,959 | Doctoral/Professional |
Seattle Pacific University | 62% | 83.4% | 2,261 | $24,820 | Doctoral/Professional |
Seattle University | 76% | 76.9% | 7,189 | $34,802 | Doctoral/Professional |
St. John's College | 55% | 53.1% | 467 | $24,351 | Baccalaureate |
St. Mary's University | 59% | 97.8% | 3,456 | $21,352 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Trinity University | 84% | 25.9% | 2,687 | $23,650 | Baccalaureate |
University of Dallas | 73% | 53.4% | 2,078 | $25,470 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
University of Portland | 80% | 89.2% | 3,285 | $36,371 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
University of Redlands | 67% | 82.7% | 3,087 | $22,867 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
University of the Incarnate Word | 50% | 98.1% | 7,047 | $20,498 | Doctoral/Professional |
Valparaiso University | 70% | 89.4% | 2,579 | $21,583 | Doctoral/Professional |
Westminster University | 64% | 66.6% | 1,155 | $26,536 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Wheaton College | 85% | 87.4% | 2,874 | $26,984 | Baccalaureate |
Whitworth University | 71% | 89.8% | 2,314 | $25,884 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
| Peer group median | 70% | 76.3% | 3,427 | $26,485 |
Reports & documents (2)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- Strategic planACU launches bold five-year strategic plan2022Abilene Christian University has launched a strategic plan aiming to transform its academic and student experience over the next five years. Key goals include achieving a R2 status in research, growing the student body and diversity, enhancing athletic competitiveness, and reaching a $1 billion endowment. The plan supports ACU's mission of fostering a faith-based educational environment, while adapting to changes in the higher education landscape.acu.edu
Grants & funding (1)
Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.
Notable alumni of Abilene Christian (10)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Chris BeardAthletics
- Gordon BethuneBusiness
- Max LucadoLiterature
- Ted PoePolitics
- Bonnie CurtisFilm
- Kent BrantlyMedicine
- Jody DeanMedia
- Ronnie DunnMusic
- Wes KittleyAthletics
- Susan KingPolitics
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?
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