Abilene Christian University-Undergraduate Online
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.
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 ACU
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
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
ACU vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions ACU 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-Undergraduate Online | — | — | 1,224 | $12,714 | — |
Evangel University-College of Online Learning | 50% | 49.2% | 242 | $18,354 | — |
Great Northern University | 100% | 100.0% | 48 | $31,680 | — |
Morris Brown College | 25% | — | 432 | $18,898 | — |
Rabbinical Seminary Mkor Chaim | 0% | 90.6% | 96 | $6,594 | — |
Watts College of Nursing | — | — | 124 | — | — |
Yeshiva Gedolah Tiferes Boruch | 6% | 89.3% | 81 | $7,240 | — |
Yeshiva of Kasho | 11% | — | 185 | $9,078 | — |
Yeshivas Emek Hatorah | 0% | 100.0% | 101 | $6,055 | — |
Yeshivas Sanz Klauzenburg | 31% | — | 98 | $10,556 | — |
| Peer group median | 18% | 90.6% | 113 | $10,556 |
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 bold five-year strategic plan focusing on elevating their academic brand, enhancing student experiences, and promoting a diverse and inclusive community. Key goals include growing enrollment to 8,800, achieving Research 2 status, and increasing the university's endowment to $1 billion. The plan, guided by President Dr. Phil Schubert, aims to leverage ACU's financial strength to pursue strategic opportunities and infrastructure improvements to better meet the needs of students and staff.acu.edu
Grants & funding (4)
Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.
Frequently asked questions about Abilene Christian University-Undergraduate Online
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about ACU.
How many students attend Abilene Christian University-Undergraduate Online?
What is the average net price at Abilene Christian University-Undergraduate Online?
What is the yield rate at Abilene Christian University-Undergraduate Online?
Where is Abilene Christian University-Undergraduate Online located?
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