Private nonprofit

American College of the Building Arts

Charleston, South Carolina·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Southeast·acba.edu
6-yr Graduation
62%
+31.0pp vs peer
Total enrollment
155
peer median 368
Avg net price
$26,389
+$8.3k vs peer
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Admissions & acceptance rate

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

Applied
126
126 candidates competed
Admitted
56
44.4% acceptance rate
Enrolled
53
94.6% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
62%+31.0pp vs peer
4-year graduation
55%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
55%
Full-time retention
75%

Program outcomes

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

Of 2 Title IV programs, 0 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 2 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
2
Passing
0
0.0% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

2programs
  • Passing0 · 0.0%
  • No Data2 · 100.0%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
0
No data
2

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.

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$26,389
$30–48k
$48–75k
$75–110k
$110k+

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

Avg net price (private)
$26,389
+$8,311vs peer median $18,078
Federal loans
37.6%
In-state tuition
$20,572
Out-of-state
$20,572

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 31 students received $195K in Pell grants, alongside $650K in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
31
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$195K
$194,885 total
Direct Loans
$650K
111 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$234K
51 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$234K
52 loan awards
Parent PLUS$182K
8 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.

Of 5 borrowers who entered repayment, 0 (0.0%) defaulted within three years below the 0.1% national rate.

Default rate
0.0%
-0.1pp vs 0.1% national
Borrowers in repayment
5
Defaulted
0
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

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 ACBA

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs1
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

22 total completions
01Architecture
22100.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
155
12-mo unduplicated
134
Undergraduate
134
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
83%111
Women
17%23

Race / ethnicity composition

White
92.9%
Black
2.1%
Hispanic
1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native
1.4%
Asian
0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.7%
Two or more
0.7%

Campus safety & crime statistics

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

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.00
0 offenses · 141 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago0.001 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
0
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

No criminal offenses reported.

By location

0total

    VAWA offenses

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

    Hate crimes by bias

    No hate crimes reported.

    Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

    CategoryArrestsReferrals
    Weapons00
    Drugs00
    Liquor00

    Residence-hall fires

    No residence-hall fires reported.

    Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

    Student-faculty ratio

    Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

    Student-to-faculty
    8.0:1
    Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
    13

    ACBA vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions ACBA selected for federal comparison reporting.

    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
    SubjectAmerican College of the Building Arts
    62%155$26,389
    Future Generations University
    48
    United States Sports University
    61.4%367
    University of Fort Lauderdale
    0%368$15,245
    William R Moore College of Technology
    468$15,323Community College
    Jones Technical Institute
    659$20,833Community College
    Peer group median31%61.4%368$18,078

    Frequently asked questions about American College of the Building Arts

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about ACBA.

    What is the graduation rate at American College of the Building Arts?

    American College of the Building Arts reports a 6-year graduation rate of 62% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend American College of the Building Arts?

    American College of the Building Arts reports a total enrollment of 155 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at American College of the Building Arts?

    The average net price at American College of the Building Arts is $26,389 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    What is the yield rate at American College of the Building Arts?

    American College of the Building Arts's yield rate is 94.6%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

    Where is American College of the Building Arts located?

    American College of the Building Arts is located in Charleston, South Carolina 29403-4223.

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