Academic Quality and Value
2010 U.S. News and World Report
America's Best Colleges
Abilene Christian University was named one of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S. News and World Report in its 2010 edition. ACU ranked 20th in the category of Master’s Universities – West, up one place from last year's ranking.
In addition, ACU was named second in the Master's Universities – West category of A Strong Commitment to Teaching, highlighting 80 schools with "an unusual commitment to undergraduate teaching." In the Great Schools, Great Prices category, ACU was listed 12th among the Master's Universities – West.
America's Best Colleges - Forbes Magazine
ACU is one of "America's Best Colleges" as determined by Forbes Magazine in a rankings list published in August 2009. Forbes joined with the Center for College Affordability and Productivity to rank 600 undergraduate institutions based on "the quality of the education they provide, the experience of the students and how much they achieve."
Out of more than 4,000 college campuses in the U.S., the report listed 600. Within the rankings, ACU was listed at No. 407, placing the university in the top seven percent, ahead of several other Texas schools, including TCU and Baylor University. ACU and Pepperdine University were the only two schools on the list affiliated with Churches of Christ. This is the second year of Forbes' college rankings. In 2008, ACU ranked No. 444.
America's 100 Best College Buys
For the 12th consecutive year, ACU is included in America's 100 Best College Buys. To be included in the book, universities must provide "the highest quality in education at the lowest cost." ACU is the only private university in Texas named to the list.
ACUTA Institutional Excellence Award
ACU's mobile-learning initiative has been recognized once again as an innovative approach to education through technology. ACUTA, the Association for Information Communications Technology Professionals in Higher Education, has awarded ACU its most prestigious honor, the award for Institutional Excellence in Information Communications Technology. This distinction, given annually to three universities, is awarded for innovative and exemplary endeavors, products or services in the field of higher education technology.
Alcatel-Lucent Dynamic Enterprise Award
ACU was recently honored with one of Alcatel-Lucent’s first annual Dynamic Enterprise Awards. The Fortune 500 company’s Web site states that the four winning institutions "demonstrate how fully leveraging the interconnection of networks, people, process and knowledge using IP technology provides unique competitive advantages." ACU was honored along with the Siam Commercial Bank of Thailand; Fluor Limited, part of the UK’s National Roads Telecommunications Service; and the Saudi Ministry of Culture & Information. Additionally, industry analysts attending this year’s Enterprise Forum selected ACU as the winner of the first Analyst Choice Award. The university has partnered with Alc
atel-Lucent in developing its campus network.
CIO 100 Award
CIO magazine announced ACU as a recipient of its 2009 CIO 100 Award. The 22-year-old award program recognizes organizations around the world that exemplify the highest level of operational and strategic excellence in information technology. ACU was one of only six universities to receive the award. Other recipients include AT&T, Dell, GE Energy, IBM and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
National Service Honor Roll
For the second year, ACU has been nationally recognized for its commitment to service. The university was listed on the 2008 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, which recognizes colleges and universities that support innovative and effective community service and service-learning programs. The Honor Roll is a part of the Corporation for National and Community Service, which is devoted to helping college students serve others while strengthening their academic and civic skills.
Excellence in Service Learning
ACU has received the "Excellence in Service-Learning" seal from Student Horizons. Each year, Student Horizons publishes the Guide to Service-Learning Colleges & Universities for college-bound students, highlighting institutions with exceptional service-learning programs. The guide defines service learning as "a teaching method that links course-based learning objectives to community-based service activities."
America's Best Christian Colleges
ACU is also included in the 2007-08 edition of America's Best Christian Colleges. Universities in this guidebook provide "the highest quality education in a Christian environment." Both America's 100 Best College Buys and America's Best Christian Colleges are published by Institutional Research and Evaluation, Inc. ACU is listed in this guidebook for the 11th straight year.
Best Western Colleges
The Princeton Review named Abilene Christian University as one of the "Best in the West" for 2009. ACU is one of 120 schools receiving this distinction as "academically excellent institutions of higher learning" for the 15-state western region of the U.S.
College of Distinction
ACU was named by Student Horizons as a “College of Distinction,” America’s “best bets” in higher education. The list included select colleges and universities that excel in engaged students, great teaching, vibrant community and successful outcomes. ACU is one of only 12 Texas schools on the list.
John Templeton Foundation
In its latest guidebook, Colleges That Encourage Character Development, the John Templeton Foundation recognizes ACU in its categories of Presidential Leadership, Civic Education and Senior-Year Programs.
Learfield Sports Directors' Cup
Awarded for the best overall intercollegiate athletics program in NCAA Division II. ACU is the only NCAA Division II school to finish in the top 15 in each of the 13 years of the standings. ACU finished second in 2007-08, its seventh top-three finish.
Lone Star Conference all-sports champion
ACU has won the Lone Star Conference all-sports title 24 of its 35 years in the league, including 13 straight years since 1995-96.
National championships
The Wildcats have won a combined 62 team national championships, including 55 as a member of the NCAA. The Wildcats are fourth in NCAA history in total team national championships behind UCLA, Stanford and USC.
