Abilene Christian University
OVERVIEW
Abilene Christian University is a private university affiliated with Churches of Christ. It has about 4,558 students at present, and is engaged in providing education in a strong Christian environment, where as graduation requirements, students need to complete Bible courses and attend chapel every day.
The university was founded in 1906 as Childers Classical Institute in West Texas, and officially renamed as Abilene Christian College in 1920. The 208-acre campus is located in Abilene, Texas, where freshmen and sophomores are required to reside. With a residential campus, Abilene Christian College is alive with activities like concerts, weeknight devotions, poetry readings, comedians, and various sports events and social clubs.
The college offers certificate, associate, bachelor’s, post-bachelor’s certificate, master’s, post-master’s certificate, doctorate’s degrees, and offers cooperative programs with other universities or colleges. Students at ACU can get access to some rare resources which help a lot in the preparation for their future careers. Besides, as affiliated with the Churches of Christ, an acknowledgement of Christian faith composes an important aspect of the lives of students at ACU.
The mission of Abilene Christian University is:
The mission of Abilene Christian University is to educate students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world. This mission is achieved through: exemplary teaching, offered by a faculty of Christian scholars, that inspires a commitment to learning; significant research, grounded in the university’s disciplines of study, that informs issues of importance to the academy, church, and society; meaningful service to society, the academic disciplines, the university, and the church, expressed in various ways, by all segments of the Abilene Christian University community.
ACCREDITATION
Abilene Christian University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools as a whole. Meanwhile, some of its programs or schools are accredited by other accreditation organizations.
ACADEMICS
Abilene Christian University comprises 10 colleges and departments:
- College of Arts and Sciences
- College of Biblical Studies
- College of Business Administration
- College if Education and Human Services
- Honors College
- School of Information Technology and Computing
- School of Nursing
- School of Social Work
- Graduate School
- Graduate School of Theology
The most popular majors and course of study for students are as follows:
- Business Administration and Management
- Psychology
- Accounting
- Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching
- Human Development and Family Studies
Abilene Christian University ranks No. 16 as a regional university in the west, and the third best university with undergraduate teaching in U.S. News Best Colleges Rankings.
The university provides core courses in its general education program which consist of three courses. Students can choose to participate in the core curriculum, and in their freshman, sophomore, and junior year, they are required to take the core courses, which work in the introduction and reinforcement of the transferable problem-solving skills and broad knowledge which students need for their future career.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Applicants as freshmen are required to submit a completed application, ACT or SAT score, personal essay, and high school transcript. For graduate admissions, applicants need to hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally-accredited college transcript, a cumulative minimum B average in study, an overall productive undergraduate GPA, and meet the specific requirements of the department or program they are applying for.
COSTS AND FINANCIAL AID
The tuitions and fees for the 2011-2012 academic year is USD 25,270. The room and board fee is about USD 8,316 on average.
At the university, about 65.3 percent full time students get need-based financial aid, and the average grant award or scholarship is USD 11,289.
