About the American Council on Education
Section 1 Content
The American Council on Education (ACE) is a membership organization that leads higher education with a united vision for the future. We galvanize our members to make change and we collaborate across the sector to design solutions for today’s challenges, serve the needs of a diverse student population, and shape effective public policy. As the major coordinating body for the nation’s colleges and universities, our strength lies in our diverse membership of more than 1,600 colleges and universities, related associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. ACE is the only major higher education association to represent all types of U.S. accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities. Our members educate two out of every three students in all accredited, degree-granting U.S. institutions.
Section 2 Content
ACE convenes and leads advocacy efforts that shape effective public policy, cultivates a more diverse institutional leadership pipeline, and forms partnerships to address the complex challenges of today’s learners. We work to deepen the public’s confidence in postsecondary education by encouraging data-driven projects to promote student success, as well as by communicating the role of higher education as a wellspring of flourishing communities and the foundation of a resilient and vibrant democracy. ACE engages in high-impact, evidence-inspired activities that advance the success of senior leaders, expand learning networks to diversify and strengthen the talent pipeline, and facilitate partnerships to address the complex challenges of today’s learners. We are focused on enabling higher education institutions to provide an affordable and high-quality education that serves as a gateway to in demand jobs and careers and to ensure that greater numbers of students complete their degree or credential in a timely manner.
ACE delivers member value through high-impact professional learning and strategic capacity building activities that leverage a suite of knowledge and blended solutions aimed at transforming the sector, its institutions and leadership. ACE also convenes and mobilizes the community to enhance institutional performance and collective impact of the postsecondary sector. Furthermore, ACE offers services that demonstrate its commitment to postsecondary access and success, including the evaluation of corporate and military training experiences to ensure that all quality learning is connected and counted.
ACE engages in research that provides timely evidence-informed and actionable insights and foresights to the sector, its institutions, and leaders. ACE routinely engages members through a variety of formats to better capture and articulate their needs. ACE partners and mobilizes experts in the field to deepen its understanding of systems dynamics, learner success, and postsecondary leadership.
ACE is consistently at the center of federal policy debates concerning higher education. As a convener of higher education associations and agencies, we enable our community to speak with one voice on issues affecting institutions and students. ACE's work on behalf of the nation's colleges and universities ensures that our members are connected to policymakers and represented as officials make critical decisions on Capitol Hill.
As the only organization that represents presidents from all sectors, ACE is the:
- Key point of contact on higher education matters for congressional staff and the executive branch.
- Unifying representative for higher education on legal issues and federal court cases, including at the U.S. Supreme Court.
- Most frequently cited organization in the national media on higher education issues.
- Source for information on timely and significant policy issues, shared with members through ACE President Ted Mitchell's weekly newsletter,
President to President.
Section 3 Content
ACE has played a major role in shaping higher education in the United States for more than a century. Since its founding in 1918, ACE has spearheaded programs, advocated for legislation and effective public policy, and led initiatives that have shaped the nation's postsecondary landscape.
Section 4 Content
ACE is committed to affirming and strengthening public trust in postsecondary education; championing postsecondary education’s role in social and economic mobility; and enriching the capacity of institutions and leaders to innovate and adapt.
Section 5 Content Left
"Now, more than ever, we need high quality higher
education to be a right available to all. This is in the interest of all
Americans, and it is in the national interest. This is where I believe
ACE can and must play a vital role in convening and mobilizing the
entire higher education community to work together to help promote the
value of higher education to a wide array of stakeholders."
Ted Mitchell, ACE President
Section 6 Content
At the American Council on Education, we demonstrate core values such as collaboration, inclusion, and innovation in the way we work and serve our members.
If you believe that your work should be fulfilling, and your workplace should be collaborative, consider joining our team.
As required by the Transparency in Coverage Final Rule, plans and issuers are required to publicly display in-network provider negotiated rates, historical out-of-network and allowed amounts through
Machine Readable Files.
Support ACE
Support ACE in building an inclusive, dynamic, and resilient higher education sector. Your gift to ACE will shape the future of U.S. higher education and build on a century of progress.
Support aCE
If you believe that your work should be fulfilling, and your workplace should be collaborative, consider joining our team.
At the American Council on Education, we demonstrate core values such as collaboration, inclusion, and innovation in the way we work and serve our members.
current listings
Rail Content 2
Partnerships & Collaborations
ACE and the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) have
formed an important collaboration to provide professional development and
support services to college instructors, with a focus on current and future
college faculty whose primary responsibility is to teach or support
instruction. Learn more about the ACE-ACUE collaboration.
GED Testing Service is a joint venture of the American Council on Education and Pearson. The GED®
test has opened doors to better jobs and college programs for more than 18 million graduates since 1942. Last year nearly 800,000 adults sat for the GED test, which is accepted by virtually all U.S. colleges and employers.
To learn more about GED Testing Service, and the GED® test,
visit the GED Testing Service website.