Snapshot of ACI Colleges and Universities
Collectively, the Associated Colleges of Illinois colleges enroll 59,000 undergraduate and graduate students across 22 colleges and universities ranging in size from 550 to 6200 students. A mission-driven, liberal arts focus is at the heart of all ACI member institutions.
Academic Profile and Educational Experiences
Each year, ACI colleges and universities produce 10,000 graduates, 20% of all degrees awarded in the state of Illinois. Arts & Sciences degrees remain the most common, followed by business and education. Personal attention and high student engagement levels characterize ACI colleges and universities along with an average class size of just 17 students and a student-faculty ratio of 12:1. At Illinois public institutions, the student to faculty ratio is over 18:1. ACI colleges and universities admit between 57% and 95% of all applicants and the median SAT score of its incoming freshmen class is 1078 and the average ACT 75th percentile score is 26.
Carnegie Classification: Originally published in 1973, the non-profit Carnegie Foundation’s classification system is widely used to distinguish higher education institution in terms of their degree programs and institutional mission. The categories have been substantially revised and updated a number of times over the years. The most recent version was released in 2005. Explanations for the meanings of the classifications are below. More information about the Carnegie Classification system can be found here: http://www.carnegiefoundation.org/classifications/index.asp?key=791.
Student Success: Graduation and retention rates
Student success at ACI colleges and universities is a high priority with an average first year retention rate of 77%, which is higher than national, Illinois public and other Illinois private institutions. ACI colleges can be characterized as “high graduation rate institutions” with 4, 5 and 6-year rates that also beat state and national averages.
Financial matters: affording ACI colleges/universities
The average price for tuition and fees at an ACI college/university is $22,219 (ranging from $15,000 to $31,000) and more than 96% of students at ACI colleges receive financial aid, with an average total financial aid package of $14,138, institutional grant aid of $9,948 and average federal aid of $4000. ACI colleges enroll a comparable portion of Pell-eligible (designated as low-income) students (29.5%) as Illinois’ public institutions (31.0%).
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Integrated Post-secondary Education Data System (IPEDS), 2011.
Illinois Board of Higher Education, Institutional Profile Data book and Degree Program Inventory, 2011. Retreived from: http://www.ibhe.state.il.us/BHEProgramInventory/default.htm.