For the seventh consecutive year, the student experience at Abilene Christian University is one of the nation’s best, according to the 2026 U.S. News & World Report rankings released today. The university excelled in the categories of Study Abroad, Learning Communities, Service Learning and First-Year Experiences.
According to U.S. News & World Report’s methodology, the Programs That Enhance Student Experience are a national benchmark of “outstanding examples of academic programs that are believed to lead to student success.” In the 2026 report, U.S. News recognized ACU in four categories – and in the top 15 nationally in three of them. The university has been recognized in multiple categories each year since the benchmark’s debut in 2020.
- #11 in Service Learning [highest-ranked Texas university]
- #11 in Learning Communities
- #13 in First-Year Experiences
- #36 in Study Abroad
One of the pillars of Abilene Christian’s strategic plan is to “provide a vibrant student experience that strengthens ACU’s commitment to spiritual formation and leverages ACU’s national leadership in student success.”
The rankings come on the heels of an eighth consecutive year of record enrollment, with the university topping 7,000 for the first time. In the spring, ACU was designated as a Research 2 university by the Carnegie Institute for Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education – a milestone that reflects the university’s intentional commitment to research growth and academic excellence.
“A national research university that is intentional about spiritual formation, impactful co-curricular experiences and forming lifelong relationships is unique in the higher education marketplace, and we’re thrilled when others recognize the value of what we see happening every day here at ACU,” said Dr. Phil Schubert, ACU president.
