Abilene Christian University
Private College in Abilene, TX. Six-year graduation rate 59%. Median 10-year earnings $55,736.
Ten years after entry, the median Abilene Christian University student earns $55,736 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. 59% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Debt at graduation runs to a median of $24,250, neither a bargain nor a burden.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
An acceptance rate of 66% puts Abilene Christian University on the accessible end — a realistic target for a broad range of applicants. The applicant pool is large — 11,332 in the most recent cycle — so the published rate reflects genuine competition rather than a small-sample quirk. A 12% yield rate is low: the admitted pool is much larger than the entering class. 45% of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT score. The bands below describe the middle half of that group, not of the class.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | 540–650 | 405 (45%) |
| SAT Math | 530–620 | |
| ACT Composite | 22–28 | 220 (24%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Abilene Christian University →Academics
59% graduate within six years — average, but that average still hides a large group who do not. Retention is strong at 81%, and first-year attrition is where most degrees are lost. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. The 13:1 student-faculty ratio is small enough that seminar-sized classes are the norm. Judge these figures against other institutions of the same type — sector explains more of the variation in completion than any single campus factor.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 3,129 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Net price averages $28,760 annually, so cost is the first thing to weigh here. Aid is steeply need-based: families in the $0–30k band pay $20,285 while those at $110k+ pay $31,763. 98% of students get grant aid averaging $28,342, so the published price is a poor guide to what most pay. About 41% borrow federally, roughly the national pattern.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 862 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $20,285 |
| $30–48k | $21,150 |
| $48–75k | $23,012 |
| $75–110k | $27,576 |
| $110k+ | $31,763 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 1,272 of these 3,129 students, totalling $12,414,252 — an average of $9,760 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Taylor County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)