AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EDUCATION

ADULT LEARNING AND EDUCATIONAL CREDENTIALSTHE AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EDUCATION (ACE) ADMINISTERS A NATIONAL PROGRAM THAT EVALUATES, VALIDATES, AND DOCUMENTS COLLEGE-LEVEL LEARNING GAINED THROUGH MILITARY TRAINING, OCCUPATIONAL EXPERIENCE, EMPLOYER-BASED INSTRUCTION, AND OTHER NONTRADITIONAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS. THROUGH FACULTY-LED REVIEW PROCESSES, ACE DEVELOPS ACADEMICALLY SOUND CREDIT RECOMMENDATIONS AND BENCHMARKS INDUSTRY COMPETENCIES THAT ASSIST LEARNERS IN APPLYING VERIFIED LEARNING TOWARD ACCREDITED POSTSECONDARY CREDENTIALS. THE PROGRAM MAINTAINS PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE RESOURCES THAT HELP LEARNERS, INSTITUTIONS, AND EMPLOYERS UNDERSTAND DOCUMENTED LEARNING OUTCOMES AND MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS ABOUT THE APPLICABILITY OF PRIOR LEARNING.ACE ALSO ADVANCES RESEARCH, CROSS-SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS, AND TECHNICAL INITIATIVES AIMED AT IMPROVING INSTITUTIONAL RECOGNITION OF LEARNING, CREDENTIAL TRANSPARENCY, AND THE INTEROPERABILITY OF EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE SYSTEMS. THESE ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED STATE SYSTEMS, HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS, FEDERAL AGENCIES, AND EMPLOYERS IN IMPLEMENTING POLICIES AND PRACTICES THAT EXPAND LEARNER MOBILITY AND STRENGTHEN ALIGNMENT BETWEEN EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE PATHWAYS.ACE CONTINUES ITS LONGSTANDING SUPPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE BY EVALUATING MILITARY TRAINING AND OCCUPATIONAL EXPERIENCES AND BY ENHANCING THE SYSTEMS THAT COMMUNICATE VALIDATED LEARNING TO SERVICE MEMBERS, VETERANS, AND ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS. THESE EFFORTS CONTRIBUTE TO IMPROVED READINESS, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND TRANSITION OUTCOMES BY ENSURING THAT LEARNING GAINED DURING MILITARY SERVICE IS RECOGNIZED THROUGH TRUSTED AND CONSISTENT ACADEMIC CREDIT RECOMMENDATIONS.THE COMBINED PORTFOLIO ADVANCES ACE'S MISSION TO PROMOTE HIGH-QUALITY RECOGNITION OF LEARNING, REDUCE BARRIERS TO DEGREE COMPLETION, AND SUPPORT THE SUCCESS OF MILITARY LEARNERS, ADULT LEARNERS, AND CAREER-FOCUSED STUDENTS ACROSS THE NATION. ANNUALLY, OVER 400,000 TRANSCRIPTS REFLECTING ACE CREDIT RECOMMENDATIONS ARE SUBMITTED BY LEARNERS TO INSTITUTIONS.

CARNEGIE CLASSIFICATIONFOR THE LAST 50 YEARS, THE CARNEGIE CLASSIFICATIONS OF INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION HAVE BEEN THE GOLD STANDARD FOR ORGANIZING COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES BY A VARIETY OF CHARACTERISTICS, AND THEY ARE USED BY RESEARCHERS AROUND THE WORLD TO STUDY THE HIGHER EDUCATION SECTOR IN AMERICA. ACE BEGAN A COLLABORATION WITH THE CARNEGIE FOUNDATION IN FEBRUARY 2022 TO REDESIGN THE CARNEGIE CLASSIFICATIONS SO THEY BETTER REFLECT THE DIVERSE SET OF INSTITUTIONS AND MISSIONS IN HIGHER EDUCATION TODAY AND TO ESTABLISH NEW CLASSIFICATIONS, INCLUDING ONES THAT ARE CENTERED ON STUDENTS' SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC MOBILITY. IN FY25, ACE CONTINUED ENGAGEMENT WITH A LARGE, DIVERSE SET OF STAKEHOLDERS, ULTIMATELY REACHING MORE THAN 15,000 PEOPLE IN TOTAL SINCE THE PROJECT BEGAN, INCLUDING 600 UNIQUE INSTITUTIONS. ACE RELEASED THE REVISED 2025 RESEARCH ACTIVITY DESIGNATIONS IN FEBRUARY 2025 AND THE FULL 2025 CARNEGIE CLASSIFICATIONS IN APRIL 2025, INCLUDING THE NEW STUDENT ACCESS AND EARNINGS CLASSIFICATION, AND THE RELEASES WERE AMPLIFIED BY MORE THAN 300 NEWS STORIES AND INSTITUTIONAL PRESS RELEASES. BY THE END OF FY25, THE CARNEGIE CLASSIFICATIONS WEBSITE HAD MORE THAN 900,000 VIEWS FROM MORE THAN 150,000 VISITORS SINCE THE RELEASE DATE. ADDITIONALLY, ACE FURTHERED WORK ON THE ELECTIVE CLASSIFICATIONS, INCLUDING LAUNCHING A PILOT FOR A NEW CARNEGIE ELECTIVE CLASSIFICATION FOR SUSTAINABILITY, AND THE TEAM RECEIVED 270 APPLICATIONS FOR INSTITUTIONS TO BE CLASSIFIED OR RECLASSIFIED UNDER THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ELECTIVE CLASSIFICATION.