Join ACTA in promoting Academic Excellence, Academic Freedom, and Accountability in higher education.
Engage TodayUnderstand the Issues
Connect with Our ExpertsChoose the Right Tools
View ACTA’s ResourcesGuide Change Together
View Success Stories
See how much average college tuition has increased since 2016—and why.
Learn more
Find top-rated colleges based on core curriculum requirements.
Search schools
Giving is your legacy. Advising you is ours. Let us help you craft your next gift.
Make your gift countAugust 19, 2026 by Armand B. Alacbay
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon’s “National Call to Action to University Presidents and Governing Boards” reflects the reality that public trust in higher education has reached a historic low. The letter calls for colleges and universities to renew their foundational promise to foster academic rigor, protect open inquiry, and advance the national interest. Many of the specific goals it sets are ones that have been championed by higher education reformers, including ACTA, for years. And yet, this call for reform is unique in that it also incorporated the thoughtful input from university presidents who would share responsibility for that change. Governing boards and institutional leaders should take this call as an opportunity to begin earning back the confidence of the American people.
USA Today | August 9, 2026 by Daniel de Vise
Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this story included an incorrect school on the list of LinkedIn’s top 10 colleges. The correct school is the University of Notre Dame. Lehigh University is a selective Pennsylvania institution with a national reputation and a $2 billion endowment. Lehigh does well in college rankings – but usually not as […]
Here are America’s 10 best colleges, according to LinkedInACTA in the NewsCivic Education
Washington Examiner | August 8, 2026 by Samuel J. Abrams
The Cato Institute recently asked Americans seven basic civics questions as the country turned 250. A majority of Gen Z answered only one of them…
August 5, 2026 by Jeffrey E. Schulman
Ask a bystander to describe the future of higher education and he’ll probably complain it involves gleaming glass towers full of students learning about…
ACTA’s A Broadside for the Nation: Preparing College Students for Informed Citizenship convenes 24 historians and education leaders who argue that America’s 250th anniversary demands a renewal of civic education. The report urges colleges to require every student to complete a semester-long course on the American story.
Download PDFAugust 18, 2026
ACTA’s Campus Freedom Initiative™ (CFI) has evaluated universities in several states against our Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™, a 20-point action plan for reestablishing higher education’s commitment to excellence and open inquiry. Below we present the University of North Dakota─Grand Forks Report Card Gold Standard evaluation. University of North Dakota─Grand Forks Report Card receives credit for nine out of twenty Gold Standard measures. Our research highlights University of North Dakota─Grand Forks Report Card strengths in protecting free expression and identifies areas it must work on to improve the student experience. Explore the full University of North Dakota─Grand Forks…
University of North Dakota─Grand Forks Report CardAugust 18, 2026
ACTA’s Campus Freedom Initiative™ (CFI) has evaluated universities in several states against our Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™,…
August 17, 2026
On this episode of Higher Ed Now Civics Edition, ACTA President Michael Poliakoff speaks with Vincent Phillip Muñoz, the…
ACTA now provides a blueprint to help higher education regain and live by this core principle. The ACTA Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™ provides clear guidance for institutions to create a culture of free thought on their campuses.
Download PDFAugust 19, 2026 by Armand B. Alacbay
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon’s “National Call to Action to University Presidents and Governing Boards” reflects the reality that public trust in higher education has reached a historic low. The letter calls for colleges and universities to renew their foundational promise to foster academic rigor, protect open inquiry, and advance the national interest. Many of the specific goals it sets are ones that have been championed by higher education reformers, including ACTA, for years. And yet, this call for reform is unique in that it also incorporated the thoughtful input from university presidents who would share responsibility for that…
Department of Education Calls for Accountability, Trustees Must Answer the CallAugust 5, 2026
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni sent a letter to the Bard College Board of Trustees demanding increased…
ACTA in the NewsAthletic Spending
The Detroit News | July 22, 2026 by Sarah Atwood
A $12 million investigation into the University of Michigan’s athletic department produced no actual report amid findings that revealed…
Governance for a New Era is a blueprint for higher education governance. Signatories to the statement, a diverse group of 22 distinguished national leaders dedicated to ensuring America’s colleges and universities shed 20th century thinking and successfully meet 21st century challenges.
Download PDF
Austin, Texas
Guarding Our Heritage of Religious Freedom
Join UsACTA in the NewsCore Curriculum
USA Today | August 9, 2026 by Daniel de Vise
Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this story included an incorrect school on the list of LinkedIn’s top 10 colleges. The correct school is the University of Notre Dame. Lehigh University is a selective Pennsylvania institution with a national reputation and a $2 bi…
ACTA in the NewsCivic Education
Washington Examiner | August 8, 2026 by Samuel J. Abrams
The Cato Institute recently asked Americans seven basic civics questions as the country turned 250. A majority of Gen Z answered only one of them correctly. In fact, 61% of adults under 30 could not say what the anniversary marks, and 30% volunteered that they had no idea what America’s 250th is …
ACTA in the NewsCivic Education
Philanthropy Roundtable | August 4, 2026 by Joanne Florino
In early 2022 Philanthropy Roundtable published “What Ever Happened to U.S. History 101?,” a discussion of the abysmal failure of U.S. colleges and universities to ensure students’ course schedules include at least a basic survey course on our nation’s history or government. …
ACTA in the NewsCore Curriculum
Austin American-Statesman | August 3, 2026 by Lily Kepner
Texas has long agreed that students at all public universities should graduate with the same foundational knowledge, no matter their major. Every college student at a public Texas university has to satisfy 42 prescribed credit hours before graduating. The required hours are meant to ensure all s…
institutions have been counseled by ACTA on matters of cost effectiveness, financial governance, and institutional spending. See ACTA’s one-of-a-kind higher education financial analysis tool: HowCollegesSpendMoney.com.
institutions and systems representing nearly four million students, encouraged by ACTA, reaffirmed their commitment to free speech on campus by adopting the Chicago Principles on Freedom of Expression or a policy of institutional neutrality.
institutions have improved their core curriculum requirements based on ACTA’s annual What Will They Learn?® initiative. Visit WhatWillTheyLearn.com
students from 140 institutions have engaged in 660 civil discourse debates, dialogues, and workshops through ACTA’s College Debates & Discourse Alliance.
news outlets in 2025 covered ACTA’s nationwide impact on academic excellence, academic freedom, and accountability in higher education.
million dollars in gifts to higher education have been guided through ACTA’s Fund for Academic Renewal. Visit AcademicRenewal.org.
Launched in 1995, we are the only organization that works with alumni, donors, trustees, and education leaders across the United States to support liberal arts education, uphold high academic standards, safeguard the free exchange of ideas on campus, and ensure that the next generation receives an intellectually rich, high-quality college education at an affordable price.
Discover MoreSign up to receive updates on the most pressing issues facing our college campuses.