A well-designed general education curriculum equips students for conversations of perennial human concern and provides a foundation in essential aspects of the political, economic, and scientific systems of our nation and the world. What Will They Learn?® is the only resource that evaluates what college students are learning in classrooms nationwide.
Since 1995, What Will They Learn?® has been the only college rating system to evaluate the general education programs of over 1,100 U.S. colleges and universities, public and private, with a stated liberal arts mission. We now review colleges and universities on a continuous cycle, publishing these results at regular intervals on WhatWillTheyLearn.com.
Given that general education makes up one-fourth to one-third of a student’s academic program at most universities, choosing a school with the right core is every bit as important as choosing the right major. What Will They Learn?® is designed to meet two goals:
What Will They Learn?® grades institutions on an “A+” through “F” scale based on whether they require all undergraduate students to complete courses in Composition, Literature, Foreign Language, U.S. Government or History, Economics, Mathematics, and Natural Science that meet carefully defined criteria. On WhatWillTheyLearn.com, users can search 1,100 institutions by state, What Will They Learn?® grade, tuition, and more.
We receive hundreds of inquiries about What Will They Learn?® from higher education leaders working on general education reforms on their own campuses, policymakers seeking to strengthen higher education in their states, and high school educators wondering how best to advise juniors and seniors on college choice. We also hear from concerned parents interested in learning more about curricular quality, campus climate, and whether particular colleges are careful stewards of tuition dollars.
At the project’s inception, ACTA identified seven subjects essential to providing students with the knowledge and skills they need for the challenges of career and community in the 21st century: Composition, Literature, Foreign Language, U.S. Government or History, Economics, Mathematics, and Natural Science. What Will They Learn?® grades institutions on an “A+” through “F” scale based on how many of these core subjects they require all undergraduate students to study, giving the public a clear measure at a glance of each school’s commitment to its liberal arts mission.
ACTA regularly convenes panels of distinguished teacher scholars to help us establish specific criteria for collegiate-level coursework in the seven core areas we evaluate. Every year, the Academic Affairs team reviews the published course catalogues of over 1,100 U.S. colleges and universities, a process that takes us more than 3,000 hours.
What Will They Learn?® awards credit in a core subject if the course is a true requirement, not an option, and addresses the topic at a collegiate level. Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) examination results at an appropriately high level may stand as fulfillment of core requirements, but institutions do not receive What Will They Learn?® credit in a core subject area if they accept high school level examination scores, such as ACT or SAT results, in lieu of collegiate-level coursework.
Please visit WhatWillTheyLearn.com for more information about our grading scale and assessment criteria.
In this 11th edition of its flagship annual survey of college general education curricula, What Will They Learn?, ACTA shines a light on the wide disparity in academic standards at institutions of higher learning across the country. What Will They Learn? reviews the core curricula of over 1,100 four-year public and private institutions to determine the […]
ACTA’s report The Cost of Chaos in the Curriculum reveals that the vast array of course choices given to college students is a cause of exploding costs and poor academic outcomes. And a bloated undergraduate curriculum is particularly detrimental to the success of students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. The report documents how at most colleges and […]
Just as July 4th celebrations are set to begin, ACTA’s new report, No U.S. History? How College History Departments Leave the United States out of the Major, reveals that less than 1/3 of the nations leading colleges and universities require students pursuing a degree in history to take a single course in American history. Only 23 […]
The summer holidays have finally ended, and across America college students are returning to campus. But not before someone—most likely mom or dad—has written a hefty tuition check. If you’re a parent going into hock to pay for your son or daughter’s degree in English lit, you may be feeling a mite anxious about what […]
Students are often told that they must go to college. They are told that higher education is the key to their future and that they will not be able to make it very far without it. However, studies show many colleges are actually failing their students and are not adequately preparing them for the real […]
College graduates still learn more than high school graduates over the course of their careers. But a recent PayScale survey found that managers increasingly say recent grads lack basic writing, speaking, and problem solving skills. Traditionally, students have developed these skills through general education programs, which make up roughly one-third of most students’ academic programs. […]
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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.
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