American Council on Education

What American Council on Education does

The American Council on Education (ACE) is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit membership organization founded in 1918 that represents accredited, degree-granting U.S. colleges and universities. It is headquartered at 1 Dupont Circle NW and operates with a staff of 501-1,000. ACE's core functional mandate is to mobilize the higher education community around federal policy advocacy, signature research, professional leadership development, and learning evaluation services. Its primary revenue streams are recurring membership dues from institutions, fee-for-service Learning Evaluations (CREDIT Evaluations for workplace learning, Military Evaluations via the ACE Military Guide, and the ACE National Guide credential registry), and distributions from the GED Testing Service joint venture with Pearson, which delivers high school equivalency testing nationally.

ACE's portfolio includes the ACE Fellows Program (selecting 31 emerging leaders annually), the Council of Fellows, the ACE Women's Network, the Commission on Faith-Based Colleges and Universities, and the annual ACE Experience (ACEx) conference held each March in Washington, DC. It produces recurring research products including the American College President Study, Pulse Point Surveys, the Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education report, and an interactive Higher Education Economic Indicators map. Distribution is direct-to-institution through formal membership, supplemented by digital channels (dotEDU podcast, Higher Education & National Affairs weekly newsletter, ACExtended webinars) and policy advocacy vehicles (ACE on the Hill, amicus briefs, coalition letter campaigns).

Go-to-market is event- and policy-driven rather than commercial: ACE converts institutional engagement into recurring dues and fee-for-service evaluations, layers foundation and corporate sponsorship (Walmart, Fidelity, Imaginable Futures, Education Design Lab) on top, and monetizes the GED Testing Service JV with Pearson. Customer segments span four-year and two-year institutions, faith-based colleges, post-traditional learners, and senior higher education leaders; the organization serves an addressable market of approximately 6,000 U.S. higher education institutions.

Name

American Council on Education

Legal name

American Council on Education

Website

https://acenet.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1918

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The American Council on Education is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit membership organization founded in 1918 that represents U.S. higher education institutions through federal policy advocacy, signature research, professional leadership programs, and learning evaluation services including the GED Testing Service joint venture with Pearson.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Association Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

National/State Examination Boards & Testing Agencies (EDADAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Governance & Board Effectiveness Advisory (BPAHAFAC)

Keywords

• Higher education association
• Membership organization
• Policy advocacy services
• Credit evaluation services
• Professional development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: ACE operates as a membership organization with dues paid by colleges and universities for access to programs, services, research, and advocacy representation.
2. Learning Evaluations Services: ACE provides credit recommendations and evaluations for military training, workplace learning, and exams through its Learning Evaluations division, generating service fees from institutions and employers.
3. GED Testing Service: ACE co-operates the GED Testing Service joint venture with Pearson, which provides testing fees revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The American Council on Education (ACE) is a nonprofit membership organization that serves U.S. colleges and universities through policy advocacy, learning evaluations, professional development programs, and sector research. It administers credit recommendations for military training, workplace learning, and alternative credentials, co-operates the GED Testing Service with Pearson, and convenes higher education leaders through events, fellowships, and commissions. ACE produces authoritative research and operates credential transparency platforms used by over 2,000 institutions.

Product overview

ACE is a membership organization that offers a portfolio of programs, services, and research products for the higher education community. Its core Learning Evaluations suite encompasses CREDIT Evaluations (for workplace learning), Military Evaluations (ACE Military Guide), and the GED Testing Service joint venture with Pearson. Supporting these are the ACE National Guide (a credential registry), the ACE Fellows Program and associated professional communities (Council of Fellows, ACE Women's Network, Commission on Faith-Based Colleges), and the annual ACE Experience (ACEx) conference. ACE also produces research products including the American College President Study, Pulse Point Surveys, and an interactive economic impact map. The Building Pathways Initiative drives workforce-aligned convenings. The dotEDU podcast and ACE Awards round out its thought leadership and recognition offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GED Testing Service: A joint venture with Pearson that provides GED testing, opening doors to college programs and employment opportunities.

Products and services

• ACE Learning Evaluations
• GED Testing Service
• The ACE National Guide
• ACE Military Guide
• ACE Fellows Program
• ACE Women's Network
• Council of Fellows
• ACE Commission on Faith-Based Colleges and Universities
• ACE Experience (ACEx)
• Building Pathways Initiative
• American College President Study
• Pulse Point Surveys
• ACE Awards

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 20,000 learners saved an estimated $24.2 million in educational costs through UMGC's AI-driven military credit program using ACE competency mapping methodology
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major, core, secondary and advocacy.

• American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2026ACE and AAC&U jointly created the inaugural America 250 Fellow position for American University President Jonathan Alger. The fellowship advances civic learning and democratic institutions as the country approaches its 250th anniversary, representing a historic collaboration between the two major higher education organizations.
• Education Design LabmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Education Design Lab leads the $3.5 million Advancing Workforce Mobility initiative in collaboration with Credential Engine and with support from Walmart. ACE is listed as a collaborative partner, with the initiative targeting approximately 70 million working adults who developed skills through alternative routes.
• DegreedmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2025ACE partnered with Degreed and Credly by Pearson to launch a new College Accreditation Service enabling organizations to have internal workplace learning programs evaluated and converted into formally recognized, transferable college credits. The service helps organizations attract, grow, and retain talent by providing verifiable credentials.
• WalmartmajorOthers · 21 August 2024Walmart provides support to ACE for expanding credit for prior learning (CPL) acceptance for learners, employers, and educational institutions. This funding enables ACE to advance workforce mobility through credential transparency and skills validation initiatives.
• PearsoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACE collaborates with Pearson on multiple initiatives including: (1) GED Testing Service joint venture providing high school equivalency testing; (2) Partnership on stopped-out learner reengagement brief; (3) College Accreditation Service with Degreed and Credly. These partnerships leverage Pearson's assessment and credentialing infrastructure.
• Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of TeachingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACE and the Carnegie Foundation collaborate on administering the Carnegie Classifications system, including updates to the Basic Classification (now Institutional Classification) and new Student Access and Earnings Classification. Also partners on Sustainability Elective Classification pilot program.
• Second NaturesecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerACE partners with Second Nature on a sustainability webinar series to help campus leaders, sustainability staff, and climate advocates anticipate challenges and identify opportunities. The collaboration includes sessions on climate justice, clean energy workforce, and institutional sustainability practices.
• Harvard UniversityadvocacyOthersACE and 22 higher education associations filed an amicus brief in the First Circuit appeals court supporting Harvard's challenge to Trump's June 2025 proclamation barring international students. ACE represents the broader higher education community in defending institutional autonomy and academic freedom.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA): NASFAA is a membership association in the higher education sector focused on financial aid policy and administration, operating with a similar advocacy/research/professional development model to ACE but for a specialized professional constituency.
• American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U): AAC&U is the most directly comparable peer to ACE — a national higher education membership association focused on liberal education, equity, and quality practices. ACE and AAC&U even co-launched the inaugural America 250 Fellow, underscoring their overlapping constituencies of college and university presidents.
• Council of Independent Colleges (CIC): CIC provides leadership development, policy advocacy, and cost-saving programs to small and mid-sized independent colleges, directly overlapping with ACE's ACE Fellows Program and policy advocacy offerings for a distinct institutional segment.
• American Association of Community Colleges (AACC): AACC is the primary membership association for U.S. community colleges, with parallel advocacy, research, and professional development functions targeting a major segment of ACE's institutional membership. AACC is a sub-voice for the two-year sector that ACE serves through its broader umbrella.
• National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU): NAICU represents private nonprofit colleges and universities in federal policy advocacy, mirroring ACE's advocacy function for a specific institutional segment. It competes for member attention on Capitol Hill and is a frequent co-signatory on amicus briefs alongside ACE.
• Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching: Carnegie Foundation is ACE's core partner in administering the Carnegie Classifications but also operates in the same higher education improvement and classification space. Their collaboration (and partial overlap) makes them both a partner and a structurally similar nonprofit in higher education advancement.
• Association of American Universities (AAU): AAU is an invitation-only membership association of leading U.S. research universities focused on research policy, graduate education, and federal advocacy — a higher-end peer competing for the same institutional leaders ACE engages, but with a narrower R1 research mission.

Broad incumbents

• Educational Testing Service (ETS): ETS is a major nonprofit educational measurement and assessment organization administering tests like the GRE, TOEFL, and Praxis. It overlaps with ACE's assessment/credentialing function at a broader scale and competes for institutional assessment budgets.

Regional players

• Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE): WICHE is a regional interstate compact focused on higher education access, policy, and student exchange across western U.S. states. It operates in the same higher education policy and exchange space as ACE but is geographically limited and government-affiliated rather than private membership-based.

Others

• Pearson: Pearson is ACE's core strategic partner and GED Testing Service joint venture co-operator, and also a major assessment, credentialing, and educational services company. They are ecosystem participants rather than direct competitors, sharing the credit evaluation and credentialing value chain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ACEducation
• Facebookfacebook.com/acefellowsprogram.emergingleaders
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-council-on-education

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about American Council on Education