Austin Community College District (ACC) is ranked as a Top Hispanic-Serving Online college or university in Texas by Texas Online Colleges.

"Texas has 84 schools classified as Hispanic-serving institutions with student bodies greater than 25 percent. ACC is one of only 26 that offers online degree programs," states Texas Online Colleges. "Due to the current circumstances, online colleges have become necessary for education. We want to congratulate [ACC]."

The ranking examined key metrics for academic excellence including:

• Small Student-to-Faculty Ratio
• High Number of Online Programs Offered
• High Percentage of Online Students
• High Graduation Rates
• High Retention Rates
• High Desirability—the relationship between the number of applicants of a school, those that got admitted, and of those, the number that enrolled.
• Academic Influence—based on the number of scholarly contributions made by the institution's faculty in their fields of study and how often they were cited by other scholarly works

ACC also was recently recognized in two separate state and national lists for its online learning programs and continues to work toward improving its Distance Education (DE) programs, building off lessons learned during COVID-19.

Currently, ACC offers 24 associate degrees and 13 certificates that can be completed fully online. To date, four ACC courses have achieved the national Quality Matters recognition for quality online and hybrid learning. Among the Chancellor's 2020-21 priorities, ACC has committed to building upon this achievement. Priority No. 3 seeks to provide an exceptional online education that is accessible for all students by expanding the scale and quality of ACC Online. Goals include:

• Closing the "digital divide" with increased support for online students and ensuring all face-to-face programs include online or hybrid options.
• Expanding ongoing professional development for faculty and staff for online instruction and services and ensuring all online courses meet Quality Matters criteria.
• Ensuring equitable access for all students enrolled in online programs and courses.

About Texas Online Colleges
Texas Online Colleges is a site focused on online and hybrid educational opportunities in Texas. They index and analyze every online program offered by colleges and universities in the state to give prospective students the best source for finding an online degree in-state. For more information, visit TexasOnlineColleges.com.