IOWA CITY, IOWA — ACT’s American College Application Campaign (ACAC), a national effort to increase the number of first-generation college students and students from under-resourced communities pursuing a college degree or other higher education credential, announced its sixth annual School of Excellence awardees, recognizing a group of 26 outstanding schools that are increasing opportunities for students to achieve postsecondary success.
"Each year, we are inspired by the dedication of schools across the country in helping students take the next step toward their postsecondary goals, and this year is no exception," ACT CEO Janet Godwin said. "These schools are making the college application process more accessible and less intimidating, ensuring that more students from all backgrounds have the opportunity to pursue higher education. We are honored to celebrate their commitment to student success.
Applying for college can be one of the most intimidating parts of a student’s high school education. This year’s recognized schools worked with high school seniors to help them better understand the college admission process through a series of weeklong to monthlong events, ultimately empowering them to complete an application.
Awardees demonstrated a strong commitment to student success and served as outstanding models for their state’s college application campaign. The 26 winning schools listed below were key contributors to this year’s successes:
- 5,854 high schools hosted a College Application Campaign event.
- More than 477,000 seniors submitted at least one college application during events, an increase of more than 10,000 compared to last year.
- Students submitted a total of 1,316,688 applications.
“There’s something that’s so rewarding about seeing our state coordinators take part in helping students navigate the admission process,” ACAC Director Lisa King said. “Students feel more confident and empowered to apply to college, and thanks to initiatives like the American College Application Campaign, it all serves as a reminder of the impact we can have.”
Every year, ACAC works with coordinators in nearly every state and the District of Columbia to host college application events and reach students in their schools and communities, encouraging them to apply to college. Activities in 2024 included career days and fairs, collegiate tailgates, financial aid workshops, and field trips to colleges, where students could take campus tours.
Nationally, the campaign has served nearly 5.17 million students who have submitted more than 10 million applications since 2005.
###
About the American College Application Campaign
The American College Application Campaign (ACAC), a national initiative of ACT’s Center for Impact and Learning, is designed to increase the number of first-generation college students and students from under-resourced communities who pursue a postsecondary degree. The purpose is to assist high school seniors as they navigate the college application and admissions process and ensure each participating student submits at least one admissions application. https://impactandlearning.act.org.
About ACT
ACT is transforming college and career readiness pathways so that everyone can discover and fulfill their potential. Grounded in more than 65 years of research, ACT’s learning resources, assessments, research, and work-ready credentials are trusted by students, job seekers, educators, schools, government agencies, and employers in the U.S. and around the world to help people achieve their education and career goals at every stage of life. Visit us at https://www.act.org.
Contact: ACT Strategic Communications; publicrelations@act.org