Currently, in the United States, student loan debt is estimated to exceed $1.7 trillion. Decades of increased tuition levels with in higher education have left millions of students with a  substantial amount of debt, even before they have begun their professional careers. 

‍

An alternative to the traditional onsite model of education comes courtesy of online learning. According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), nearly 4.9 billion people used the internet in 2021, and the pandemic greatly accelerated the adoption particularly for online education.

‍

Increased access to the internet has opened up the world of education to a new audience, with educational institutions wanting to offer a number of affordable and accessible courses. 

‍

One of the institutions to embrace the surge in online access and subsequent desire for education, is American College of Education (ACE). The institution, which is a 100% online, private university, provides courses that range from bachelor’s degrees to doctoral courses, that are designed to serve working adults, as they look to advance to the next stage of their career.

‍

“ACE has an unwavering commitment to putting students first, and this involves intentional attention to their concerns from cost to quality to flexibility,” says Geordie Hyland, current President & CEO of ACE. “Our low cost doesn’t require sacrificing quality, and we want to be a solution to the student-debt crisis and not a contributor. At the end of the day, many of our students graduate with minimal or no debt while earning a quality education that enhances their career development and contributions to society. We hope our efforts can inspire other institutions to do the same.”  

‍

With a motto ‘we serve those who serve’, the institution demonstrates its desire to make high quality education as affordable and accessible as possible. The ability to provide a high quality service at a low cost, is enabled by an online education system that is designed in evidence-based content and relevant application, that seeks to elevate the possibility of learning. 

‍

The success of the college can be seen through its high quality programs, which saw an 84% graduation rate, as well as over 8,000 students enrolling on one of its many courses, proving its accessible credentials. Recently, ACE was named #2 on Newsweek's list of America's Top Online Colleges 2023.

‍

The institution’s qualities are prevalently demonstrated through its commitment as a Certified B Corporation since 2016. Certified B Corporations are leaders of a global movement to use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. As a socially conscious institution, ACE believes it’s our job to make an impact in the world that goes well beyond our bottom line. 

‍

“Being a B Corporation really gives us validation that we have always been about service, whether that’s service to our students, service to our employees, and service to our communities. That’s what we’re about,” says KK Byland, Chief Human Resources Officer at ACE. “We want to make a rippling impact in all of the communities where we live and serve and we want our employees to continue to carry out that mission.”

‍

ACE believes everyone deserves the chance to better themselves through higher education. Its institutional model allows it to make online learning as accessible as possible, both now and in the future. The college has proven that by removing cost as the barrier to premium educational opportunities, students are able to better themselves and their communities.