Arizona Christian University continued its momentum with double-digit growth and a 6th straight year of record enrollment, despite COVID-related financial and health uncertainties that have caused enrollment at colleges and universities to plunge this fall.
ACU’s total enrollment will top 1,000 this fall for the first time in its 60-year history, with more than 10 percent increases in its traditional undergraduate program and online studies. By contrast, overall college enrollment nationally is expected to decline between 5 and 20 percent this fall due to COVID. ACU was recently featured in “success stories” by a Christian college magazine as one of the seven fastest-growing Christian colleges in America.
“Our admissions team, recruiters and coaches did a fantastic job of working through COVID-related financial and health issues to bring in ACU’s largest enrollment ever,” said Len Munsil, ACU President. “Without COVID, our growth would have been even more significant. Even as we grow, we are committed to providing our award-winning, small college, liberal arts college experience in an authentic, Bible-believing Christian community.”
In 2019, Arizona Christian University moved from its original 20-acre site in north Phoenix to a 68-acre campus in Glendale that was the former home of the ASU Thunderbird School of Global Management. Construction is underway on numerous campus projects, including installation of three football/soccer fields, along with fields for baseball, softball, track and field and sand courts for beach volleyball.
ACU’s students come from more than 30 states and 20 foreign countries.
“After months of lockdown, our students are so thankful to be back together in community,” Munsil said. “We are following state and local guidelines and have established health and safety protocols to enable their safe return to residence halls, classes and extracurricular activities, including intercollegiate athletics.”
“This is just an exciting time to be at ACU. We are slowly making this campus our own, and building a great Christian university that is preparing leaders to transform culture with God’s truth. We are thankful for God’s provision of this campus, and that God continues to draw more and more students to our truth-based, conservative education.”
In the past few years ACU has achieved its first Best College rankings according to U.S. News & World Report, along with multiple other recognitions and awards for excellence.