Conservative, Biblical Worldview Commitment and Christian Community Fuel Record Enrollment Growth to 1,700 Students in 2025, including 425 freshmen
Arizona Christian University, recently recognized as the 5th-fastest growing college in America during the past decade by The Chronicles of Higher Education, achieved its 10th straight year of record enrollment this fall with about 1,700 students enrolled in all programs.
Buoyed by the largest freshman class in its history – 425 students, topping the previous high of 366 by 16 percent – ACU’s traditional campus undergraduate program grew to 1,134 students. In its 6th year on a new, larger campus, ACU has now reached capacity in its residence halls with about 700 students living on campus. Just seven years ago in 2018, only about 200 students were able to live on campus.
“We thank God for His continued blessing on ACU,” said President Len Munsil, who is beginning his 16th year in that role, having started when the college had fewer than 400 students. “We believe many American families are looking for an unapologetically conservative, Christian university – and they are finding ACU. As our visibility and academic reputation grow, we are attracting students from across America and around the world.”
ACU’s new master’s degree programs, its fully online degrees, and its dual and concurrent enrollments also grew, leading total enrollment to about 1,700 – up from just over 1,400 last fall. ACU now draws students from about 40 states and 30 countries.
“Our small class sizes and tight-knit community create a very engaged student population where nearly all ACU campus students participate in multiple extracurricular activities like NAIA athletics, student leadership and honors programs, music and theater, intramurals or pro-life, pre-med, pre-law, campus media and creation science clubs,” Munsil said. “At the same time, we are seeing incredible spiritual growth among our traditional students. With world-renowned researcher Dr. George Barna measuring our students, we are seeing huge increases each and every year in their commitment to a biblical worldview – thinking and living like Jesus. That growth is happening because of the incredible dedication of our amazing faculty, staff and coaches to mentoring and discipling our students.”
Popular majors include business, education, biology (pre-med), psychology, behavioral health and family studies, communication, political science (criminal justice and pre-law), biblical studies, exercise science and music. In addition to classes in their major, all ACU students are required to earn a minor in Biblical Studies (18 hours) and participate in a humanities-based core where they discuss the great ideas of western civilization and the biblical foundations of America.
In addition to producing pastors and missionaries, ACU is producing graduates in all areas of cultural influence:
- Two recent ACU graduates have gone on to Harvard Law School and others to ASU, Virginia and other elite law schools;
- ACU’s first pre-med graduates from a biology program begun in 2012 are now finishing their residencies and beginning practice as physicians, including one who is becoming a medical missionary to Burundi, Africa with his wife, also an ACU graduate, teaching at a Christian school there;
- Recent graduates have started businesses and pro-life and anti-trafficking nonprofit organizations;
- Other recent graduates are serving as teachers and coaches in public, charter and private Christian schools;
- Some recent graduates are becoming journalists, and many others have advanced to elite graduate schools and seminaries.
“ACU exists to transform culture with truth by educating and equipping Christians to be leaders of influence and excellence,” Munsil said. “Going from our largest graduating class last May to our largest incoming class this August, we continue to build momentum and increase our numbers of students who will provide much-needed biblical influence and character-driven leadership in our state, nation and world.”
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