Recent IPEDS Rankings Reveal ACE as Leading Conferrer of Graduate Degrees in Education 

The college remains in top 10 rankings for multiple areas including education and leadership. 

INDIANAPOLIS – May 15, 2023 – Newly released data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) confirmed American College of Education®(ACE) as a leading conferrer of graduate degrees in education. Reflecting the 2020-2021 academic year amid the climax of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the data indicates both continued strong performance and improvement. 

IPEDS is an annual survey that collects institution-level data from postsecondary institutions in the U.S. Per their recent data release, ACE conferred 4,048 degrees in the 2020-21 academic year, which marks a 24 percent increase from 2019-20. The college ranked in the top 10 for fourteen degrees and categories of degrees combined. (See more rankings below and here.) 

“It’s fantastic to see the IPEDS data affirm the impact of ACE’s unwavering commitment to providing affordable, flexible and high-quality programs,” ACE President and CEO Geordie Hyland said. “Our institution was founded by educators and for educators, and we accomplished these rankings during the global COVID-19 pandemic, which was a very challenging time. I’m very proud of our faculty and staff and their contributions which made this possible.” 

ACE Provost and Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Jodi Feikema added, “We are proud and truly humbled by the outstanding IPEDS results. The 2020-21 academic year presented some challenges, but we quickly pivoted, remained focused on our mission and saw improvements. We are continuing to create more opportunities across all verticals for professionals to gain the skills and tools needed to lead and become the next generation of difference makers.” 

Notable Rankings: 

• #1 in English as Second Language and Bilingual Education 

• #1 in Educational Administration 
• #1 in M.Ed. in Health and Wellness Education 
• #2 in M.Ed. in Educational Leadership 
• #2 in M.Ed. in Teacher Leadership 
• #2 in M.Ed. in Literacy 

• #2 in M.Ed. in STEM Education 
• #3 in master’s degrees in education 
• #3 in Curriculum and Instruction 
• #3 in M.Ed. in Advanced Studies 
• #4 in M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education 

• #4 in Ed.D. in Leadership 
• #6 in M.Ed. in Elementary Education 
• #8 in doctoral degrees in education 

About American College of Education 

American College of Education (ACE) is an accredited, 100% online college specializing in high-quality, affordable programs in education, business, leadership, healthcare and nursing.  ACE is ranked #2 on Newsweek’s 2023 top online colleges list. Headquartered in Indianapolis, ACE offers more than 80 innovative and engaging programs for adult students to pursue a doctorate, specialist, master’s or bachelor’s degree, along with micro-credentials and graduate-level certificate programs. In addition to being a leader in online education, ACE is a Certified B Corporation. Certified B Corporations are leaders of a global movement to use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.