The Appalachian College Association is a non-profit consortium of 34 private four-year liberal arts institutions located in the central Appalachian Mountains in Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The Appalachian College Association supports its member colleges and universities in providing higher education opportunities for people who live in Appalachia. We facilitate peer connections, facilitate cooperation and collaboration among member institutions, develop and fund professional development opportunities for faculty and staff, and negotiate cost-saving partnerships on behalf of our member institutions.
ACA member institutions are critical contributors to their local and regional communities; they provide access to exceptional educational and cultural experiences, often in areas facing serious economic distress. Serving over 77,000 students annually, with over 2,800 full-time faculty, ACA schools collectively generate nearly $1.4 billion in direct annual expenditures, further supporting the Appalachian region.
The colleges and universities of the Appalachian College Association work diligently to make higher education available to the students of this region. Member institutions are dedicated to making post-secondary education available to groups that have been historically underrepresented. Over 40 percent of undergraduates at all ACA member institutions are Pell grant recipients.