The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is an athletic conference of 18 universities. Most are along the East Coast, from Boston College to Miami, but since 2024 it also includes Cal and Stanford in California and SMU in Dallas. Ten are public and eight are private, and they range from 3.6% to 79.4% acceptance rates.
The 18 ACC schools at a glance
| School | State | Undergrads | Acceptance rate | In-state tuition | Out-of-state tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston College (private) | MA | 10,085 | 16.4% | $70,702 | $70,702 |
| Cal | CA | 33,068 | 11.0% | $16,347 | $50,547 |
| Clemson | SC | 23,300 | 38.3% | $15,554 | $40,866 |
| Duke (private) | NC | 6,442 | 5.7% | $68,758 | $68,758 |
| Florida State | FL | 32,212 | 24.2% | $5,656 | $18,786 |
| Georgia Tech | GA | 18,785 | 14.1% | $12,058 | $34,484 |
| Louisville | KY | 14,727 | 79.4% | $13,136 | $29,482 |
| Miami (private) | FL | 12,913 | 18.9% | $62,616 | $62,616 |
| NC State | NC | 27,371 | 41.7% | $8,799 | $32,847 |
| North Carolina | NC | 20,752 | 15.3% | $8,994 | $41,203 |
| Notre Dame (private) | IN | 8,818 | 11.3% | $65,025 | $65,025 |
| Pitt | PA | 20,370 | 58.1% | $21,926 | $41,430 |
| SMU (private) | TX | 7,277 | 63.3% | $67,040 | $67,040 |
| Stanford (private) | CA | 7,554 | 3.6% | $65,910 | $65,910 |
| Syracuse (private) | NY | 15,477 | 45.9% | $65,528 | $65,528 |
| Virginia | VA | 17,597 | 16.8% | $21,803 | $59,512 |
| Virginia Tech | VA | 30,923 | 54.8% | $15,948 | $37,764 |
| Wake Forest (private) | NC | 5,485 | 21.7% | $67,642 | $67,642 |
Sources: IPEDS (undergraduate enrollment; admissions for the fall 2024 entering class); College Scorecard (published tuition and fees before aid, about 2023–24). You may pay less if receiving grants or scholarships.
How many schools are in the ACC?
Eighteen. Cal, Stanford and SMU joined in 2024. Notre Dame is a member in most sports, but its football team plays as an independent, so the ACC has 17 football teams.
Five ways the ACC schools differ
1. How hard they are to get into
Eight ACC universities admitted fewer than one in five applicants for fall 2024: Stanford (3.6%), Duke (5.7%), Cal (11.0%), Notre Dame (11.3%), Georgia Tech (14.1%), UNC (15.3%), Boston College (16.4%) and Virginia (16.8%). At the other end, Louisville (79.4%), SMU (63.3%), Pitt (58.1%) and Virginia Tech (54.8%) admit more than half.
2. Public and private
The eight private universities publish tuition between $62,616 and $70,702 a year before aid, but what families actually pay varies a great deal. Students who received aid paid about $10,900 a year on average at Stanford and about $40,800 at SMU.
3. What it costs at the public universities
Florida State has the lowest prices in the conference: $5,656 a year in-state and $18,786 out-of-state. NC State ($8,799) and UNC ($8,994) are also low for in-state students. Out-of-state tuition is highest at Virginia ($59,512) and Cal ($50,547).
4. College town or city
Some ACC campuses are classic college towns: Chapel Hill, Clemson, Blacksburg and Charlottesville. Others are in cities: Georgia Tech in Midtown Atlanta, Pitt in Pittsburgh, and campuses in Louisville, Raleigh, Durham, Winston-Salem, Syracuse and Dallas. Boston College, Miami, Stanford and Cal sit just outside or across the bay from major cities.
5. Signature strengths
Each has areas where it stands out: computing at Georgia Tech and Cal, public policy at Duke, communications at Syracuse, marine science at Miami, film at Florida State, business at NC State and nursing at Louisville, among others.
Which ACC school might fit you?
Ask yourself:
- Do I want a small private university or a large public one?
- Would I rather be in a college town or a city?
- Am I in-state for any of these schools, and how much does that matter for my family's budget?
- How far from home am I willing to go, now that the ACC stretches from Boston to California?
Lens helps you figure out which kinds of colleges fit you, using seven research-backed assessments, before you build your list. Start with Lens →
FAQ
How many schools are in the ACC? Eighteen (17 in football, since Notre Dame plays football as an independent).
What are the ACC schools? Boston College, Cal, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, NC State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Pitt, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
Is Stanford in the ACC? Yes. Stanford joined in 2024, along with Cal and SMU.
Which ACC schools are private? Boston College, Duke, Miami, Notre Dame, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse and Wake Forest.
Which ACC school is the hardest to get into? Stanford admitted 3.6% of applicants for fall 2024, followed by Duke (5.7%) and Cal (11.0%).
Which ACC schools are easiest to get into? By acceptance rate, the ACC schools that admitted the largest share of applicants for fall 2024 were Louisville (79.4%), SMU (63.3%), Pitt (58.1%) and Virginia Tech (54.8%). Rates can differ by major and by whether you're in-state, so treat them as a starting point, not a prediction.
College pages in this group
- Boston College: a Jesuit university next to Boston
- University of California, Berkeley: test-free admission and computing in the Bay Area
- Clemson University: a lakeside college town and land-grant strengths
- Duke University: small classes and interdisciplinary study in Durham
- Florida State University: a low in-state price in the state capital
- Georgia Institute of Technology: computing and engineering in Midtown Atlanta
- University of Louisville: nursing and engineering co-ops in Kentucky's largest city
- University of Miami: marine science and a private campus near Miami
- North Carolina State University: engineering, business and agriculture in Raleigh
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: the first public university to open, in a classic college town
- University of Notre Dame: a Catholic university built around its residence halls
- University of Pittsburgh: health sciences and the Cathedral of Learning
- Southern Methodist University: business and finance in Dallas
- Stanford University: computing and human biology in Silicon Valley
- Syracuse University: communications at the Newhouse School
- University of Virginia: Jefferson's university and its student-run honor system
- Virginia Tech: engineering and a Corps of Cadets in the Blue Ridge
- Wake Forest University: the ACC's smallest university