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ACM Program Overview

The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) and the state higher education agencies of the participating states – Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia – administer the Academic Common Market (ACM) program. The program operates on the premise that if public institutions (no private institutions can participate) in a student’s home state do not offer a degree program (undergraduate or graduate) that a student intends on pursuing, then he/she may attend a participating out-of-state institution offering the degree of interest and be granted a waiver of out-of-state tuition charges. This serves as a huge cost-saving measure for both parents and students as in-state tuition rates are substantially lower than out-of-state rates. It is also a savings to the Commonwealth, as these programs do not have to be duplicated here in Virginia. Numerous undergraduate and graduate programs are currently available through the ACM to Virginia residents.

Program Admission Process Overview:

For an updated, complete listing of undergraduate programs currently available to Virginians through the ACM, please click HERE. Information on ACM graduate programs can be found by clicking HERE. Distributed learning programs are denoted in the listings by the label "ACM/EC" meaning that the offering is through the Academic Common Market and the Electronic Campus, both administered by SREB. Virginia has adopted the following policy regarding the use of "mode of delivery" as a criterion for inclusion of distributed learning programs as part of the ACM for Virginia students: In cases where access to an in-state program is a significant issue, “mode of course delivery” can be a determining factor in the decision to include a distributed learning program as part of the Academic Common Market (ACM) for Virginia residents. Requests for access will be reviewed individually and will follow the current guidelines set forth by SREB and its member states as they relate to the Academic Common Market and the Electronic Campus. To find out if Virginia offers a specific degree program, view the Degree Inventory by clicking HERE. If you conclude that Virginia does not offer your program of interest and you do not see it listed in the ACM offerings for Virginians, you will need to contact the ACM Coordinator for the Commonwealth: Ms. Darlene Derricott ACM Coordinator for Virginia State Council of Higher Education for Virginia James Monroe Building 101 North Fourteenth Street, 9th Floor Richmond, VA 23219 Email: DarleneDerricott@schev.edu Phone: 877.516.0138 (toll-free)

Application for Participation in the Academic Common Market (ACM):

The Application for Participation in the Academic Common Market must contain the following information: Citizenship - Non-U.S. citizens must submit their INS documentation with their application. . Virginia Residency - If your parents, a legal guardian, or spouse provide(s) 50% or more of your financial support and/or claim you as a tax dependent, you should classify yourself as a “dependent” student on the ACM application for residency purposes. All supporting documentation proving Virginia residency that must accompany your ACM application should bear this individual’s name. Typically, undergraduate students who are under age 24 are classified as dependents. For more on establishing Virginia domicile, click HERE. . Admissions - Students must provide a copy of their letter of admission noting that they have been unconditionally admitted to their program of study. Students who have been provisionally admitted or have outstanding issues associated with their admission must resolve those issues with the participating institution before being certified for ACM participation. . The application must be mailed to: Elizabeth Waddy Academic Common Market State Council of Higher Education for Virginia James Monroe Building 101 North Fourteenth Street, 9th Floor Richmond, VA 23219 Email: ElizabethWaddy@schev.edu

Certification:

SCHEV will issue a certification for ACM participation to both the student and the participating institution. The institution will either grant a tuition waiver equal to the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition or simply classify the student as an in-state resident. Students will not receive in-state tuition rates until the institution has completed this final step. The effective date of the waiver of out-of-state tuition will be the next full semester/session after certification. For example, if a student applies during the fall semester, the waiver would not be effective until the spring semester. The waiver of out-of-state tuition can only be applied retroactively by the decision of the participating institution. SCHEV accepts ACM applications year-round. The institution sets deadline dates for designation as an in-state student/ACM participant. We strongly advise you to contact your institution for that information. Certification is a one-time-only procedure provided that academic major and the student’s residency classification remain unchanged.

General Restrictions

Alabama

• Auburn University limits ACM access to undergraduate programs. Only 25 new ACM participants are accepted each year; and students must be at the junior or senior level to participate in the ACM. Auburn selects applicants on a competitive basis. The deadline is March 15. Applicants should first contact the institutional coordinator’s office prior to contacting state coordinator.

• The University of Alabama applies the following two new conditions for participating in approved ACM programs (UA limits ACM access to the programs that are currently listed in the ACM inventory.):
• (1) For first-time ACM certification, an undergraduate student must have at least a 25 ACT composite score or 1130 SAT composite score (math and verbal only) and at least a 3.00 overall high school GPA.
• (2) For continuing certification after the first semester of ACM support, each UA ACM student must maintain at least a 3.00 overall GPA on all UA course work attempted. This GPA standard is in addition to the long-standing requirements for maintaining residency and major.

Florida

• The state of Florida limits ACM access to graduate programs.

Georgia

• The Georgia Institute of Technology limits ACM access to programs that are currently listed in the ACM inventory.

• Georgia State University limits ACM access to graduate programs. 

• The University of Georgia grants ACM access once students have completed at least 60 college credit hours and been formally admitted into the ACM degree program. ACM eligibility at UGA is limited to four academic semesters for undergraduate students.

Maryland

• The University of Maryland, Eastern Shore does not participate in the ACM.

Mississippi

• The state of Mississippi limits the eligibility of Mississippi residents participating in the Academic Common Market program to those enrolled in degree programs on a full-time basis. Full-time enrollment status will be based on the host institution's definition of full-time enrollment.

• The University of Mississippi limits ACM access to the programs that are currently listed in the ACM inventory.

North Carolina

• The state of North Carolina limits ACM access to residential graduate programs. 

Oklahoma

• The University of Oklahoma limits ACM access to the programs that are currently listed in the ACM inventory.

South Carolina

• The state of South Carolina limits the eligibility of South Carolina residents participating in the Academic Common Market program to those enrolled in degree programs on a full-time basis. Full-time enrollment status will be based on the host institution's definition of full-time enrollment.

• The Citadel, College of Charleston, Francis Marion University and the University of South Carolina-Beaufort do not participate in the ACM.

• Clemson University limits ACM access to graduate programs.

• Coastal Carolina University will not add the BSBA in Marketing with a specialization in Professional Golf Management to the ACM during Academic Year 2007-08.

Texas

• The state of Texas limits ACM access to residential graduate programs.

• The University of Texas at Austin does not participate in the ACM.

Virginia

• The College of William and Mary limits ACM access to graduate programs.

• Students studying at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University may enroll in the engineering programs with ACM benefit only after the general courses in engineering have been completed.

• James Madison University, University of Mary Washington, University of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University do not participate in the ACM.

West Virginia

• Students studying at the West Virginia University Institute of Technology must have completed the associate’s degree in Printing Technology before enrolling in the bachelor’s degree in Printing Management through the ACM.

Other Information

Public Law 93-579, referred to as the Federal Privacy Act, requires that any federal, state, or local agency that requests an individual to disclose a Social Security number inform the individual by which statutory or other authority the number is solicited, whether that disclosure is mandatory or voluntary, and what uses could be made of it. SCHEV requests each applicant to submit a social security number on a voluntary basis. SCHEV uses a student’s Social Security number for unique identification purposes in the certification process.

This fact sheet is produced by the SCHEV to provide a general overview of the program