American College of the Building Arts

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for American College of the Building Arts

American College of the Building Arts operates as a private nonprofit institution located in Charleston, South Carolina (city: midsize), with a total reported enrollment of 155 students of which 134 are undergraduates. Institution-level records in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) classify each school by Carnegie category, ownership sector, and urban/rural locale, which is how this profile’s peer group and cost cohort are determined. American College of the Building Arts is categorized as “32” under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.

Selectivity and financial signals give context to what applicants can expect. The reported admission rate is 44.4%, drawn from the most recent IPEDS Fall enrollment survey, with an average SAT of 1,190 and an ACT midpoint of 24. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $30,403, with published in-state tuition of $21,500 and a Pell grant recipient share of 18.4%. Median federal student debt at graduation is $12,500, drawn from the U.S. Treasury-matched College Scorecard file.

Outcomes reveal whether the investment pays back. The 4-year completion rate is 63.0%, and the first-year retention rate is 75.0%. Ten-year median earnings data is not yet published. Treating these numbers as a single snapshot alongside the cost cohort is the standard approach for evaluating ROI under the College Scorecard methodology.