American Council on Education Website Terms of Use

Effective Date: November 28, 2025

PLEASE READ THESE TERMS OF USE CAREFULLY BEFORE USING THIS WEBSITE. 

These terms of use are entered into by and between You and The American Council on Education (”ACE”, “we”, or “us”). The following terms and conditions, together with any documents they expressly incorporate by reference (collectively, these “Terms of Use”), govern your access to and use of all websites owned or operated by ACE including any content, functionality, and services offered on or through www.acenet.edu or our other websites (the “Sites”), whether as a guest or a registered user.

ACE is a 501(c)(3) membership organization that leads higher education with a united vision for the future. We facilitate collaborations across the higher education sector to design solutions for today’s challenges for our members, learners, institutions and administrators. We also support individual and military learners seeking credit for college. 

By using the Sites, you signify your acceptance of these terms and conditions of use (“Terms of Use”), and the Privacy Statement. Please read the Terms of Use carefully before you start to use the Sites. By using the Sites, you accept and agree to be bound and abide by these Terms of Use and our Privacy Statement, incorporated herein by reference. If you do not want to agree to these Terms of Use or the Privacy Statement, you must not access or use the Sites.

ACE may revise these Terms of Use at any time. All changes are effective immediately when we post them. Your continued usage of the Sites will mean you accept those changes, and you will comply with all applicable laws and regulations. The materials provided on the Sites are protected by law, including, but not limited to, United States copyright laws and international treaties.

Geographic Restrictions

The Site is aimed at individuals in the United States. We make no claims that the Sites or any of its content is accessible, downloadable or appropriate outside of the United States. Access to the Content may not be legal by certain persons or in certain countries. If you access the Sites from outside the United States, you do so at your own risk and on your own initiative and are responsible for compliance with the laws of your jurisdiction.

Intellectual Property and Use Restrictions

The content on the Sites, such as text, graphics, images, photographs, illustrations, trademarks, trade names, service marks, logos, information obtained from ACE’s licensors, and other materials (the “Content”) is protected by copyright under both United States and foreign laws. Title to the Content remains with ACE. Any use of the Content not expressly permitted by these Terms of Use is a breach of these Terms of Use and may violate copyright, trademark, and other laws. Except as stated herein, none of the Content may be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of ACE or its licensors.

ACE authorizes you to view and download and print a single copy of the Content solely for your own lawful, personal, non-commercial use. You may not modify, edit, create derivative works from Text-Based Content or reprinted materials nor are you permitted to use such Content for commercial purposes without ACE’s prior written consent. Any such download or use of the Content shall include the following copyright notice: “Copyright © American Council on Education. All rights reserved” and retain other copyright and proprietary rights notices which were contained in the Content. Except as expressly authorized in this paragraph, Site Content may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of ACE and/or its licensors, as applicable, regardless of the intended use.

You must not: (a) modify copies of any materials from the Sites; (b) use any illustrations, photographs, video or audio sequences, or any graphics separately from the accompanying text; or (c) delete or alter any copyright, trademark, or other proprietary rights notices from copies of materials from the Sites. You must not access or use for any commercial purposes any part of the Sites or any services or materials available through the Sites.

Any special rules for the use of other items provided on the Sites may be included elsewhere within the Sites and are incorporated into these Terms of Use by reference. The use of the Content on any other site or in a networked computer environment for any purpose is prohibited. All rights not expressly granted herein are reserved to ACE and its licensors. If you violate any of these Terms of Use, your permission to use the Content automatically terminates and you must immediately destroy any copies you have made of any portion of the Content.

You may not, without ACE’s written permission, “mirror” any Content contained in the Sites or any other server. You may not use the Sites for any purpose that is unlawful or prohibited by these Terms of Use. You may not use the Sites in any manner that could damage, disable, overburden, or impair the Sites, or interfere with any other party’s use and enjoyment of the Sites. You may not attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Sites through hacking, password mining or any other means. ACE reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to terminate your access to the Sites, or any portion thereof, at any time, for any reason or for no reason at all, without prior notice or any notice.

Prohibited Technical Uses. Without limiting the foregoing, you may not: (a) use any robot, spider, scraper, or other automated means to access the Sites for any purpose without our express written permission; (b) reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or otherwise attempt to derive the source code of any portion of the Sites; (c) circumvent, disable, or otherwise interfere with security-related features of the Sites; (d) introduce any viruses, worms, logic bombs, or other material that is malicious or technologically harmful; or (e) attempt to probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of the Sites or any associated system or network. You may not use the Sites to develop, train, or improve artificial intelligence or machine learning models without ACE’s prior written consent.

Additionally, you may not: (i) use any manual process to monitor or copy any of the material on the Sites for any other purpose not expressly authorized in these Terms of Use without our prior written consent; (ii) attempt to gain unauthorized access to, interfere with, damage, or disrupt any parts of the Sites, the server on which the Sites are stored, or any server, computer, or database connected to the Sites; (iii) attack the Sites via a denial-of-service attack or a distributed denial-of-service attack; or (iv) otherwise attempt to interfere with the proper working of the Sites.

User Submissions

It is a condition of your use of the Sites that all the information you provide on the Sites is correct, current, and complete. You agree that all information you provide is governed by our Privacy Statement, and you consent to all actions we take with respect to your information consistent with our Privacy Statement. To the extent there is an inconsistency between the Terms of Use and the Privacy Statement, the Privacy Statement shall govern.

Except as provided under a specific submission practice described on the Sites or in other ACE materials made available to you: (i), by making a Submission, you agree that such Submission is non-confidential, non-proprietary, and may be disseminated or used by ACE and (ii) ACE does not claim ownership of any information or material a user provides to ACE or posts, uploads, input, submits, or transmits to the Sites (“Submission”).

If you make a Submission, you automatically grant—or warrant that the owner of such content has expressly granted—ACE a royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide nonexclusive license to use, reproduce, create derivative works from, modify, publish, edit, translate, distribute, perform, and display the Submission in any media or medium, or any form, format, or forum now known or hereafter developed. Notwithstanding the foregoing, ACE is not required to use any Submission. If you provide a Submission to ACE pursuant to specific guidelines or practices identified by ACE, such as for submitting a proposal, submitting content for an ACE publication, or submitting a photograph, such Submission shall also be governed by the applicable guidelines or practices.

You agree that you will not make any Submission that is, in whole or in part, libelous; scandalous; inflammatory; discriminatory; defamatory; false; threatening; vulgar; obscene; pornographic; profane; abusive; harassing; invasive of another’s privacy; hateful or bashing; aimed at gender, race, color, sexual orientation, national origin, religious views, or disability; in violation of local, state, national, or international law; or that infringes on, or violates, any right of any party. Additionally, you agree that you will not: (a) make any Submission that is an advertisement or solicitation of business; (b) disrupt the normal flow of dialogue or make a Submission unrelated to the topic being discussed (unless it is clear the discussion is free-form); (c) post a chain letter or pyramid scheme; impersonate another person; (d) distribute viruses or other harmful computer code; (e) harvest or otherwise collects information about others, including email addresses, without their consent; (f) post the same note more than once or “spamming”; (g) engage in any other conduct that restricts or inhibits any other person from using or enjoying the Sites, or which, in the judgment of ACE, exposes ACE or any of its licensors, partners, or customers to any liability or detriment of any type; or (h) post partisan political statements aimed at influencing legislation or supporting or opposing candidates for public office, or in a manner that otherwise violates the law. All Submissions reflect the views of such individual that provided such Submission and do not necessarily reflect the views of ACE.

You are solely responsible for your Submission, the consequences of making a Submission, and your reliance on any Submissions. ACE is not responsible for the consequences of any Submission. ACE is not responsible for screening or monitoring Submissions made to the Sites by users. ACE will have no liability or responsibility to users for performance or nonperformance of such activities.

ACE reserves the right (but is not obligated) to: (a) record the dialogue on the Sites; (b) investigate an allegation that a Submission does not comply with these Terms of Use and determine in its sole discretion to remove or request the removal of the Submission; (c) remove or refuse any Submission for any reason, including but not limited to Submissions which are abusive, illegal, disruptive, or outdated, or that otherwise fail to comply with these Terms of Use; (d) terminate a user’s access to any or all parts of the Sites upon any breach of these Terms of Use or the law; (e) monitor, edit, or disclose any Submission; (f) edit or delete any Submission posted on the Sites, regardless of whether such Submission violates these Terms of Use.

Promotions

Any and all offers or promotions advertised on the Sites are void where prohibited, and are subject to the posting of any official rules to such offers or promotions.

Storage of Content

You agree that ACE may establish, in its sole discretion and without prior notice to you, a maximum amount of storage space for content stored or transmitted through the Sites. You agree that ACE has no responsibility or liability for the deletion of or failure to store any messages, communications, or other content stored or transmitted through the Sites.

Reliance on Information Posted; Content Disclaimers

The information presented on or through the Sites is made available solely for general information purposes. We do not warrant the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of this information. Any reliance you place on such information is strictly at your own risk. We disclaim all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on such materials by you or any other visitor to the Website, or by anyone who may be informed of any of its contents.

The Sites may include content provided by third parties, including materials provided by other users, bloggers, and third-party licensors, syndicators, aggregators, and/or reporting services. All statements and/or opinions expressed in these materials, and all articles and responses to questions and other content, other than the content provided by ACE, are solely the opinions and the responsibility of the person or entity providing those materials. These materials do not necessarily reflect the opinion of ACE. We are not responsible, or liable to you or any third party, for the content or accuracy of any materials provided by any third parties.

THE INFORMATION, MATERIALS AND CONTENT ON THE SITE ARE PROVIDED SOLELY FOR INFORMATIONAL, EDUCATIONAL, AND RESEARCH PURPOSES. YOUR USE OF THE SITE IS SUBJECT TO THE ADDITIONAL DISCLAIMERS THAT MAY APPEAR THROUGHOUT THE SITE. ACE AND ITS LICENSORS AND AGENTS ASSUME NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY CONSEQUENCES RELATING DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY TO ANY ACTION OR INACTION YOU TAKE BASED ON THE CONTENT.

Warranty Disclaimer; Limitation of Liability

The use of the Sites or any provided content is at your own risk. The content in the Sites could include technical inaccuracies or typographical errors. ACE may make changes or improvements at any time. ACE may, at its discretion, update the content on the Sites from time to time, we are under no obligation to update such content.

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE CONTENT IN THIS SITE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMISSIBLE PURSUANT TO APPLICABLE LAW, ACE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. ACE DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE FUNCTIONS CONTAINED IN THE CONTENT WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE, THAT DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED, OR THAT THIS SITE OR THE SERVER THAT MAKES IT AVAILABLE ARE FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS. ACE DOES NOT WARRANT OR MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS REGARDING THE USE OF OR THE RESULT OF THE USE OF THE CONTENT IN THIS SITE IN TERMS OF THEIR CORRECTNESS, ACCURACY, RELIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE. YOU (AND NOT ACE) ASSUME THE ENTIRE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION.

ACE ASSUMES NO LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT OR TORT, FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING (WITHOUT LIMITATION) DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF ANTICIPATED PROFITS OR REVENUE OR OTHER ECONOMIC LOSS IN CONNECTION WITH OR ARISING FROM ANY ACT OR OMISSION BY ACE, ITS AGENTS, AFFILIATES, JOINT VENTURE PARTNERS, INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS, OR UNAFFILIATED THIRD PARTIES AS A RESULT OF ANY ACT OR OMISSION IN FULFILLMENT OF OR IN BREACH OF THESE TERMS OF USE OR THE PRIVACY STATEMENT. IN NO EVENT WILL ACE’S TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SITES OR THESE TERMS EXCEED ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100).

Accessing the Sites and Account Security

We reserve the right to withdraw or amend the Sites, and any service or material we provide on the Sites, in our sole discretion without notice. We will not be liable if for any reason all or any part of the Sites is unavailable at any time or for any period. From time to time, we may restrict user access, including registered user access, to some parts of the Sites or the entire Sites.

If you choose, or are provided with, a username, password, or any other piece of information as part of our security procedures, you must treat such information as confidential, and you must not disclose it to any other person or entity. You also acknowledge that your account is personal to you and agree not to provide any other person with access to this Website or portions of it using your username, password, or other security information. You agree to notify us immediately of any unauthorized access to or use of your username or password or any other breach of security. You also agree to ensure that you exit from your account at the end of each session. You should use particular caution when accessing your account from a public or shared computer so that others are not able to view or record your password or other personal information. You are responsible for: (1) making all arrangements necessary for you to have access to the Sites; and (2) ensuring that all persons who access the Sites through your internet connection are aware of these Terms of Use and comply with them. To access the Sites or some of the resources it offers, you may be asked to provide certain registration details or other information.

We have the right to disable any username, password, or other identifier, whether chosen by you or provided by us, at any time in our sole discretion for any or no reason, including if, in our opinion, you have violated any provision of these Terms of Use. ACE reserves the right to refuse service, terminate accounts, remove or edit content, or disable features in its sole discretion.

Third Party Sites

Your interactions with a third party on the Sites, or based on such third party’s participation or presence on the Sites, are solely between you and the third party. Those third-party terms and privacy policies govern your use of those third-party services. You agree that ACE shall have no liability with respect to any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of any dealings between you and any third party, or as a result of the presence of such third party on the Sites.

The Sites may include links to third party websites or resources over which ACE has no control. These links are provided solely as a convenience to users and should not be construed as an endorsement by ACE of content on those third-party websites or resources. Your access and use of such websites or resources is solely at your own risk. ACE makes no representations or warranties with respect to the content, ownership, or legality of any such linked third party website.

Linking to the Sites and Social Media Features

You may link to our homepage, provided you do so in a way that is fair and legal and does not damage our reputation or take advantage of it, but you must not establish a link in such a way as to suggest any form of association, approval, or endorsement on our part.

The Sites may provide certain social media features that enable you to:

You may use these features solely as they are provided by us and otherwise in accordance with any additional terms and conditions we provide with respect to such features. Subject to the foregoing, you must not: 

• Establish a link from any website that is not owned by you. 
• Cause the Sites or portions of it to be displayed on, or appear to be displayed by, any other site, for example, framing, deep linking, or in-line linking. 
• Link to any part of the Sites other than the homepage. 
• Otherwise take any action with respect to the materials on the Sites that is inconsistent with any other provision of these Terms of Use.

You agree to cooperate with us in causing any unauthorized framing or linking immediately to stop. We reserve the right to withdraw linking permission without notice.

We may disable all or any social media features and any links at any time without notice in our discretion.

Trademarks

The ACE name, logo, and all related names, logos, product and service names, designs, and slogans are trademarks and intellectual property of ACE or its affiliates or licensors. You must not use such marks without the prior written permission of the ACE. All other names, logos, product and service names, designs, and slogans on the Sites are the trademarks of their respective owners.

Indemnity

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold ACE, its officers, directors, employees, agents, licensors, and partners, harmless from and against any claims, actions, or demands, liabilities and settlements including without limitation, reasonable legal and accounting fees, resulting from, or alleged to result from, your use of the Sites or Content, or your violation of these Terms of Use. ACE reserves the right, at your expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by you, and you agree to cooperate with our defense of such claims.

Modification or Suspension of the Sites

You agree that ACE may, in its sole discretion and at any time, modify, discontinue, or suspend its operation of the Sites, any part thereof or any Contents, temporarily or permanently, without notice or liability to you.

Applicable Laws

These Terms of Use are governed in accordance with the laws of the District of Columbia, United States of America, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. You and ACE hereby expressly consent and submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of a local or federal court of competent jurisdiction in the District of Columbia for the adjudication or disposition of any claim, action or dispute arising out of these Terms of Use. If any provision of these Terms of Use is found to be invalid by any court having competent jurisdiction, the invalidity of such provision shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions of these Terms of Use, which shall remain in full force and effect. No waiver of any of these Terms of Use shall be deemed a further or continuing waiver of such term or condition or any other term or condition. The following provisions survive the expiration or termination of these Terms of Use for any reason whatsoever: Liability of ACE and its Licensors and Partners, Use Restrictions, User Submissions, Submission of Ideas, Indemnity, Applicable Laws, and Complete Agreement.

Arbitration

At Company's sole discretion, it may require you to submit any disputes arising from these Terms of Use or use of the Website, including disputes arising from or concerning their interpretation, violation, invalidity, non-performance, or termination, to final and binding arbitration under the Rules of Arbitration of the American Arbitration Association applying District of Columbia law.

Limitation on Time to File Claims

ANY CAUSE OF ACTION OR CLAIM YOU MAY HAVE ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OF USE OR THE WEBSITE MUST BE COMMENCED WITHIN ONE (1) YEAR AFTER THE CAUSE OF ACTION ACCRUES; OTHERWISE, SUCH CAUSE OF ACTION OR CLAIM IS PERMANENTLY BARRED.

Notice and Take Down Procedures

If you believe any Submission accessible on or from the Sites infringes your copyright, you may request removal of those materials (or access thereto) from the Sites by contacting ACE (address identified below) and providing the following information:

• Identification of the copyrighted work that you believe to be infringed. Please describe the work, and where possible include a copy or the location (e.g., URL) of an authorized version of the work. 
• Identification of the Submission that you believe to be infringing and its location. Please describe the Submission, and provide us with its URL or any other pertinent information that will allow us to locate the Submission. 
• Your name, address, telephone number, and (if available) email address. 
• A statement that you have a good faith belief that the complained of use of the work is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law. 
• A statement that the information you have supplied is accurate, and indicating that “under penalty of perjury,” you are the copyright owner or authorized representative. 
• A signature or the electronic equivalent from the copyright holder or authorized representative.

Our address for copyright issues relating to this website is as follows:

American Council on Education
One Dupont Circle NW
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 939-9300
info@acenet.edu

In an effort to protect the rights of copyright owners, ACE maintains a policy for the termination, in appropriate circumstances, of users of the Sites who are repeat infringers. 

Complete Agreement

Except as expressly provided in a particular notice or disclaimer posted by or on behalf of ACE on the Sites, these Terms of Use, including ACE Privacy Statement, constitute the entire agreement between you and ACE with respect to the use of the Sites and Content.