Academic Common Market

Program Description:

The Academic Common Market (ACM) is a regional tuition-savings program coordinated by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) that supports learners to pursue certain academic programs not offered by public institutions in their home state. Eligible students can enroll at participating out-of-state public institutions and pay in-state tuition rates, saving thousands of dollars annually. The program is designed for learners living in one of the 15 participating SREB states: Arkansas, Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Learners must apply and be unconditionally admitted to the specific program of interest under their own academic merit before applying to be certified as a resident of their home state. Once approved, the institutions adjust their out-of-state tuition to its in-state rate. 

Impact: 

During AY2026, 196 institutions participated and 1,176 residents were certified for study through the Academic Common Market. As of the end of AY2026, there were 2,221 undergraduate and graduate degree programs available in the ACM. For the 2025-26 academic year, total ACM tuition savings were $19,104,731. On average, ACM participants across the 15 participating states saved $16,246 in tuition during the 2025-2026 academic year. 

Between 2011 and 2023, 34,918 learners have been certified in ACM programs across the southern region. Throughout the past 12 years of the program, learners from middle-income areas have made up most ACM participants. At the same time, there was a 52 percent growth in the proportion of learners from lower-income areas from 2011 to 2021.

Population Served: 

Learners, educators at public institutions, and state higher education executive offices (SHEEOs) in the 15 participating SREB states.  

Learn more here.  

Page last updated in August 2026