General

ACC Builds on a Legacy of Greatness in 2024-25

Greatness Is What We Do: Another Banner Year for the ACC
  • ACC expanded to 18 schools with the addition of three world-class institutions in the University of California, Berkeley (Cal), Southern Methodist University (SMU) and Stanford University as full members.
  • Six ACC teams won NCAA Titles – marking the fourth consecutive year in which the ACC has won six titles or more across league-sponsored sports.
  • Over the last four years, the ACC has won 29 NCAA team titles overall in league-sponsored sports – no other conference has won more.
  • ACC student-athletes won 32 individual NCAA titles (25 women, 7 men)
  • Thirteen bowl-eligible teams in football, which was tied for the most of all conferences and the most in a single season in ACC history.
  • ACC had two teams in the College Football Playoff, one of only three conferences to have multiple teams.
  • Four ACC teams were ranked in the final CFP rankings (tied for the third-most).
  • Four ACC Football teams finished the season with 10 or more wins overall for the first time in ACC football history.
  • Nine teams in the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship – tied for the most of all conferences.
  • Eight teams in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament in each of the last seven years – the most of all conferences.
  • Five teams in the NCAA Baseball Championship Super Regionals – most of any conference.
  • Twelve ACC programs - representing seven different schools - ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 in their respective sports final weekly top 25 polls. 
  • During the 2024-25 academic year, 12 different ACC schools won at least one ACC title, with nine schools winning multiple titles – North Carolina (4), Clemson (3), Duke (3), Notre Dame (3), Stanford (3), Virginia (3), Florida State (2), Virginia Tech (2), Wake Forest (2), California (1), Pitt (1) and Syracuse (1).
  • Six ACC schools ranked among the top 25, including three in the top 10, in the final 2024-25 Division I LEARFIELD College Directors’ Cup standings. All 18 ACC programs finished in the top 75 of the final standings, one of only two conferences to accomplish that feat.
  • Among the nation’s best in academic metrics - U.S. News and World Report Rankings, NCAA Graduation Success Ratings and NCAA Academic Progress Rate.
 
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference celebrated a landmark year in 2024-25 — its first as an 18-member league — with each institution making meaningful contributions to the ACC’s ongoing pursuit to ACCOMPLISH GREATNESS on the field, in the classroom, and throughout the community.
 
The 2024-25 season was a defining chapter for the ACC, highlighted by five member schools capturing six NCAA team championships in league-sponsored sports. Off the field, the conference once again ranked among the nation's elite in U.S. News & World Report standings and NCAA Graduation Success Rates, while continuing to shine in Academic Progress Rate (APR) metrics. The ACC also embraced transformative growth, officially welcoming three world-class institutions — the University of California (Cal), Stanford University, and Southern Methodist University (SMU) — and entering the second year of its bold brand initiative: ACCOMPLISH GREATNESS.
 
ACC programs have captured a remarkable 29 NCAA team championships over the past four years — the most of any conference in league-sponsored sports. That total includes a league-record nine titles in 2022-23, seven each in 2021-22 and 2023-24, and six more in 2024-25, underscoring the ACC’s sustained excellence on the national stage.

National Success:
  • The ACC won six NCAA National Championships in 2024-25 in ACC-sponsored sports. In addition, Stanford won the NCAA Women’s Water Polo Championship.
    • North Carolina won the 2024 NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship.
    • Virginia won the 2024-25 NCAA Women’s Swimming & Diving Championship.
    • Notre Dame won the 2025 NCAA Fencing Championship.
    • Wake Forest won the 2025 NCAA Men’s Tennis Championship.
    • North Carolina won the 2025 NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship.
    • Stanford won the 2025 NCAA Women’s Rowing Championship.
  • The ACC has won a combined 29 NCAA titles over the last four academic years, the most by any conference in their respective league-sponsored sports.
    • ACC has won six or more national titles in each of the last four years, marking the best run in ACC history.
    • In 2022-23, the ACC won the most NCAA championships of any conference with a league-record nine.
  • Over the last four years, an ACC team has had to beat another ACC team in either the NCAA semifinals or championship game 17 times.
    • This year, the ACC had multiple teams in the final four of several NCAA Championships:
      • Women’s Soccer: 4 of the final 4 teams; both teams in the championship match.
      • Volleyball: 2 of the final 4 teams.
      • Women’s Lacrosse: 2 of the final 4 teams.
      • Men’s Golf: 2 of the final 4 teams.
      • Women’s Golf: 2 of the final 4 teams.
      • Women’s Swimming & Diving: Top 2 teams in the team standings.
  • ACC student-athletes won 32 individual NCAA Titles in 2024-25.

ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D., Appointed to NCAA Board of Governors (Release):
ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D., a servant leader throughout his career in college athletics, has been appointed to the NCAA Board of Governors.
 
The Board of Governors is the NCAA’s highest legislative body and includes only one league commissioner. Bringing together presidents and chancellors from each division, former student-athletes, along with select leaders from inside and outside the NCAA membership, the board is responsible for leading the NCAA and presiding over issues that affect the entire membership. The Board of Governors consists of nine voting members and seven ex officio nonvoting members.
 
Phillips will serve a two-year term, expiring August 2026, representing all of Division I, as a voting member on the board.
 
ACC and ESPN Announce Long-Term Renewed Commitment (Release):
The ACC and ESPN announce the renewed commitment of their long-term media partnership. ESPN has exercised its option to extend the league’s base rights agreement and ESPN will continue as the ACC’s media partner through the 2035-36 academic year.
 
The ESPN and ACC relationship has spanned more than 35 years and includes ACC Network, which was launched in August of 2019. ACC Network, a collaboration between ESPN and the ACC, is one of only three national and fully distributed conference networks.
 
ACC Finishes with Six Schools in Top 25 of Final LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup Standings (Release):
Six ACC schools were ranked among the top 25, including three in the top 10, in the final Division I LEARFIELD College Directors’ Cup standings following the 2024-25 academic year. All 18 ACC programs finished in the top 75 of the final standings.
 
This marks the 23rd consecutive year that four or more ACC schools placed among the top 30 in the final LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup standings. North Carolina and Virginia have ranked among the top 30 nationally in each of the 31 years the Directors’ Cup has been conducted.
 
The ACC is one of only two conferences with every school among the final top 75 this year. This marks just the second time in the last decade in which every ACC team finished in the top 75 (2020-21 was the other occurrence).
 
ACC Unveils New Championship Trophy (Release):
The Atlantic Coast Conference unveiled its new championship trophy. This marks the first time the ACC has changed its trophy since the league’s expansion for the 2014-15 school year.
 
The league’s 18 schools are represented in the middle panel, while the year, sport and winning institution are listed on the front panel.  
 
The trophy also features the league’s tagline, “ACCOMPLISH GREATNESS”, on each side as well as ACC logos in multiple positions so the conference logo is visible from all angles.  
 
The new trophy will represent the championship title for 27 of the ACC’s 28 sponsored sports, except for football, which will retain its trophy.  
 
ACC Student-Athletes Excel Once Again in NCAA APR Report (Release):
Atlantic Coast Conference teams continue to demonstrate strong academic performance, as reflected in the latest Academic Progress Rate (APR) data released by the NCAA in May.
 
Overall, the ACC average APR is 991, seven points above the Division I national average. Every team among the ACC’s 28 sponsored sports exceeded the NCAA’s required APR of 930, while 114 ACC teams recorded a perfect score of 1000, including at least one team from each of the 18 member institutions. All ACC football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, and baseball programs exceeded the NCAA’s required APR of 930.
 
ACC Makes Another Strong Showing in NCAA Graduation Success Rates (Release):
The Atlantic Coast Conference’s collective high level of academic success is again reflected by the NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) report released in November 2024. The ACC’s average graduation rate of 94 percent is four points higher than this year's national average of 90 percent.
 
ACC Again Leads the Way in U.S. News & World Report “Best Colleges” Rankings (Release):
For the 18th consecutive year – and now with 18 member institutions – the Atlantic Coast Conference leads the way nationally among Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) conferences in the “Best Colleges” rankings released by U.S. News & World Report.
  • The ACC has led all FBS conferences in the best average rank in each of the last 18 years.
  • This year’s 51.7 average rank of ACC schools is the best among all FBS conferences.
  • Two ACC schools rank in the top 10 – only one other school in an FBS conference is in the top 10.
  • Four ACC schools rank in the top 20 – no other FBS conference has more than two.
  • Six ACC schools are among the top 30 in this year’s rankings, also the most among all FBS conferences.
  • The ACC has 14 member schools among the top 70 – no other FBS conference has more.
Greatness is Becoming Greater in Year Two of the “ACCOMPLISH GREATNESS” Creative Campaign (Release):
The Atlantic Coast Conference embarked on the second year of its “ACCOMPLISH GREATNESS” creative campaign, which was unveiled on August 30, 2023. The campaign continued to showcase the ACC's outstanding achievements in both athletics and academics through a series of powerful multi-sport advertisements, highlighting the conference's unparalleled success across all sports throughout the academic year.
 
The second year of “ACCOMPLISH GREATNESS” expanded on year one, with multiple TV spots - including football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, and fall, winter and spring sports - radio spots, social media creative, digital media promotion and school-specific campaign design assets for each member school.
 
"ACC Network Five Year Anniversary": Celebrating Five Years of ACC Greatness (Release):
ACC Network celebrated five years with a special 60-minute show, ACC Network Five Year Anniversary, that premiered on Thursday, August 22. Hosted by Taylor Tannebaum and Mark Packer, the anniversary special celebrated the ACC’s greatest teams, coaches, student-athletes and moments since the network launched on August 22, 2019.
 
In addition to the 60-minute special, ACC PM hosted by original ACCN hosts Packer and Kelsey Riggs was live from ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut, on Wednesday, August 21, as part of the five-year anniversary celebration.
 
ACC Finishes with 102 Medals During Olympic Games Paris 2024 (Release):
As the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics ended, the Atlantic Coast Conference finished with 102 total medals on the international stage. The ACC finished the 2024 Olympic Games as the conference with the most medalists and the highest number of gold medals. The league’s 102 total medals included all competition and not just NCAA-sponsored sports.
 
A total of 13 different schools throughout the ACC won at least one medal in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
 
ACC Officially Welcomes Cal, SMU and Stanford to the League (Release):
The Atlantic Coast Conference continued to ACCOMPLISH GREATNESS with the addition of three world-class institutions in the University of California, Berkeley (Cal), Southern Methodist University (SMU) and Stanford University as full members with full voting participation. SMU’s first official day in the ACC was July 1, 2024, while Cal and Stanford will become official members on August 2, 2024. All three institutions began conference competition in the fall of 2024.
 
The additions of Cal, SMU and Stanford enhance and strengthen the ACC academically, athletically and financially, as well as create a true national conference that spans coast to coast. The incoming universities enrich the league’s competitiveness in all sports and further demonstrate the ACC’s commitment to broad-based programs for both women and men. More than 2,200 student-athletes from Cal, SMU and Stanford joined the nearly 10,000 current ACC student-athletes competing at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics.