ACE

ACE (Achieving a College Education) is nationally recognized for its proven success in motivating underrepresented students to complete high school and continue on to complete a college degree by helping students make smooth transitions between three facets of the educational pathway: high school, community college, and university.

The three main goals of the ACE Program are to:

• Increase the number of students graduating from high school
• Increase the number of students continuing on to college
• Increase the number of students earning a degree or certificate.

Apply Now

Use the "Apply Now" button to create an account and start your ACE application

Return to Application

Use the "Return to Application" to return to a saved application.

GCC ACE application is open and accepting applications

GCC ACE accepts applications in the fall semester from currently enrolled sophomore high school students.  Download the ACE Application Instructions (PDF) with written directions and screenshots.

What’s needed for the application:

• Completed application form (submitted online)
• Two complete recommendations (full name and email address)
• Personal essay (300 words)
• Unofficial high school transcript

View the MCCCD ACE Program YouTube video for an overview of the Maricopa ACE Program and screen-by-screen tutorial of the online application. Download the GCC ACE Application Worksheet (Word file) for further guidance. 

GCC’s Achieving a College Education (ACE) Program invites High School sophomores to apply for the scholarship and take college classes during their junior and senior years, and earn up to 24-college credits by the time they graduate high school. Please contact the ACE office for information on applying to the program.

High School juniors and seniors get to:

• Attend weekly college classes during the summer, and attend classes on Saturdays for the rest of the year.
• Experience life in college now, and discover if college is right for you.
• Earn up to 24-college credits by the time you graduate high school and finish college faster.

All high school sophomores are eligible to apply for the ACE Program. 

Ace encourages students to graduate high school while concurrently completing college courses. 

• 90-95% of ACE students graduate from high school.
• >83% of ACE students who graduate from high school go on to attend college.
• The overall Grade Point Average (GPA) of ACE students is 3.0 (B) for all college course work completed while concurrently enrolled in high school.

Statistics from the 2012 Maricopa ACE Programs Progress Report

• 83% of students who enroll in ACE complete the program.
• 84% of ACE students graduate from high school with an average GPA of 3.23.
• 80% of ACE students go on to attend a college or university.

Ace Participation by Gender:

Ace Student Participation by Ethnicity:

Questions? Contact the ACE program:

aceplus@gccaz.edu or (623) 845-3094