WHY DO WE RUN AN ONLINE EDUCATION COLLEGE?

In 1979, our Principal, John Mason, saw a lack of quality distance education at an affordable cost and decided to do something about it.

We started with a single course and have spent almost five decades building solutions to that problem.  Today we offer over 700 different courses in many different disciplines.

Over decades operating a school we have seen the education industry shift slowly from being an essential service industry to being a commodity. Even universities today have in many instances sadly compromised their standards. A report in early 2026 suggested around 80% of university students were cheating on their assessments with the use of A.I.  Vocational education has become more focussed on the quantity of students and graduates and less focussed on the quality of learning.  These worrying trends have strengthened our resolve to focus on learning and continue to provide quality learning opportunities even if others don’t anymore.

Why are we different?

We -

• Use course writers and teachers who have –
  • A university education
  • More than five years industry experience
  • A real passion and enthusiasm for their subject
• Teach topics that are simply not offered by other colleges and universities.
• Constantly review and update our courses.
• Adhere to high academic standards that we set for ourselves when we started.
• We are rigorous and holistic in our assessments, not allowing cheating and striving to produce graduates who we can properly endorse as being capable and knowledgeable.

What are the benefits of studying with ACS?

• We keep our costs to a minimal level by avoiding the excessive costs usually associated with marketing and accreditation systems.
• By slowing building our intellectual property over decades, we have built a comprehensive education resource AND gained substantial experience. This allows us to deliver high quality learning experiences that are not excessively costly to our students.
• An AI search in 2026 told us that a one-to-three hour online course will cost $20 to $100. It also tells us that the average cost of an online course is around $150 or more per study hour. Many of our online courses cost as low as $7 per study hour.

We have always believed that a successful education must provide students with optimal flexibility in what they learn, as well as when and where they study.

Students need to be also motivated and supported along the way. 

We have always, and still do, deliver our courses with these things in mind.

We don’t have set time frames.   Students can take their time studying the course, whilst remaining motivated to study even if they do take longer to complete a course.

Nor do we charge a fresh enrolment fee to be paid to restart the course if not completed within that time frame.

We do not restrict access to tutors.

We try to offer optimal flexibility for our students during their learning journey, without compromising the quality of their learning.

Other colleges cannot always say the same.