CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY/ CAPITAL - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Total	Common Shares	Additional Paid in Capital	Common Stock Held in Rabbi Trust	Accumulated Earnings and Dividends	Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income	Noncontrolling Interests - Partially Owned Properties Partially owned properties	AMERICAN CAMPUS COMMUNITIES OPERATING PARTNERSHIP LP	AMERICAN CAMPUS COMMUNITIES OPERATING PARTNERSHIP LP General Partner	AMERICAN CAMPUS COMMUNITIES OPERATING PARTNERSHIP LP Limited Partner	AMERICAN CAMPUS COMMUNITIES OPERATING PARTNERSHIP LP Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income	AMERICAN CAMPUS COMMUNITIES OPERATING PARTNERSHIP LP Noncontrolling Interests - Partially Owned Properties Partially owned properties
Common stock held in rabbi trust (in shares)				20,181
Distributions to common and restricted stockholders and other, per share	$ 1.74
Distributions to common and restricted unit holders and other, per unit								$ 1.74
Beginning Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2016		132,225,488
Beginning Balance at Dec. 31, 2016	$ 3,450,487	$ 1,322	$ 4,118,842	$ (975)	$ (670,137)	$ (4,067)	$ 5,502
Beginning Balance (in units) at Dec. 31, 2016									12,222	132,233,447
Beginning Balance at Dec. 31, 2016								$ 3,450,487	$ 82	$ 3,448,970	$ (4,067)	$ 5,502
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Adjustments to reflect redeemable noncontrolling interests at fair value	9,172		9,172					9,172		$ 9,172
Amortization of restricted stock awards and vesting of restricted stock units (in shares/units)		16,295								16,295
Amortization of restricted stock awards and vesting of restricted stock units	13,854		13,854					13,854		$ 13,854
Vesting of restricted stock awards (in shares)		193,186								193,186
Vesting of restricted stock awards	(4,920)	$ 2	(4,922)					(4,920)		$ (4,920)
Distributions to common and restricted stockholders and other	(236,545)				(236,545)
Distributions to common and restricted unit holders and other								(236,545)	(21)	$ (236,524)
Contributions by noncontrolling interests - partially owned properties	8,254						8,254	8,254				8,254
Distributions to noncontrolling interests - partially owned properties	(212)						(212)	(212)				(212)
Conversion of common and preferred operating partnership units to common stock (in shares/units)		22,000								22,000
Conversion of common and preferred operating partnership units to common stock	154		154					154		$ 154
Change in fair value of interest rate swaps and other	1,366					1,366		1,366			1,366
Termination of interest rate swaps	0
Issuance of units in exchange for contributions of equity offering proceeds (in units)										3,949,356
Conversion of common and preferred operating partnership units to common stock								187,881		$ 187,881
Net proceeds from sale of common stock (in shares)		3,949,356
Net proceeds from sale of common stock	187,881	$ 40	187,841
Deposits (withdraws) to deferred compensation plan, net of withdraws (deposits) (in shares)		(43,597)		43,597
Deposits (withdraws) to deferred compensation plan, net of withdraws (deposits)			1,969	$ (1,969)
Net income	69,467				69,038		429	69,467	$ 6	$ 69,032		429
Ending Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2017		136,362,728
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2017	$ 3,498,958	$ 1,364	4,326,910	$ (2,944)	(837,644)	(2,701)	13,973
Ending Balance (in units) at Dec. 31, 2017									12,222	136,414,284
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2017								$ 3,498,958	$ 67	$ 3,487,619	(2,701)	13,973
Common stock held in rabbi trust (in shares)				63,778
Distributions to common and restricted stockholders and other, per share	$ 1.82
Distributions to common and restricted unit holders and other, per unit								$ 1.82
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Adjustments to reflect redeemable noncontrolling interests at fair value	$ (66,079)		(66,079)					$ (66,079)		$ (66,079)
Amortization of restricted stock awards and vesting of restricted stock units (in shares/units)		27,376								27,376
Amortization of restricted stock awards and vesting of restricted stock units	12,176		12,176					12,176		$ 12,176
Vesting of restricted stock awards (in shares)		170,664								170,664
Vesting of restricted stock awards	(2,756)	$ 2	(2,758)					(2,756)		$ (2,756)
Distributions to common and restricted stockholders and other	(250,521)				(250,521)
Distributions to common and restricted unit holders and other								(250,521)	(22)	(250,499)
Contributions by noncontrolling interests - partially owned properties	212,481						212,481	212,481				212,481
Distributions to noncontrolling interests - partially owned properties	(152,325)						(152,325)	(152,325)				(152,325)
Change in ownership of consolidated subsidiary	165,043		174,515				(9,472)	165,043		$ 174,515		(9,472)
Conversion of common and preferred operating partnership units to common stock (in shares/units)		412,343								412,343
Conversion of common and preferred operating partnership units to common stock	13,332	$ 4	13,328					13,332		$ 13,332
Change in fair value of interest rate swaps and other	(1,696)					(1,696)		(1,696)			(1,696)
Termination of interest rate swaps	0
Deposits (withdraws) to deferred compensation plan, net of withdraws (deposits) (in shares)		(5,825)		5,825
Deposits (withdraws) to deferred compensation plan, net of withdraws (deposits)			148	$ (148)
Net income	118,188				117,095		1,093	118,188	$ 10	$ 117,085		1,093
Ending Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2018		136,967,286
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2018	$ 3,546,801	$ 1,370	4,458,240	$ (3,092)	(971,070)	(4,397)	65,750
Ending Balance (in units) at Dec. 31, 2018									12,222	137,024,667
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2018								$ 3,546,801	$ 55	$ 3,485,393	(4,397)	65,750
Common stock held in rabbi trust (in shares)	69,603			69,603
Distributions to common and restricted stockholders and other, per share	$ 1.87
Distributions to common and restricted unit holders and other, per unit								$ 1.87
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Adjustments to reflect redeemable noncontrolling interests at fair value	$ (14,350)		(14,350)					$ (14,350)		$ (14,350)
Amortization of restricted stock awards and vesting of restricted stock units (in shares/units)		18,318								18,318
Amortization of restricted stock awards and vesting of restricted stock units	13,617		13,617					13,617		$ 13,617
Vesting of restricted stock awards (in shares)		180,961								180,961
Vesting of restricted stock awards	(3,975)	$ 2	(3,977)					(3,975)		$ (3,975)
Distributions to common and restricted stockholders and other	(258,620)				(258,620)
Distributions to common and restricted unit holders and other								(258,620)	(23)	(258,597)
Contributions by noncontrolling interests - partially owned properties	924						924	924				924
Distributions to noncontrolling interests - partially owned properties	(8,425)						(8,425)	(8,425)				(8,425)
Change in ownership of consolidated subsidiary	(16,805)		(1,544)				(15,261)	(16,805)		$ (1,544)		(15,261)
Conversion of common and preferred operating partnership units to common stock (in shares/units)		168,584								168,584
Conversion of common and preferred operating partnership units to common stock	6,077	$ 1	6,076					6,077		$ 6,077
Change in fair value of interest rate swaps and other	610					610		610			610
Termination of interest rate swaps	(13,159)					(13,159)		(13,159)			(13,159)
Deposits (withdraws) to deferred compensation plan, net of withdraws (deposits) (in shares)		(8,325)		8,325
Deposits (withdraws) to deferred compensation plan, net of withdraws (deposits)			394	$ (394)
Net income	85,979				84,969		1,010	85,979	$ 8	$ 84,961		1,010
Ending Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2019		137,326,824
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2019	$ 3,338,674	$ 1,373	$ 4,458,456	$ (3,486)	$ (1,144,721)	$ (16,946)	$ 43,998
Ending Balance (in units) at Dec. 31, 2019									12,222	137,392,530
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2019								$ 3,338,674	$ 40	$ 3,311,582	$ (16,946)	$ 43,998
Common stock held in rabbi trust (in shares)	77,928			77,928