# American University

Private nonprofit college in Washington, DC. IPEDS ID 131159.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/american-university · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/american-university.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 62% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $41,943 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 76%; beats 57% of DC colleges and 86% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $77,370; beats 71% of DC colleges and 91% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $19,500

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $23,233 |
| 30-48k | $20,444 |
| 48-75k | $26,035 |
| 75-110k | $30,063 |
| 110k+ | $53,673 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.09 years on average (72% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $77,370 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $38,184 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in DC (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | $23,233 | $95,023 | 2.4 years |
| 30-48k | $20,444 | $83,616 | 2.1 years |
| 48-75k | $26,035 | $106,483 | 2.7 years |
| 75-110k | $30,063 | $122,958 | 3.1 years |
| 110k+ | $53,673 | $219,523 | 5.6 years |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $76,058
- Tuition and fees: $58,771
- Housing and meals: $17,012; books: $1,000

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 660–740; SAT math: 620–720; ACT: 29–32 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 17,786 applicants, 8,427 admitted, 1,856 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 62%, ACT 29–32 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 47%, ACT 29–33 (IPEDS Admissions)

## Majors (44 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance | $83,505 | $134,332 | $22,625 |
| Accounting | not reported | $119,020 | not reported |
| Computer Science | not reported | $117,293 | not reported |
| Business Administration | $58,299 | $88,359 | $24,697 |
| Economics | $58,151 | $85,016 | $22,625 |
| Public Relations and Advertising | $50,026 | $78,410 | $26,442 |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | $49,486 | $76,552 | $23,000 |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies / Technicians | $19,337 | $75,461 | $20,980 |
| International Relations | $47,551 | $73,865 | $23,250 |
| Political Science | $48,034 | $73,604 | $23,250 |
| Legal Studies / Paralegal | $45,790 | $72,792 | $24,375 |
| Public Health | $42,194 | $70,831 | $23,452 |
| Communications | $36,980 | $67,863 | $22,611 |
| Criminal Justice | $37,147 | $66,970 | $23,250 |
| Journalism | $44,387 | $66,635 | $25,000 |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $55,625 | $66,160 | $27,000 |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | $46,780 | $63,711 | $26,905 |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | $46,206 | $63,553 | $25,000 |
| Psychology | $25,773 | $62,240 | $23,799 |
| History | $43,809 | $59,630 | $26,000 |
| Literature | $23,164 | $54,436 | $26,105 |
| Anthropology | not reported | $53,036 | $27,000 |
| Film and Photography | $26,767 | $52,661 | $23,250 |
| Area Studies | $43,671 | not reported | $27,000 |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Middle / Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biology | $33,917 | not reported | $19,866 |
| Biochemistry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Neuroscience | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Mathematics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Applied Mathematics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Statistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computational Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Philosophy | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Religious Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Chemistry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Sociology | $40,119 | not reported | not reported |
| Dance | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Theatre | $23,979 | not reported | $24,989 |
| Studio Art | $35,115 | not reported | $23,250 |
| Music | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Business Administration → Management analyst: median wage $126,830 (Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV), $126,140 (DC), $101,860 (U.S.)
- Public Relations and Advertising → Public relations specialist: median wage $101,680 (Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV), $102,740 (DC), $74,750 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).