# American University: Finance (bachelor's)

Washington, DC. IPEDS 131159, CIP 52.08. Page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/american-university/majors/finance

## Graduate outcomes
- Median earnings 1 year after graduating: $83,505
- Median earnings 4 years after graduating: $134,332 (U.S. median for this major: $77,992 across 438 colleges)
- Median federal loan debt: $22,625 (U.S. median $23,250)
- Rank in DC: 2 of 5 colleges by 4-year earnings
- Versus the DC median for this major (5 colleges, $126,638): +$7,694
- Versus the U.S. median: +$56,340

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
School-wide net price x 4.09 years (average time graduates took). Earnings gain = $134,332 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 | 1.0 years |
| 30-48k | $20,444 | $83,616 | under 1 year |
| 48-75k | $26,035 | $106,483 | 1.1 years |
| 75-110k | $30,063 | $122,958 | 1.3 years |
| 110k+ | $53,673 | $219,523 | 2.3 years |

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

## Finance at DC colleges
| College | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt | Avg. net price | Graduation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgetown University | $152,744 | $16,877 | $40,815 | 95% |
| American University | $134,332 | $22,625 | $41,943 | 76% |
| George Washington University | $126,638 | $19,000 | $36,586 | 84% |
| The Catholic University of America | $98,856 | $24,620 | $29,561 | 80% |
| Howard University | $80,094 | $19,959 | $50,539 | 70% |

## Careers
- Financial analyst (SOC 13-2051): median wage $108,330 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, $105,780 DC, $102,740 U.S.; U.S. jobs 7.2% by 2035
- General and Operations Managers (SOC 11-1021): median wage $156,460 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, $168,000 DC, $105,770 U.S.; U.S. jobs 5% by 2035
- Financial Managers (SOC 11-3031): median wage $185,270 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, $188,880 DC, $166,570 U.S.; U.S. jobs 9.7% by 2035

## Sources and years
- Earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars; debt: NSLDS pooled AY2018-19, AY2019-20 cohort

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).