College · Private nonprofit · Washington, DC · City
American University
Washington, DC
Religious affiliation
Admit rate62%
6-yr median pay$61k
Net price / yr$42k
Undergrad size7,266
§ I · The real read
What it's actually like.
The bet
Net price of $42k/yr for a shot at a $61k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.
Getting in
Admit rate of 62% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1381 · ACT 31.
If you get in
7,266 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.
Where you live
City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.
§ II · Cost & aid
Sticker vs. real.
Sticker cost of attendance is $76k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $42k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.
Sticker · 4 yrs$304k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$168k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$136k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback2.7x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.
Where the money goes · annual sticker.
- Tuition · in-state
- $58.8k
- Room & board
- $18.0k
- Books & supplies
- $1,000
How students pay for it.
Pell grants14%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans38%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$23k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $9k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes
Do people finish? Do they land?
Graduation · 6 yr75%
Majority finish.
6-yr median pay$61k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$77k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out0%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity
Setting, size, and who this school is.
- Setting
- City
- Control
- Private nonprofit
- Undergrad size
- 7,266
- Location
- Washington, DC
- Region
- Mid East (DE, DC, MD, NJ, NY, PA)
- Carnegie class
- Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity (R2)
- Size & setting
- Four-year · large · highly residential
- Undergrad program
- Four-year · full-time, more selective, lower transfer-in
- Accreditor
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Identity
Religious affiliation
§ · Who studies here
The student body at a glance.
- White56%
- Hispanic14%
- Black8%
- Asian7%
- Two or more races6%
- International5%
- Unknown3%
First-gen students16%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time3%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$84k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 44
What you can study.