American University

Washington, District of Columbia · Private nonprofit · 4-year · City

At a glance

Average net price: $41,943What students typically pay per year after grants and scholarships.
Acceptance rate: 62%
Graduation rate: 77%Share of students who finish within 150% of the normal time.
Undergraduates: 7,266
In-state tuition: $58,771Published price before aid.
Out-of-state tuition: $58,771
SAT midpoint: 1,360
Median earnings, 10 yrs: $77,370Median earnings of former students ten years after they first enrolled.

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Data year: 2022-23 academic year. Updated September 2026. Figures are averages across all students and will differ from what any individual pays.

How it compares to similar colleges

Each rating covers one measure against private nonprofit 4-year colleges nationally. Five stars means the top fifth on that measure. There is no overall score, because which of these matters is your call.

Affordability

$41,943

1/5

Better than 4% of private nonprofit 4-year colleges (1092 compared).

Completion

77%

5/5

Better than 85% of private nonprofit 4-year colleges (1063 compared).

Earnings

$77,370

5/5

Better than 88% of private nonprofit 4-year colleges (1087 compared).

Debt at graduation

$22,750

4/5

Better than 67% of private nonprofit 4-year colleges (1020 compared).

What these ratings are based on

Affordability: Based on average net price: what students receiving federal aid actually paid, after grants and scholarships. Your own cost depends on your family's finances.
Completion: Based on the share of first-time, full-time students who graduate within 150% of normal time. It excludes transfer and part-time students, which understates colleges serving many of them.
Earnings: Based on median earnings ten years after students first enrolled. It reflects the subjects a college teaches and the region it sits in as much as its teaching.
Debt at graduation: Based on median federal loan debt among students who completed. Private and parent loans are not included, so real totals are often higher.
Why there is no rating for selectivity: A lower acceptance rate is selectivity, not quality. Awarding stars for it would be us inventing a value judgement and hiding it behind a number.

What it actually costs

Published cost

$76,058

The sticker price: tuition, fees, housing, food and books for one academic year, before any aid.

Average net price

$41,943

What students receiving federal aid actually paid on average, after grants and scholarships. This is the more useful number, though your own figure depends on your family’s finances.

What would this cost me?

Use this college’s official net price calculator

Outcomes

Graduation, retention, debt and earnings for American University
Graduation rateWithin 150% of normal time	77%
Retention rateFirst-year students who return	88%
Median debt at graduationFederal loans only, students who completed	$22,750
Median earnings, 10 years after entryFormer students, working and not enrolled	$77,370

What graduates of each major earn

Median earnings one year after finishing, for people who took that subject here. This is the figure a college-wide median hides: the spread between subjects at one college is usually far wider than the spread between colleges.

Bachelor’s programs at American University by graduate earnings
Major	Earnings, 1 yr	Degrees awarded
Finance and Financial Management Services	$83,505	65
Business Administration, Management and Operations	$58,299	264
Economics	$58,151	71
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods	$55,625	18
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication	$50,026	107
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other	$49,486	125
Political Science and Government	$48,034	216
International Relations and National Security Studies	$47,551	387
Natural Resources Conservation and Research	$46,780	26
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies	$46,206	7
Non-Professional Legal Studies	$45,790	31
Journalism	$44,387	49
History	$43,809	29
Area Studies	$43,671	26
Public Health	$42,194	65
Sociology	$40,119	21
Criminal Justice and Corrections	$37,147	104
Communication and Media Studies	$36,980	27
Fine and Studio Arts	$35,115	14
Biology, General	$33,917	25
Film/Video and Photographic Arts	$26,767	45
Psychology, General	$25,773	79
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft	$23,979	16
Literature	$23,164	16
Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians	$19,337	11
Computer Science	Not reported	29
Statistics	Not reported	17
Accounting and Related Services	Not reported	13
Design and Applied Arts	Not reported	13
Neurobiology and Neurosciences	Not reported	12
Mathematics	Not reported	11
Anthropology	Not reported	11
Physics	Not reported	10
Philosophy	Not reported	8
Dance	Not reported	7
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology	Not reported	6
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	Not reported	6
Music	Not reported	4
Chemistry	Not reported	2
Religion/Religious Studies	Not reported	2
Applied Mathematics	Not reported	1
Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	Not reported	1
Computational Science	Not reported	Not reported
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities	Not reported	Not reported

All 44 bachelor’s programs this college reported.

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