Strong post-grad earnings
Median earnings 10 yrs out are above the graduate average.
Washington, DC
In-State Tuition
$58,771
Out-of-State Tuition
$58,771
Avg On-Campus Living
$17,982
Avg Off-Campus Living
$19,336
Financial Aid & Outcomes
CollegeScorecard · 2024
What will it actually cost?
Most students pay the net price after financial aid, not the sticker price.
Net price by family income
After graduation
Earnings-to-debt ratio
Strong · 3.4×Graduates earn about 3.4× their median debt every year.
Financial access
Pell Grants are federal aid for students from low-income families.
Share of students who borrowed to pay for school.
Some fields may not be reported by this institution. Verify final details with the school directly.
How does cost line up with outcomes across colleges? See our analysis of college cost vs. graduation and earnings, an association shaped by selectivity and sector, not proof a pricier college pays off.
Student Outcomes
Graduation Rate
75%
Freshman Retention
88%
Source: CollegeScorecard (2024)
Final aid offers, scholarships, and net price vary per family. Always verify with the school's financial aid office.
Decision support · Cost & value
The strongest cost, aid, and value reasons to consider this school.
Median earnings 10 yrs out are above the graduate average.
Affordability snapshot
Tuition
$58.8k
Net price
$41.9k
Pell
14%
Median debt
$22.8k
below avg
Earnings (10y)
$77.4k
above avg
“Avg” comparisons reference national IPEDS / College Scorecard averages (~2022–23); figures are directional and vary by school and year.
Acceptance rate
62%
SAT range
1300 - 1450
ACT range
29 - 33
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Institution does not report this
Washington, DC 20016
Studying online: a substantial share study entirely online
In Fall 2023, 1,122 of American University's 13,019 students (9%) were enrolled entirely at a distance. A further 2,092 (16%) took at least one distance course alongside in-person study.
Distance-education figures count STUDENTS enrolled in Fall 2023, not programs on offer. "Exclusively at a distance" means a student took only distance courses that term. A college with few or no such students may still run online courses or an online degree, so a low figure is not evidence that online study is unavailable, and a high one is not a judgement of quality either way.
U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS Fall Enrollment (distance education status), Fall 2023
Fields of study
American University reported conferring credentials in 81 different fields to the federal government. See which ones, and at what credential level.
Frequently asked questions
Built from CampusPin profile data. Always verify final admissions, cost, financial aid, and program details with the institution before applying. See our data methodology and data dictionary.
Fields this college awarded credentials in
The 14 largest of 81 fields American University reported, by credentials conferred in 2023-24, using the federal classification of each field. The level is the highest credential actually awarded, which is not always the one a field is best known for.
| Field | Awarded | Level |
|---|---|---|
| International Relations and National Security Studies | 794 | Graduate403 graduate · 391 bachelor's |
| Law | 378 | Graduate |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 324 | Graduate109 graduate · 215 bachelor's |
| Political Science and Government | 288 | Graduate28 graduate · 208 bachelor's · 52 certificate |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 174 | Bachelor's107 bachelor's · 67 certificate |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 173 | Graduate150 graduate · 23 bachelor's |
| Public Administration | 162 | Graduate |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 154 | Graduate34 graduate · 120 bachelor's |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies | 153 | Graduate |
| Economics | 120 | Graduate48 graduate · 72 bachelor's |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | 109 | Graduate |
| Psychology, General | 109 | Graduate24 graduate · 85 bachelor's |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 101 | Graduate |
| Public Policy Analysis | 98 | Graduate |
Fields are as classified in the federal IPEDS completions collection, which records credentials already conferred. A field listed here was awarded in the reporting year; it does not confirm the program is currently admitting students, and a field CampusPin has no guide for is still shown under its official federal title. Confirm current offerings with the institution.
Explore more
Always verify final admissions, cost, financial aid, and program details with American University before applying.
Data sources & methodology
Facts on this profile of American University are compiled from federal datasets and the institution's own published information.
Sources used across this page
Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.
IPEDS / NCES College Navigator
Federal enrollment, admissions, tuition, retention, and program data. Released annually with a 1–2 year lag.
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
Net price by income band, post-graduation earnings, and federal aid context.
Clery Act campus security reports
Annual campus security and fire-safety disclosures required of U.S. institutions.
Institutional websites
Each school's official admissions, registrar, and financial-aid pages are the authoritative source for current details.
Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.
Suggested citation
CampusPin. (2024). American University, college profile. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/schools/american-university
About this information
CampusPin compiles college information from recent publicly available data, including federal and institutional sources. College information can change as institutions and public agencies release new data.
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