American University
Washington, DC · Private nonprofit · Graduate degree-granting
A private nonprofit institution in Washington, District of Columbia, accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, American University serves students across multiple degree programs. With 7,266 students, it is a mid-size institution. Graduates earn a median of $77,370 ten years after enrollment, which is 90% above the national median of $40,747. The graduation rate is 77.0%. On the financial side, median graduate debt is $22,750, yielding an earnings-to-debt ratio of 3.4x. The average net price after financial aid is $41,943 per year. The most popular programs include International Relations, Law, Business Administration & Management, Public Administration, and Political Science.
Key Outcomes
Median Earnings (10yr)
$77,370
Graduation Rate
77.0%
Median Debt
$22,750
Average Net Price
$41,943
Earnings-to-Cost Ratio
0.46x
Earnings-to-Debt Ratio
3.4x
Admissions & Enrollment
Total Enrollment
7,266
Admission Rate
62.0%
Average SAT
1381
Retention Rate
88.2%
Cost
In-State Tuition
$58,771
Out-of-State Tuition
$58,771
Pell Grant Rate
13.9%
Federal Loan Rate
38.0%
Net Cost by Family Income
Income $0–$30K
$23,233
Income $30K–$48K
$20,444
Income $48K–$75K
$26,035
Income $110K+
$53,673
Student Demographics
Women
66.1%
White
56.0%
Black
8.2%
Hispanic
14.0%
Asian
7.4%
Two or More Races
5.9%
Student Loan Performance
Repayment Rate (3yr)
78.9%
Accreditations
- American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar — Law (LAW) - Professional schools (Accredited)
- American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation — Clinical Psychology (CLPSY) - PhD Doctoral programs (Accredited)
- Council on Education for Public Health — Public Health Programs (PHPB) — Baccalaureate only level programs offered outside a school of public health (Accredited)
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education — Institutional Accreditation (Accredited)
- National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation — Music (MUS) (Accredited)
- National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education — Teacher Education (TED) - Baccalaureate and graduate programs for the preparation of teachers and other professional personnel for elementary and secondary schools (Accredited)
Programs (134)
Bachelor (38)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| International Relations | $73,865 | 387 |
| Business Administration & Management | $88,359 | 264 |
| Political Science | $73,604 | 216 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | $76,552 | 125 |
| Public Relations | $78,410 | 107 |
| Criminal Justice & Corrections | $66,970 | 104 |
| Psychology | $62,240 | 79 |
| Economics | $85,016 | 71 |
| Public Health | $70,831 | 65 |
| Finance | $134,332 | 65 |
| Journalism | $66,635 | 49 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | $52,661 | 45 |
| Non-Professional Legal Studies | $72,792 | 31 |
| Computer Science | $117,293 | 29 |
| History | $59,630 | 29 |
| Communications | $67,863 | 27 |
| Natural Resources Conservation | $63,711 | 26 |
| Area Studies | Not reported | 26 |
| Biology | Not reported | 25 |
| Sociology | Not reported | 21 |
| Teacher Education | $66,160 | 18 |
| Statistics | Not reported | 17 |
| Literature | $54,436 | 16 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | Not reported | 16 |
| Fine Arts | Not reported | 14 |
| Design & Applied Arts | Not reported | 13 |
| Accounting | $119,020 | 13 |
| Neuroscience | Not reported | 12 |
| Audiovisual Communications | $75,461 | 11 |
| Mathematics | Not reported | 11 |
| Anthropology | $53,036 | 11 |
| Physics | Not reported | 10 |
| Philosophy | Not reported | 8 |
| Ethnic & Gender Studies | $63,553 | 7 |
| Dance | Not reported | 7 |
| Romance Languages | Not reported | 6 |
| Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Not reported | 6 |
| Music | Not reported | 4 |
Master (50)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| International Relations | $97,808 | 486 |
| Public Administration | $107,866 | 220 |
| Legal Studies | $96,768 | 124 |
| Educational Administration | $93,310 | 111 |
| Public Policy Analysis | $98,588 | 105 |
| Homeland Security | $96,954 | 104 |
| Business Administration & Management | $127,269 | 81 |
| Communications | $94,424 | 78 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | $127,356 | 66 |
| Natural Resources Conservation | $104,878 | 50 |
| Economics | $103,169 | 50 |
| Peace Studies | $89,800 | 45 |
| Teacher Education | $67,617 | 42 |
| Foods, Nutrition & Wellness | $74,598 | 42 |
| Information Science | Not reported | 38 |
| Philosophy | $82,273 | 36 |
| Public Relations | $97,932 | 33 |
| Human Resources Management | Not reported | 32 |
| Sports & Fitness | Not reported | 29 |
| Journalism | $67,819 | 28 |
| Political Science | $98,567 | 27 |
| History | $68,296 | 27 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | $76,808 | 26 |
| Criminal Justice & Corrections | $89,015 | 25 |
| Fine Arts | $55,550 | 25 |
| Marketing | Not reported | 25 |
| Rhetoric & Composition | Not reported | 23 |
| Accounting | $112,384 | 21 |
| Special Education | Not reported | 18 |
| Psychology | $73,628 | 17 |
| Audiovisual Communications | $74,573 | 16 |
| Health Services Administration | Not reported | 14 |
| Anthropology | Not reported | 13 |
| Public Health | $83,880 | 12 |
| Computer Science | Not reported | 10 |
| Biology | Not reported | 9 |
| Finance | Not reported | 9 |
| International and Comparative Education | $79,464 | 8 |
| Sociology | Not reported | 8 |
| International Business | Not reported | 7 |
| Taxation | Not reported | 7 |
| Statistics | Not reported | 6 |
| Data Science | Not reported | 6 |
| Design & Applied Arts | Not reported | 6 |
| Arts & Entertainment Management | $65,062 | 6 |
| Real Estate | Not reported | 6 |
| Biotechnology | Not reported | 5 |
| Literature | Not reported | 4 |
| Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other | Not reported | 3 |
| Neuroscience | Not reported | 3 |
Doctoral (9)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Educational Administration | Not reported | 28 |
| Economics | Not reported | 10 |
| Cognitive Psychology | Not reported | 8 |
| International Relations | Not reported | 7 |
| Communications | Not reported | 5 |
| Neuroscience | Not reported | 4 |
| Criminal Justice & Corrections | Not reported | 4 |
| History | Not reported | 4 |
| Public Administration | Not reported | 3 |
First Professional (1)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Law | $109,523 | 317 |
Graduate Certificate (8)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | Not reported | 21 |
| International Relations | Not reported | 16 |
| Security & Protective Services | Not reported | 13 |
| Mathematics and Statistics, Other | Not reported | 10 |
| Accounting | Not reported | 6 |
| Human Resources Management | Not reported | 5 |
| Statistics | Not reported | 3 |
| Political Science | Not reported | 3 |
Undergraduate Certificate (7)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | $66,603 | 63 |
| Political Science | $81,004 | 56 |
| Linguistics | $69,517 | 31 |
| Computer & Information Systems Security | Not reported | 16 |
| Statistics | Not reported | 5 |
| Ethnic & Gender Studies | Not reported | 4 |
| International Studies | Not reported | 4 |
Show 21 additional programs with limited data
| Program | Level | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| International and Comparative Education | Graduate Certificate | 2 |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language | Master | 2 |
| Legal Studies | Doctoral | 2 |
| Legal Professions and Studies, Other | Master | 2 |
| Sports & Fitness | Graduate Certificate | 2 |
| Religion | Bachelor | 2 |
| Chemistry | Bachelor | 2 |
| Chemistry | Master | 2 |
| Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other | Graduate Certificate | 2 |
| Economics | Graduate Certificate | 2 |
| Political Science | Doctoral | 2 |
| Health Services Administration & Management | Undergraduate Certificate | 2 |
| Business Administration & Management | Graduate Certificate | 2 |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language | Undergraduate Certificate | 1 |
| Linguistics | Graduate Certificate | 1 |
| Middle Eastern Languages | Bachelor | 1 |
| Applied Mathematics | Bachelor | 1 |
| Applied Mathematics | Master | 1 |
| Data Analytics | Undergraduate Certificate | 1 |
| Anthropology | Graduate Certificate | 1 |
| Arts & Entertainment Management | Graduate Certificate | 1 |
Rankings Featuring This Institution
- Highest Earning Bachelor's Nursing & Health Programs
- Highest Earning Bachelor's Business Programs
- Highest Earning Bachelor's Education Programs
- Highest Earning Master's Social Sciences Programs
- Highest Earning Master's Visual & Performing Arts Programs
- Highest Earning Bachelor's Communications Programs
- Highest Earning Master's Communications Programs
- Highest Earning Bachelor's Law Programs
- Highest Earning Master's Law Programs
- Highest Earning Master's History Programs
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