American University Data & Information Overview
Find out more about how American University ranks, how diverse it is, what majors it offers, and other essential facts below. Want to know more about a specific stat? Just click on its tile, and you'll go to a page that goes more in-depth on that subject. You can also use the links below to go directly to any section on this page.- Rankings
- Admission and Acceptance
- Faculty
- Retention and Graduation Rates
- Diversity
- Cost
- Student Debt
- Average Earnings
- Location
- Majors
- Online Learning
- Related Schools
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How Well Is American University Ranked?
2021 Rankings
In its yearly rankings, College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities to determine which ones are the best in a variety of categories, such as overall value, quality, diversity, which schools are the best for each major, and much more.
American University was awarded 105 badges in the 2021 rankings. The highest ranked major at the school is communication and journalism.
Overall Quality
The American University landed the #164 spot in College Factual's 2021 ranking of best overall colleges in the United States. The higher ed experts analyzed 1,715 colleges and universities across the nation to determine this ranking. This puts it in the top 10% of all schools in the nation.
The American University also holds the #3 spot on the Best Colleges in District of Columbia ranking.
See all of the rankings for American University.
Is It Hard to Get Into The American University?
Acceptance Rate
With an acceptance rate of 29%, The American University is one of the most selective schools in the country. Good grades and high test scores alone may not be enough to get you into the school, so do your best to submit a stellar application.
Average Test Scores
About 49% of students accepted to The American University submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 610 and 690. Math scores were between 570 and 660.
Learn more about American University admissions.
American University Faculty
Student to Faculty Ratio
The student to faculty ratio at The American University is an impressive 11 to 1. That's quite good when you compare it to the national average of 15 to 1. This is a good sign that students at the school will have more opportunities for one-on-one interactions with their professors.
Percent of Full-Time Faculty
When estimating how much access students will have to their teachers, some people like to look at what percentage of faculty members are full time. This is because part-time teachers may not have as much time to spend on campus as their full-time counterparts.
The full-time faculty percentage at American University is 56%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
Retention and Graduation Rates at American University
Freshmen Retention Rate
The freshmen retention rate of 90% tells us that most first-year, full-time students like American University enough to come back for another year. This is a fair bit higher than the national average of 68%. That's certainly something to check off in the good column about the school.
Graduation Rate
The on-time graduation rate for someone pursuing a bachelor's degree is typically four years. This rate at The American University for first-time, full-time students is 76%, which is better than the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at American University.
Excellent Overall Diversity at The American University
During the 2017-2018 academic year, there were 8,123 undergraduates at The American University with 7,764 being full-time and 359 being part-time.
The American University Diversity Score
College Factual computes an overall diversity score for each college and university that takes gender, ethnicity, geographic location, and age into account. Schools with the best mixtures of students with respect to these factors are ranked the highest, and those that cater to just one or two student groups are ranked the lowest.
With an overall score of 96.53 out of 100, The American University is one of the most diverse schools in the nation.
Get more detailed information on diversity and student demographics at American University.
How Much Does American University Cost?
The overall average net price of The American University is $34,617. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.Net Price by Income Group for The American University
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $21,371 | $20,960 | $26,574 | $32,751 | $45,685 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid.Note that the net price is typically less than the published for a school. For more information on the sticker price of The American University, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
Student Loan Debt
It's not uncommon for college students to take out loans to pay for school. In fact, almost 66% of students nationwide depend at least partially on loans. At The American University, approximately 56% of students took out student loans averaging $8,375 a year. That adds up to $33,500 over four years for those students.
The student loan default rate at The American University is 1.8%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you'll be able to pay back your student loans.
Get more details about paying for American University.
How Much Money Do The American University Graduates Make?
The pay for some majors is higher than others, but on average, students who graduate with a bachelor's degree from The American University make about $61,000 a year during their first few years of employment after graduation. That's great news for The American University students since it is 53% more than the average college graduate's salary of $39,802 per year.
See which majors at American University make the most money.
Location of American University
American University is a private not-for-profit institution situated in Washington, District of Columbia. The location of The American University is great for students who prefer living in an urban area.Get more details about the location of American University.
Contact details for The American University are given below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 4400 Massachusetts Ave Nw, Washington, DC 20016-8001 |
| Phone: | 202-885-1000 |
| Website: | WWW.AMERICAN.EDU |
| Facebook: | http://www.facebook.com/AmericanUniversity |
| Twitter: | http://www.twitter.com/AmericanU |
American University Majors
During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 78 majors graduated from American University. Of these students, 1,952 received undergraduate degrees and 2,370 graduated with a master's or doctor's degree. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.| Most Popular Majors | Bachelor’s Degrees | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| International Relations & National Security | 448 | $39,800 |
| Business Administration & Management | 213 | $47,000 |
| Political Science & Government | 151 | $42,900 |
| Public Relations & Advertising | 109 | $42,800 |
| Other Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies | 100 | $38,300 |
| Economics | 95 | $45,300 |
| Public Health | 85 | $34,300 |
| Journalism | 72 | $33,300 |
| Criminal Justice & Corrections | 67 | $40,700 |
| General Psychology | 59 | $30,700 |
Online Learning at The American University
Online learning is becoming popular at even the oldest colleges and universities in the United States. Not only are online classes great for returning adults with busy schedules, they are also frequented by a growing number of traditional students.
In 2017-2018, 1,027 students took at least one online class at American University. This is a decrease from the 1,926 students who took online classes the previous year.
| Year | Took at Least One Online Class | Took All Classes Online |
|---|---|---|
| 2017-2018 | 1,027 | 478 |
| 2016-2017 | 1,926 | 1,244 |
| 2015-2016 | 1,602 | 879 |
| 2014-2015 | 1,342 | 563 |
| 2013-2014 | 648 | 204 |
Learn more about online learning at American University.
Find Out More About American University
Related Schools
If you’re considering American University, here are some more schools you may be interested in knowing more about.
Curious on how these schools stack up against The American University? Pit them head to head with College Combat, our free interactive tool that lets you compare college on the features that matter most to you!
References
- National Center for Education Statistics
- College Scorecard
- Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System
- Image Credit: By Samschoe under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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