by our College Data Analytics TeamAmerican University is a private not-for-profit institution in Washington, District of Columbia enrolling 7,266 undergraduates. It accepts 62% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 75%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #111 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 2%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
American University ranks #111 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 2%.
College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities in its annual rankings and ranks them in a variety of ways, including most diverse, best overall quality, best for non-traditional students, and much more.
American University was awarded 398 badges in the 2027 rankings.
College Factual ranked AU as #111 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list. This puts it in the top 5% of all schools in the nation.
AU is also ranked #3 on the Best Colleges in District of Columbia list.
See all of the rankings for American University.
American University has an acceptance rate of 62%, which means the school is serious about who it admits. Take your time in putting together a strong application that highlights why you are a good fit for AU.
About 22% of students accepted to AU submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 660 and 740. Math scores were between 620 and 720.
AU received ACT scores from 8% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 29 and 32.
Learn more about American University admissions.
The student to faculty ratio at AU is an impressive 10 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.
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 59%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
The freshmen retention rate of 88% 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.
Students are considered to have graduated on time if they finish their studies within four years. At AU the on-time graduation rate of first-time, full-time students is 75%. That is great when compared to the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at American University.
The current enrollment includes 7,266 undergraduates at AU.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at American University.
The overall average net price of AU is $17,140. 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.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $23,233 | $20,444 | $26,035 | $30,063 | $53,673 |
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 price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of AU, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
Almost 66% of college students who graduated with the class of 2018 took out student loans, but that percentage varies from school to school. At AU, approximately 38% of students took out student loans averaging $6,031 a year. That adds up to $24,124 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 2.8%. 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.
The pay for some majors is higher than others, but on average, students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree from American University make about $77,370 a year during their first few years of employment after graduation. That’s great news for American University students since it is 57% more than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year.
See which majors at American University make the most money.
American University is an private not-for-profit institution situated in Washington, District of Columbia. The location of the school is great for students who enjoy the amenities of city life. Get more details about the location of American University.
Contact details for American University are listed below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 4400 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016-8001 |
| Phone: | 2028851000 |
| Website: | WWW.AMERICAN.EDU |
| Wikipedia: | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_University |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/AmericanUniversity |
| Twitter: | www.twitter.com/AmericanU |
In the most recent reporting year, students from 25 majors graduated from American University. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 4,653 | NA |
| International Relations & Security | 690 | $49,218 |
| Law | 401 | $60,267 |
| Political Science & Government | 332 | $45,217 |
| Business Administration & Management | 251 | $56,362 |
| Criminal Justice & Corrections | 173 | $40,879 |
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 150 | $58,228 |
| Other Interdisciplinary Studies | 147 | $44,939 |
| Legal Research | 127 | $48,710 |
| Public Administration | 126 | $69,734 |
1,184 students took at least one online class at 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.
Learn more about online learning at American University.
Interested in comparing AU? Pit them head to head with College Combat, our free interactive tool that lets you compare colleges on the features that matter most to you.
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
References