by our College Data Analytics TeamA lot of students will never be charged the full sticker price of a school. Rather, they are offered a financial aid plan that includes a mix of loans, grants, scholarships, and possibly work-study opportunities. The price tag of going to American University can appear overwhelming, but bear in mind that many students obtain some kind of financial aid.
Just what financial assistance solutions will The American University provide, and just what are you going to be eligible for? Read on for answers. Keep scrolling to see just how much financial aid could be open to you.
Eligibility for aid and scholarships is driven mostly by your household’s income and need. Read on to get a sense of the financial assistance available at American University.
Aid such as grants, loans, work-study, and scholarships helps colleges decrease the real cost of attendance for most students. However, some types of aid are more desirable than others, and some students will receive more than others.
Among first-time, full-time freshmen at American University, 83% of the incoming full-time class was awarded financial aid some 1531 students).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 67% | $36,349 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 66% | $35,415 |
| Federal Pell grants | 16% | $5,837 |
| State/local grants | 2% | $449 |
| Federal student loans | 46% | $5,129 |
Unlike loans, grants and scholarships are gift aid that does not need to be paid back, making them the most desirable form of assistance. Here, around 51% of the undergraduate population received grant aid that averaged $33,548 (covering around 4010 awardees).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 51% | $33,548 |
| Federal Pell grants | 14% | $5,467 |
| Federal student loans | 38% | $6,031 |
For students living on campus and receiving title-IV aid, grants averaged $34,115.
How much a family pays depends heavily on income, because most aid is awarded on the basis of financial need.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $20,200 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $21,438 |
| Over $75,000 | $49,884 |
These figures reflect what title-IV aid recipients pay after grant and scholarship aid is applied.
Net price is the average annual cost after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the published cost of attendance — the figure closest to what a typical aid-receiving student actually pays.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $41,943 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $41,945 |
For a customized cost estimate, visit The American University’s online cost calculator: www.american.edu/financialaid/Net-Price-Calculator-Form.cfm.
A typical borrower at The American University leaves with $19,500 in federal student debt.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $19,500 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $22,750 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $241.19/mo |
Under a standard ten-year plan, the median graduate’s monthly payment lands near the figure above.
A single median figure conceals how much debt outcomes differ student to student. The figures below chart the debt distribution at The American University.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $10,750 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $33,000 |
The figures below break down median federal debt by income tier, first-generation status, and dependency.
Debt by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $18,500 |
| Middle income | $19,500 |
| High income | $19,750 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Median Debt
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Students
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,500 |
| Independent students | $16,332 |
The figure below distills the debt data into a single burden category for The American University.
Stafford loans make up the bulk of federal direct lending to undergraduates. The totals below capture Stafford lending at The American University:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 40095 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $1,340,434,998 |
GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance are the two federal aid programs targeted at military-affiliated students.
Post-9/11 GI Bill recipients
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 336 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $9,431,080 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $28,069 |
DoD program volume
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 28 |
| Total DoD amount | $40,750 |
| Average DoD amount per recipient | $1,455 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.