unitid 131159 · Washington, DC · private nonprofit 4-year · city (large)
American University
- enrollment 2023
- 16,240
- predominant degree
- Bachelor's
scorecard 2026-06 · percentiles within private nonprofit 4-years
The record
admission rate
62%
31st pctl among private nonprofit 4-years
undergraduates
7,266
96th pctl among private nonprofit 4-years
Pell share
14%
undergrads on Pell grants
9th pctl among private nonprofit 4-years
completion
75%
finish within 150% time
83rd pctl among private nonprofit 4-years
sticker cost / yr
$76,058
89th pctl among private nonprofit 4-years
avg net price / yr
$41,943
after aid, aided students
96th pctl among private nonprofit 4-years
median earnings, 10 yr
$77,370
after entry, Title IV students
89th pctl among private nonprofit 4-years
median grad debt
$22,750
36th pctl among private nonprofit 4-years
what families actually pay
Cost
Sticker price is a fiction for most families — net price is what aided students pay after grants, by family income.
Average net price by family income, 2023–24 aid cohort
Families earning under $30k paid $23,233 per year after aid.
Dashed hollow marks are privacy-suppressed brackets — not zero. Band: middle half of private nonprofit 4-years (all incomes).
Who enrolls, by family income
- 0-30k15%
- 30-48k11%
- 48-75knot reported
- 75-110knot reported
- 110k+not reported
- Median family income
- $84,200
- First-generation students
- 16%
- In-state tuition & fees
- $58,771
earnings · debt · programs
Outcomes
Median earnings after entry, working grads with federal aid
Ten years out, the median graduate earns 3.4× the median graduate debt.
Earnings cover federally aided (Title IV) students only.
What programs pay — top fields of study
| program | grads | earn 5 yr | debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| International Relations and National Security Studies. | 486 | $101,443 | — |
| International Relations and National Security Studies. | 387 | $71,028 | $23,250 |
| Law. | 317 | $112,063 | — |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | 264 | $88,921 | $24,697 |
| Public Administration. | 220 | $113,922 | — |
| Political Science and Government. | 216 | $78,954 | $23,250 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other. | 125 | $69,087 | $23,000 |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies. | 124 | $98,927 | — |
| Educational Administration and Supervision. | 111 | — | — |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication. | 107 | $94,957 | $26,442 |
| Public Policy Analysis. | 105 | $107,080 | — |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | 104 | $61,582 | $23,250 |
— is privacy suppression at small programs, never zero. Earnings are median, 5 years after completing.
annual scorecard files, 1996–2026
Trajectory
Line breaks are years where the measure wasn't collected — a gap is not a zero.
Admission rate
Price per year
- sticker
- net
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
Undergraduates
nearest neighbors in sector
Compare with peers
built 2026-07-17
Provenance
- U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard, 2026-06 release. Earnings cover federally aided (Title IV) students only. Suppressed values are null, never imputed.
- Annual Scorecard files 1996-2026. A null in early years usually means the measure was not yet collected, not zero.
- Coordinates and locale describe the campus address, not where students live.