🎓 College profile
American University
DC · Private nonprofit · Large city · 17,786 applicants 2023
🎯 Parent/student verdict
MatchSolid match for academically prepared students. A significant upfront investment that pays back via strong 10-yr earnings (~$77,370).
✅ Best for
- Strong academic profile (SAT 1300–1450 · ACT 29–33 middle 50% + typically a 3.9+ unweighted GPA in rigorous coursework)
- Students focused on Social Sciences (the school's signature program)
- Research-curious students (R2 — active research output)
- Strong long-term ROI — median 10-yr earnings of $77,370 against an average net cost of ~$41,943/yr
🎯 The reality
- Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 1300, or ACT below 29, or unweighted GPA below ~3.80 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)
Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.
🏛️ Institutional snapshot
What kind of college is this?
Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.
📊 Outcomes & cost
What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.
Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).
💰 True ROI
4.6× returnWhat families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.
"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).
💰 What families actually pay
Net price by family income
Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At American University, the average net price is $41,943/yr across all families.
🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.
Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use American University's official Net Price Calculator:
Get your family's estimate from American University →Opens on American University's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.
Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.
📚 What students study here
Most popular majors at American University
Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what American University actually graduates — not just what it markets.
Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.
💼 Top programs by earnings
Highest-earning majors at American University
Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.
| Major (CIP) | Credential | Cohort | 1-yr earnings | 4-yr earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finance and Financial Management Services. | Bachelor's Degree | 75 | $83,505 | $134,332 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | 18 | — | $119,020 |
| Computer Science. | Bachelor's Degree | 24 | — | $117,293 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | 247 | $58,299 | $88,359 |
| Economics. | Bachelor's Degree | 71 | $58,151 | $85,016 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication. | Bachelor's Degree | 132 | $50,026 | $78,410 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other. | Bachelor's Degree | 110 | $49,486 | $76,552 |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | 10 | $19,337 | $75,461 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | 382 | $47,551 | $73,865 |
| Political Science and Government. | Bachelor's Degree | 192 | $48,034 | $73,604 |
For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →
🤖 AI program signal
AI + computing education at American University
Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →
⚖️ Compare side-by-side
American University vs. another college
Type the college you want to compare against. We'll show admit rates, net price by your family income, top majors with career outcomes, and merit aid — all in one side-by-side view.
Alternatives to American University
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