American University
Washington, DC
Private
Recent News
Admissions Policies
Deposit & decision deadline (class of 2024)
May 1
Test-optional admissions ('20-'21)
Yes
Paying for American University
American University offers grants and scholarships to help students and families afford educational costs. In addition to the common funding including grants, scholarships, student loans and work-study programs, AU also offers veterans benefit programs and transfer student scholarships. Check out their outside scholarship page for additional ways to fund your education at American University.
AU provides a number of grants for financial need and encourages all of its students to submit the FAFSA even if they do not think they will qualify. This is required for the many merit-based scholarships they offer as well.
American University provides information about student employment here. Their employment resource page provides information about Quad jobs which allows students to sign up and work to make extra money in between their unique and particular schedules doing a variety of odd jobs.
American University offers practical tips for saving money under the title “Do This, Not That.” When paying your tuition bill, AU offers a variety of payment plans and the Ameriplan prepayment plan. The prepayment tuition plan helps stabilize tuition costs and guarantees tuition costs to remain the same for the number of years that you are enrolled in the plan.
American University Cost Breakdown
The total cost of attendance includes tuition and fees, books and supplies, and living expenses.
Tuition (in-state)
$49,889
Tuition (out-of-state)
$49,889
Room and board
$14,880
Books and supplies
$800
Fees
$820
Other
$909
American University Financial Aid
The average student pays this amount per year.
Percentage of freshman students who receive some form of financial aid.
This school's financial aid meets 71 % of student's demonstrated need.
American University Merit Scholarships
The average American University merit scholarship for students without financial need
of American University students without financial need receive a merit scholarship
American University offers a variety of merit-based scholarships. All admitted freshman are considered for these scholarships automatically and do not need to submit a separate application for consideration (with the exception of the Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholars (FDDS) Scholarship and the United Methodist Scholarships which do require a separate application). Merit-based scholarships at AU range between $8,000 and $22,000 per academic year and are renewable up to 8 semesters with adherence to continued eligibility requirements. The Tuition Exchange (TE) is also available as a merit-based scholarship and is highly competitive at American University.
American University Average Cost
Very few students pay the full price. Here's the average cost for students in different income brackets:
American University Financial Health
Resources
Endowment (2019)
$723,368,771
Endowment per enrolled student (FTE)
$58,364
American University Online Education
Share of Students Studying Online (Graduate and Undergraduate)
Equity
Likelihood that a student moved up two or more income quintiles.
Percent of first-time students receiving Pell Grants.
This is lower than the national average 31.0%
Relative to the market of potential students
Underrepresented
Black
Hispanic
Representative
Native American
Hawaiian
Multi-racial
Overrepresented
Asian
White
American University Student Loans
The average student takes out this amount in student loans.
The percentage of students that repay their loans within 5 years.
The percentage of students that repay their loans within 7 years.
The percentage of families that default on their loans after 3 years.
American University After College Salaries
After graduation, here's how the average salary of a American University graduate grows over time:
American University Admissions
SAT range:
1220 - 1380
ACT range:
27 - 31
Application fee:
$70
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About Our Data
The data and analysis above is sourced from the following reliable third party sources:
- - US Department of Education
- - ACCEPT: Admissions Community Cultivating Equity & Peace Today (deposit deadlines)
- - FairTest (testing policies)
- - National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) (endowment data)
- - National Center for Education Statistics
- - Opportunity Insights at Harvard University (mobility rates)
- - Peterson's
- - Public college-maintained websites
- - State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) (state funding data)
- - Urban Institute (racial representation data)
For more information, visit our Data page.
Our Financial Health information is designed to provide you with financial data on the private colleges you are considering. Our Post-Covid Resiliency Ratings are based on a data model described in more detail here as well as information from the independent third party sources we list above. Keep in mind, there may be additional public or private data which may make a college or university more or less financially resilient. We recommend that you request the most current financial information from the college or university you are considering so that you will have the most complete and current information available while evaluating the financial health of the institution and to inform your decision making process. All information and data we provide on this site is for informational purposes only and is not an endorsement, guarantee or other recommendation, whether favorable or unfavorable, regarding a particular institution. We make no representation or warranty regarding the information, all of which is provided free of charge and for informational purposes only.