Getting in
For Fall 2025, 20,960 first-year students applied to American, 13,741 were admitted and 1,545 enrolled: an acceptance rate of 65.6%.
Source: AU Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), section C1. Read Oct 1, 2026.
By residency, first-year applicants, Fall 2025
| Applicants | Applied | Admitted | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-state | 441 | 197 | 44.7% |
| Out-of-state | 19,194 | 12,864 | 67% |
| International | 1,297 | 655 | 50.5% |
| Unknown | 28 | 25 | 89.3% |
Source: AU Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), section C1, residency table. Read Oct 1, 2026.
By school or major. AU's Common Data Set reports one first-year acceptance rate for the whole university, with no rate by school or major.
Source: AU Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Early decision and early action. The Common Data Set labels its early decision counts as fall 2024 figures and gives no early action counts, so it gives no early acceptance rate for fall 2025.
Source: AU Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), sections C21 and C22. Read Oct 1, 2026.
Programs with extra requirements
For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027
You apply to AU as a whole. A few programs ask for more:
- Dance, Music, Musical Theatre, Popular Music Performance & Enterprise, Theatre. Auditions, online or in person, through the Department of Performing Arts SlideRoom portal. AU strongly encourages completing them before you enroll.
- Audio Technology, Audio Production. An optional portfolio through SlideRoom, strongly encouraged.
- Film and Media Arts, Photography (School of Communication). An optional creative portfolio through the School of Communication's SlideRoom.
Source: AU Admissions, First-Year Application Checklist (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Majors
78 majors across 1 school. Every undergraduate major in AU's official 2026-2027 University Catalog, with the degree it leads to. The catalog lists majors in one list, not by school. Minors, certificates and second-major-only programs are left out.
Undergraduate majors78
- Accounting (BS)
- African American and African Diaspora Studies (BA)
- American Studies (BA)
- Anthropology (BA)
- Applied Mathematics (BS)
- Applied Public Policy Analysis (BA)Accelerated
- Arab World Studies (BA)
- Arabic Studies (BA)
- Art History (BA)
- Asia, Pacific, and Diaspora Studies (BA)
- Audio Production (BA)
- Audio Technology (BS)
- Biochemistry (BS)
- Biology (BS)
- Business Administration (BSBA)
- Business Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (BS)
- Business and Entertainment (BS)
- Business, Language & Culture Studies (BS)
- Chemistry (BS)
- Chinese Studies (BA)
- Communication, Language, and Culture (BA)Offered through CAS/WLC and SOC
- Communication: Communication Studies (BA)
- Communication: Film and Media Arts (BA)
- Communication: Journalism (BA)
- Computational Media and Applied Perception (BA)
- Computational Science (BS)Offered through CAS/CSC and CAS/MATH
- Computer Science (BA or BS)
- Dance (BA)Extra requirement: Auditions through the Department of Performing Arts SlideRoom portal.
- Data Science (BS)
- Data Sciences for Justice, Law and Criminology (BS)
- Data Sciences for Political Science (BS)
- Early Childhood Education (BA)
- Economics (BA or BS)
- Elementary Education (BA)
- Engineering Physics (BS)
- Environmental Science (BS)
- Environmental Studies (BA)
- Finance (BS)
- French Studies (BA)
- German Studies (BA)
- Global International Relations (BA)
- Graphic and Visual Communication Design (BA)
- Health Science (BS)
- History (BA)
- Interdisciplinary Studies: Communication, Legal Institutions, Economics, and Government (CLEG) (BA)
- International Studies (BA)
- Japanese Studies (BA)
- Jewish Studies (BA)
- Justice and Law (BA)
- Language and Area Studies: French/Europe (BA)
- Language and Area Studies: German/Europe (BA)
- Language and Area Studies: Russian/Area Studies (BA)
- Language and Area Studies: Spanish/Latin America (BA)
- Legal Studies (BA)
- Liberal Studies (BA)
- Literature (BA)
- Marketing (BS)
- Mathematics (BS)
- Mathematics and Economics (BS)Offered through CAS/ECON and CAS/MATH
- Music (BA)Extra requirement: Auditions through the Department of Performing Arts SlideRoom portal.
- Musical Theatre (BA)Extra requirement: Auditions through the Department of Performing Arts SlideRoom portal.
- Neuroscience (BS)
- Philosophy (BA)
- Photography (BA)Offered through CAS/ART and SOC
- Physics (BA or BS)
- Political Science (BA)
- Popular Music Performance and Enterprise (BA)Extra requirement: Auditions through the Department of Performing Arts SlideRoom portal.
- Psychology (BA)
- Public Health (BA or BS)
- Public Relations & Strategic Communication (BA)
- Religious Studies (BA)
- Russian Studies (BA)
- Sociology (BA)
- Spanish Studies (BA)
- Statistics (BS)
- Studio Art (BA)
- Theatre (BA)Extra requirement: Auditions through the Department of Performing Arts SlideRoom portal.
- Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (BA)
Source: AU University Catalog 2026-2027, Major Program (UG) (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Source: AU Admissions, First-Year Application Checklist (opens in a new tab), for the extra requirements. Read Oct 1, 2026.
Deadlines for Fall 2027
For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027
| Plan | Apply by | Decision | Binding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Action | November 1 | Mid-January | No |
| Early Decision I | November 1 | Mid-December | Yes |
| Early Decision II | January 15 | Mid-February | Yes |
| Regular Decision | January 15 | April 1 | No |
Early Action applicants hear by January 31 at the latest; deferred applications get a final decision by April 1. If you are denied in one round, you cannot reapply in another round the same year.
Source: AU Admissions, Decision Plans and Deadlines (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Both Early Decision rounds are binding: you and your family agree, when you apply, to attend AU if admitted. You, a parent or guardian and your counselor sign an Early Decision Agreement. Once admitted, you withdraw your other applications and send no new ones. You can still apply early action elsewhere, but you withdraw those applications if AU admits you.
Source: AU Admissions, Decision Plans and Deadlines (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Testing
For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027
AU is test-optional. If you want your SAT or ACT considered, you can self-report scores on the application; if admitted and you enroll, you send official scores. Students graduating from high school outside the U.S. are not required to send the SAT or ACT.
Source: AU Admissions, First-Year Application Checklist (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
The Common Data Set also marks the SAT or ACT as not required for fall 2027 applicants, but considered if submitted.
Source: AU Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), section C8. Read Oct 1, 2026.
Applying next year?
For students applying in fall 2027, entering fall 2028
Not announced yet. When we checked American's admission pages on October 1, 2026, we found no announced changes for fall 2028 entry. The deadlines and rules above are for fall 2027 entry.
Source: AU Admissions, Decision Plans and Deadlines (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Cost, and what families paid after aid
The published cost of a year at American, 2026-2027:
| Tuition | $62,680 |
|---|---|
| Mandatory fees | $1,700 |
| Housing (on campus, double room) | $13,112 |
| Food (meal plan) | $6,584 |
| Metro pass fee | $272 |
| Books and supplies | $1,200 |
| Transportation | $692 |
| Personal expenses | $1,080 |
| Loan fees | $54 |
| Total | $87,374 |
First-year students living on campus.
Source: American University Financial Aid, Undergraduate First-Year Students 2026-2027 Cost of Attendance (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 11, 2026.
Average net price per year, by family income, 2023-24:
| Family income | Paid after grants |
|---|---|
| $0 to $30,000 | $23,233 |
| $30,001 to $48,000 | $20,444 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $26,035 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $30,063 |
| Over $110,000 | $53,673 |
| All incomes | $41,943 |
What first-year, full-time students who received federal aid paid after grants and scholarships, by family income, in 2023-24, the latest year the Department of Education publishes. Your own price comes from AU's aid offer.
Source: College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Similar schools
Chosen for how close each is to American University on acceptance rate, public or private, location and majors offered.
Elon UniversityElon, NC · Private63.3% admitted$41,555 average net price
Mercer UniversityMacon, GA · Private68.9% admitted$23,847 average net price
Berry CollegeMount Berry, GA · Private64% admitted$22,320 average net price
The Catholic University of AmericaWashington, DC · Private82.8% admitted$29,561 average net price
Adelphi UniversityGarden City, NY · Private65.9% admitted$30,783 average net price
Admitted: each school's latest first-year acceptance rate, so the year can differ from school to school; each school's page names its year and source. Average net price: what federal aid recipients paid per year after grants, 2023-24, and the in-state figure for a public university.