-11%
Undergraduate enrollment
Undergraduate enrollment at American University fell 11% between 2021 and 2024 (8.2k → 7.3k).
District of Columbia · Private nonprofit · Predominantly bachelor's
American University
Washington, District of Columbia. 7,593 undergraduate students. 162 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.
ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS
Earnings, completion, debt, and enrollment anomalies at American University
Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.
-100%
3-year cohort default rate
3-year cohort default rate at American University fell 100% between 2021 and 2024 (0.9% → 0.0%).
+10%
In-state tuition
In-state tuition at American University rose 10% between 2021 and 2024 ($53.3k → $58.8k).
+10%
Out-of-state tuition
Out-of-state tuition at American University rose 10% between 2021 and 2024 ($53.3k → $58.8k).
SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT
American University earnings, debt, and completion vs. the District of Columbia median
Each tile compares this institution to the District of Columbia median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.
$77,370+26% · 6→10y
District of Columbia median $49,020$61,328
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry78.5%+8% · '97→'24
District of Columbia median 55.8%$19,500+82% · '97→'20
At program completion7,593+44% · '96→'24
latest IPEDS86.2%+1% · '04→'24
first-time, full-time47.4%-9% · '01→'24
latest cohort$56,543+175% · '00→'24
out-of-state $56,543SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS
How American University earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry
Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS
What loans cost relative to earnings at American University
Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.
Institution-wide
3.4%Median federal debt $19,500 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $77,370 (10y after entry).
SECTION 04 · LONG ARC
American University enrollment, completion, and debt over time
Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.
Undergraduate enrollment.
150%-time completion rate.
Median federal student debt at exit.
+44%
American University · undergrad enrollment rose
5,042 → 7,266
+175%
American University · in-state tuition rose
$21,399 → $58,771
+175%
American University · out-of-state tuition rose
$21,399 → $58,771
+82%
American University · median debt rose
$12,500 → $22,750
-100%
American University · cohort default rate fell
2.9% → 0.0%
+28%
American University · pell share rose
10.8% → 13.9%
+28%
American University · earnings_median_10yr rose
$60,600 → $77,370
+37%
American University · earnings_median_8yr rose
$51,500 → $70,443
+42%
American University · earnings_median_6yr rose
$43,300 → $61,328
SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS
American University programs ranked by 5-year earnings
Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.
Business Administration, Management and Operations$131,517Taxation$122,587Economics$116,157Public Administration$113,922Law$112,063Public Policy Analysis$107,080Communication and Media Studies$104,844Accounting and Related Services$104,304Finance and Financial Management Services$103,137Accounting and Related Services$101,772International Relations and National Security Studies$101,443Non-Professional General Legal Studies (Undergraduate)$101,273Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies$98,927Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication$94,957Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution$92,285Criminal Justice and Corrections$89,792Business Administration, Management and Operations$88,921Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication$87,743Political Science and Government$85,653Curriculum and Instruction$84,639Natural Resources Conservation and Research$82,829Political Science and Government$78,954Natural Resources Conservation and Research$78,483Economics$77,219
Showing top 24 of 48 ranked programs.
SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY
48 American University programs with earnings, grouped by field
Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.
COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES · CIP 10
EDUCATION · CIP 13
LEGAL PROFESSIONS · CIP 22
ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE · CIP 23
BIOLOGICAL & BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES · CIP 26
MULTI/INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES · CIP 30
PSYCHOLOGY · CIP 42
HOMELAND SECURITY & PROTECTIVE SERVICES · CIP 43
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & SOCIAL SERVICES · CIP 44
SOCIAL SCIENCES · CIP 45
VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS · CIP 50
HEALTH PROFESSIONS · CIP 51
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT & MARKETING · CIP 52
HISTORY · CIP 54
NATURAL RESOURCES & CONSERVATION · CIP 03
AREA, ETHNIC & CULTURAL STUDIES · CIP 05
FINANCIAL OUTCOME · ILLUSTRATION
Estimate the financial outcome at American University
Pick a program. Cost from Scorecard net price by family income; earnings from Treasury 5-year-post-completion median, projected forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve. The selection-bias toggle applies the Dale-Krueger shrinkage. Outcomes illustration, not a forecast — see methodology.
Shrinks the earnings premium toward the matched-applicant mean. STEM <15%, business ~40%, arts & education ~60%.
NET PRESENT VALUE
$307,759
Over 40 years, discounted 5.0%
BREAKEVEN
Year 12
First year cumulative discounted earnings cross zero
- Cost per year
- $23,477
- HS-only baseline · DC
- $47,200
- Years to complete
- 4
- CIP family
- 45
Outcomes illustration · not a forecast. Projects observed Scorecard earnings forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve under your assumptions. See methodology for the math.
SECTION 07 · SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
Institutions similar to American University in District of Columbia
Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.
CAUSAL DISCIPLINE
“American University graduates earn $X” — not “American University makes you earn $X”
Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending American University caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.