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Is American University worth it?
A first pass affordability and outcome read for American, using national average inputs. Run your own numbers for a personalized score.
Worth-It Score
Stretch
American sits in the stretch band for a typical family. The long-run earnings picture at $77,370 helps, but median debt of $22,750 plus yearly net price of $41,943 creates a tighter path. For context, American's net price runs about 76% above the typical 4-year, private nonprofit school. It can work, but the financing plan has to be deliberate.
Is the price fair?
Compared to 1237 similar 4-year, private nonprofit schools
This school
$40,189
/yrAverage school like this
$22,837
/yrThis weighs on your Worth-It Score
You'd pay about $17,352 more per year than the typical student at a similar school. Over 4 years that's roughly $69,000 in extra cost.
Score breakdown
The public version of the score weighs affordability, after graduation outcomes, and repayment burden.
Affordability
40% weight
The yearly net price is doing real work against the score and raises the financing burden quickly.
Outcome
40% weight
The outcome data is workable, but not so strong that it erases financing risk.
Repayment
20% weight
Median debt stays in a more comfortable repayment range for a typical graduate.
The numbers behind the score
Median net price per year
$41,943
Median earnings 10 years out
$77,370
Median debt at graduation
$22,750
Graduation rate
77%
At American, a typical graduate carries about $22,750 in student debt and earns roughly $77,370 ten years after enrolling. On a standard 10-year repayment plan, that works out to about $259 per month, or 4% of pre-tax income. That sits inside a borrower comfort range for many graduates.
What this means for your family
American is a private nonprofit four year school in Washington, DC. Private pricing can swing more dramatically based on aid, so your personalized score matters more here than the national average view alone.
Similar schools worth comparing
These schools share a similar sector, geography, or price range.
Private nonprofit 4-year
Georgetown
Washington, DC
Worth-It Score: 85/100
Median net price: $40,815
Private nonprofit 4-year
George Washington
Washington, DC
Worth-It Score: 78/100
Median net price: $36,586
Private nonprofit 4-year
Howard
Washington, DC
Worth-It Score: 36/100
Median net price: $50,539
Private nonprofit 4-year
The Catholic University of America
Washington, DC
Worth-It Score: 72/100
Median net price: $29,561
Private nonprofit 4-year
Dominican University New York
Orangeburg, NY
Worth-It Score: 34/100
Median net price: $41,832
Common questions about American
The median net price at American is $41,943 per year. That is the average yearly price after typical grant aid for students in the public federal data, not the published sticker price.
Get your personalized Worth-It score
National averages are a starting point. Plug in your actual aid offer, intended major, and family situation to get a score that reflects your specific picture.
Looking at private colleges options in District of Columbia? See the most affordable private colleges in District of Columbia →
The Worth-It Score weighs affordability (40%), after graduation outcomes (40%), and repayment burden (20%). Underlying data points come from publicly available federal higher education reporting. See full methodology →