Admissions & selectivity
American University Acceptance Rate & Admissions
What is the acceptance rate at American?
American’s reported acceptance rate is 62.0%.
- Acceptance rate · Fall 2024
- 62.0%
Source: College Scorecard · Fall 2024 admissions. Acceptance rates can change from year to year; this figure does not predict the current or next admission cycle.
How to interpret the acceptance rate
For applicants, American University admitted 62.0% of the reported applicant pool, a rate below the median of 71.2% for comparable institutions (same type and size). The difference points to a lower reported admission outcome here than at those comparable institutions, without predicting an individual decision.
What SAT and ACT scores do enrolled American students report?
In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, American University reported that 22% of its entering class submitted SAT scores. The middle half of those SAT submitters scored from 1300 to 1430.
Among the 8% who submitted ACT scores, the middle half scored from 29 to 32. Far more of the entering class submitted SAT scores than ACT scores, so the SAT range describes more of the class.
The ranges below describe enrolled students who submitted test scores at American. Use them as academic context, then check the university’s current testing policy for your application cycle.
22% of entering students submitted SAT scores
- 25th percentile
- 1300
- Median
- 1370
- 75th percentile
- 1430
CDS 2024-25 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
8% of entering students submitted ACT scores
- 25th percentile
- 29
- Median
- 31
- 75th percentile
- 32
CDS 2024-25 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
Source: American University Common Data Set 2024-25, C9 · Enrolled first-time, first-year score submitters.
Who enrolls at American?
- Pell Grant recipients
- 13.9%
- Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group
- 7.1%
- First-year retention
- 88.2%
Retention source: College Scorecard; full-time first-year retention.
About these student measures
The entering-student group includes part-time entrants as well as other attendance patterns.
In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, American University reported 805 degree-seeking transfer applicants, 665 admitted, and 119 enrolled. The university has 7,266 undergraduates; 13.9% receive Pell Grants, and an estimated 7.1% enter as transfers or part-time students.
Those figures show an undergraduate population that includes both federal grant recipients and people continuing coursework begun elsewhere, without indicating admission priorities. Pell-eligible applicants should use the site cost calculator to estimate their grant-adjusted price, while transfer applicants should review transfer information alongside program pages for their intended field.
American University shows above-peer persistence through both the first year and graduation, with Pell recipients completing at almost the overall rate. For the first-time full-time cohort, the six-year graduation rate is 75.5%, higher than the peer median of 68.8% for comparable institutions.
Among full-time bachelor’s-seeking first-year entrants, 88.2% return for a second year, compared with a peer median of 83.4%. Pell recipients in the first-time full-time cohort have a 75.4% six-year completion rate, below the overall rate by 0.1 percentage points.
Enrolled students can expect published retention and graduation measures that exceed peer benchmarks, alongside Pell completion that is close to the overall figure.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Admission rates describe past applicants, not an individual’s chance of admission; confirm requirements and deadlines with the institution.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.