American University
Washington, District of Columbia · Private, nonprofit
Graduate earnings
27of 31 assessed undergraduate programs
have graduates earning more than a typical District of Columbia high-school graduate (about $40,140 a year). 4 fall short.
31 of 57 undergraduate programs could be assessed. The other 26 have no earnings published. 5 verdicts use 1-year earnings, an earlier career stage. The 106 graduate programs are in the table.
Average net price, all families$41,943 a year By family income
What it would cost
Net price is the yearly cost after grants and scholarships, as reported for students who received federal aid.
Average for all families
$41,943 a year
About $167,772 over 4 years, if price and aid stay the same.
This multiplies the reported yearly net price by the years you choose. It is not a quote or a prediction: it leaves out interest, price rises and the chance of taking longer to finish.
Net price for every income band
| Family income | Net price per year |
|---|---|
| Under $30k | $23,233 |
| $30k to $48k | $20,444 |
| $48k to $75k | $26,035 |
| $75k to $110k | $30,063 |
| $110k and up | $53,673 |
| All families (average) | $41,943 |
College Scorecard, release 2026-06-10. Bands with no figure were not reported by the school.
Program earnings
Median earnings of each program’s graduates against a typical District of Columbia high-school graduate ($40,140 a year).
61 of 163 programs could be assessed 37% have an earnings verdict
| Program | Degree | Median earnings | vs a high-school grad | Verdict | Median debt | Debt as years of gain | Recent completers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Relations | Master's Degree | $97,808 | +$57,668 | above HS line | $61,500 | 1.1 yrs | 486 |
| International Relations | Bachelor's Degree | $73,865 | +$33,725 | clears the bar | $23,250 | 0.7 yrs | 387 |
| Law | First Professional Degree | $109,523 | +$69,383 | above HS line | $161,696 | 2.3 yrs | 317 |
| Business Administration | Bachelor's Degree | $88,359 | +$48,219 | clears the bar | $24,500 | 0.5 yrs | 264 |
| Public Administration | Master's Degree | $107,866 | +$67,726 | above HS line | $55,000 | 0.8 yrs | 220 |
| Political Science | Bachelor's Degree | $73,604 | +$33,464 | clears the bar | $23,250 | 0.7 yrs | 216 |
| Interdisciplinary Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $76,552 | +$36,412 | clears the bar | $23,000 | 0.6 yrs | 125 |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies | Master's Degree | $96,768 | +$56,628 | above HS line | $65,926 | 1.2 yrs | 124 |
| Educational Administration | Master's Degree | $93,310 | +$53,170 | above HS line | $43,885 | 0.8 yrs | 111 |
| Public Relations and Advertising | Bachelor's Degree | $78,410 | +$38,270 | clears the bar | $26,442 | 0.7 yrs | 107 |
| Public Policy Analysis | Master's Degree | $98,588 | +$58,448 | above HS line | $54,986 | 0.9 yrs | 105 |
| Criminal Justice | Bachelor's Degree | $66,970 | +$26,830 | clears the bar | $23,250 | 0.9 yrs | 104 |
| Homeland Security | Master's Degree | $96,954 | +$56,814 | above HS line | $41,000 | 0.7 yrs | 104 |
| Business Administration | Master's Degree | $127,269 | +$87,129 | above HS line | $89,433 | 1.0 yrs | 81 |
| Psychology | Bachelor's Degree | $62,240 | +$22,100 | clears the bar | $23,500 | 1.1 yrs | 79 |
| Communications and Media | Master's Degree | $94,424 | +$54,284 | above HS line | $51,250 | 0.9 yrs | 78 |
| Economics | Bachelor's Degree | $85,016 | +$44,876 | clears the bar | $22,191 | 0.5 yrs | 71 |
| Management Science | Master's Degree | $127,356 | +$87,216 | above HS line | $51,250 | 0.6 yrs | 66 |
| Public Health | Bachelor's Degree | $70,831 | +$30,691 | clears the bar | $23,250 | 0.8 yrs | 65 |
| Finance | Bachelor's Degree | $134,332 | +$94,192 | clears the bar | $22,625 | 0.2 yrs | 65 |
| Interdisciplinary Studies | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $66,603 | +$26,463 | clears the bar | $22,673 | 0.9 yrs | 63 |
| Political Science | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $81,004 | +$40,864 | clears the bar | $23,250 | 0.6 yrs | 56 |
| Natural Resources and Conservation | Master's Degree | $104,878 | +$64,738 | above HS line | $26,500 | 0.4 yrs | 50 |
| Economics | Master's Degree | $103,169 | +$63,029 | above HS line | $46,108 | 0.7 yrs | 50 |
| Journalism | Bachelor's Degree | $66,635 | +$26,495 | clears the bar | $24,976 | 0.9 yrs | 49 |
| Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution | Master's Degree | $89,800 | +$49,660 | above HS line | $62,122 | 1.3 yrs | 45 |
| Film and Photography | Bachelor's Degree | $52,661 | +$12,521 | clears the bar | $22,000 | 1.8 yrs | 45 |
| Teacher Education (by level) | Master's Degree | $67,617 | +$27,477 | above HS line | $51,250 | 1.9 yrs | 42 |
| Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services | Master's Degree | $74,598 | +$34,458 | above HS line | $51,250 | 1.5 yrs | 42 |
| Philosophy | Master's Degree | $82,273 | +$42,133 | above HS line | $42,373 | 1.0 yrs | 36 |
| Public Relations and Advertising | Master's Degree | $97,932 | +$57,792 | above HS line | $53,268 | 0.9 yrs | 33 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $69,517 | +$29,377 | clears the bar | $24,250 | 0.8 yrs | 31 |
| Non-Professional Legal Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $72,792 | +$32,652 | clears the bar | $24,375 | 0.7 yrs | 31 |
| Computer Science | Bachelor's Degree | $117,293 | +$77,153 | clears the bar | not published | not assessed | 29 |
| Kinesiology and Physical Education | Master's Degree | $58,0191-year earnings | +$17,879 | above HS line (1-yr) | $49,264 | 2.8 yrs | 29 |
| History | Bachelor's Degree | $59,630 | +$19,490 | clears the bar | $26,000 | 1.3 yrs | 29 |
| Journalism | Master's Degree | $67,819 | +$27,679 | above HS line | $55,989 | 2.0 yrs | 28 |
| Communications and Media | Bachelor's Degree | $67,863 | +$27,723 | clears the bar | $22,611 | 0.8 yrs | 27 |
| Political Science | Master's Degree | $98,567 | +$58,427 | above HS line | not published | not assessed | 27 |
| History | Master's Degree | $68,296 | +$28,156 | above HS line | $41,000 | 1.5 yrs | 27 |
| Natural Resources and Conservation | Bachelor's Degree | $63,711 | +$23,571 | clears the bar | $26,125 | 1.1 yrs | 26 |
| Area Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $43,6711-year earnings | +$3,531 | clears the bar (1-yr) | $25,000 | 7.1 yrs | 26 |
| Film and Photography | Master's Degree | $76,808 | +$36,668 | above HS line | $66,504 | 1.8 yrs | 26 |
| Biology | Bachelor's Degree | $33,9171-year earnings | -$6,223 | falls short (1-yr) | $19,701 | no earnings gain | 25 |
| Criminal Justice | Master's Degree | $89,015 | +$48,875 | above HS line | not published | not assessed | 25 |
| Fine Arts | Master's Degree | $55,550 | +$15,410 | above HS line | $51,250 | 3.3 yrs | 25 |
| Sociology | Bachelor's Degree | $40,1191-year earnings | -$21 | falls short (1-yr) | not published | not assessed | 21 |
| Accounting | Master's Degree | $112,384 | +$72,244 | above HS line | not published | not assessed | 21 |
| Teacher Education (by level) | Bachelor's Degree | $66,160 | +$26,020 | clears the bar | $27,000 | 1.0 yrs | 18 |
| Psychology | Master's Degree | $73,628 | +$33,488 | above HS line | not published | not assessed | 17 |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians | Master's Degree | $74,573 | +$34,433 | above HS line | not published | not assessed | 16 |
| Literature | Bachelor's Degree | $54,436 | +$14,296 | clears the bar | $26,105 | 1.8 yrs | 16 |
| Theatre | Bachelor's Degree | $23,9791-year earnings | -$16,161 | falls short (1-yr) | $24,989 | no earnings gain | 16 |
| Fine Arts | Bachelor's Degree | $35,1151-year earnings | -$5,025 | falls short (1-yr) | $23,250 | no earnings gain | 14 |
| Accounting | Bachelor's Degree | $119,020 | +$78,880 | clears the bar | not published | not assessed | 13 |
| Public Health | Master's Degree | $83,880 | +$43,740 | above HS line | not published | not assessed | 12 |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians | Bachelor's Degree | $75,461 | +$35,321 | clears the bar | $19,085 | 0.5 yrs | 11 |
| Anthropology | Bachelor's Degree | $53,036 | +$12,896 | clears the bar | not published | not assessed | 11 |
| International and Comparative Education | Master's Degree | $79,464 | +$39,324 | above HS line | $39,375 | 1.0 yrs | 8 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $63,553 | +$23,413 | clears the bar | $25,000 | 1.1 yrs | 7 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management | Master's Degree | $65,062 | +$24,922 | above HS line | $59,904 | 2.4 yrs | 6 |
| Information Science | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 38 |
| Human Resources | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 32 |
| Educational Administration | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 28 |
| Marketing | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 25 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 23 |
| Management Science | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 21 |
| Special Education | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 18 |
| Statistics | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 17 |
| IT Administration and Management | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 16 |
| International Relations | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 16 |
| Healthcare Administration | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 14 |
| Security Science and Technology | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 13 |
| Anthropology | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 13 |
| Design | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 13 |
| Neuroscience | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 12 |
| Mathematics | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 11 |
| Computer Science | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 10 |
| Mathematics and Statistics, Other | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 10 |
| Physics | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 10 |
| Economics | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 10 |
| Biology | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 9 |
| Finance | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 9 |
| Philosophy | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 8 |
| Clinical and Counseling Psychology | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 8 |
| Sociology | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 8 |
| International Relations | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 7 |
| Dance | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 7 |
| International Business | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 7 |
| Taxation | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 7 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 6 |
| Biochemistry and Molecular Biology | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 6 |
| Statistics | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 6 |
| Data Science | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 6 |
| Design | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 6 |
| Accounting | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 6 |
| Real Estate | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 6 |
| Communications and Media | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 5 |
| Biotechnology | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 5 |
| Statistics | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 5 |
| Human Resources | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 5 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| Literature | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| Neuroscience | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| International/Globalization Studies | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| Criminal Justice | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| Music | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| History | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Neuroscience | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Statistics | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Public Administration | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Political Science | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| International and Comparative Education | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Legal Professions and Studies, Other | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Kinesiology and Physical Education | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Religion/Religious Studies | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Chemistry | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Chemistry | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Economics | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Political Science | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Health/Medical Preparatory Programs | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Business Administration | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 1 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 1 |
| Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 1 |
| Applied Mathematics | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 1 |
| Applied Mathematics | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 1 |
| Data Analytics | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 1 |
| Anthropology | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 1 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 1 |
| Area Studies | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Educational Administration | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Liberal Arts and General Studies | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Liberal Arts and General Studies | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Mathematics | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Computational Science | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Philosophy | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Public Administration | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Public Policy Analysis | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Anthropology | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Anthropology | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Sociology | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Social Sciences, Other | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Design | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Health/Medical Preparatory Programs | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| International Business | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Real Estate | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Taxation | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Area Studies | Master's Degree | not reported | not reported | nothing reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
Every program, including those without a verdict: download all 163 (CSV).
Sources and definitions
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, release 2026-06-10. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid. Debt is federal loans only.
- The high-school line is ED’s state benchmark, $40,140 a year.
- Earnings not published: ED reports the program but no earnings figure, usually because too few graduates were measured. Nothing reported: ED lists the program with no figures at all. Neither is a judgement of the program.
- Debt as years of gain is median federal debt divided by how much more graduates earn per year than a typical high-school graduate. It is not a repayment time.
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