American University vs Hampshire College

American University and Hampshire College, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences for prospective students. American University, located in the heart of Washington, D.C., boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on public affairs, international relations, and the liberal arts. Hampshire College, nestled in the picturesque Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts, emphasizes experiential learning, interdisciplinary studies, and social justice. With acceptance rates of 35% and 48%, respectively, both universities offer competitive admissions processes. While American University is known for its popular majors in international studies, political science, and business administration, Hampshire College excels in interdisciplinary studies, social sciences, and the arts. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these institutions, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your college decision.

	American University	Hampshire College
Overview
Location	Washington, District of Columbia	Amherst, Massachusetts
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	90.0%	72.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	64.1%	75.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $61
SAT range	1280 - 1440	N/A
ACT range	29 - 33	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	28.0%
Students submitting ACT score	18.0%
Total number of applicants	19,650	1,340
Total number of admissions given out	12,594	1,007
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,372	133
Yield rate	18.8%	13.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$70,512	$66,658
Average net price	$28,622	$30,168
Tuition	$52,542	$51,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,096 Meal plan: $6,314	Room/dormitory: $8,520 Meal plan: $5,912
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	64.0% Average amount $27,332	100.0% Average amount $36,653
Students receiving federal student loan	38.0% Average amount $4,933	64.0% Average amount $4,793
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $25,877	1.0% Average amount $8,793

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,463 Men 37.2% Women 62.8%	472 Men 38.1% Women 61.9%
Graduate students	6,389 Men 37.1% Women 62.9%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	10.6%	6.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	4,080	1,180
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Legal Profession Social Sciences Public Administration and Social Service Education	Visual & Performing Arts English Language and Literature Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Ethnic Studies
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	78.7%	62.4%
Dropout rate	20.9%	37.3%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,187 Year 2: $97,907 Year 3: $111,993 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $89,205 Year 2: $99,458 Year 3: $107,216 Economics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,457 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $93,099 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,734 Year 2: $74,953 Year 3: $85,544 Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,308 Year 2: $60,771 Year 3: $80,276 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $60,267 Year 2: $63,203 Year 3: $78,002 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,356 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $76,697 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $66,014 Year 3: $76,448 International Relations and National Security Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,460 Year 2: $63,692 Year 3: $73,342 Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $63,600 Year 3: $72,861	Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,720 Year 2: $19,829 Year 3: $23,704

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

American University

University of Arizona