Fordham vs American University

Fordham University and American University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Fordham, a Jesuit university in New York City, boasts a lower acceptance rate and a higher graduation rate compared to American, a private research university in Washington, D.C. While Fordham's student body is predominantly Catholic, American's student body is more diverse. In terms of academics, Fordham excels in liberal arts and sciences, while American is known for its strong programs in international relations and public affairs. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover more key differences between these two exceptional universities and make an informed decision about your academic future.

	American University	Fordham University
Overview
Location	Washington, District of Columbia	Bronx, New York
Campus setting	City: Large	City: 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 and Graduate
Students retention rate	90.0%	88.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Methodism	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	64.1%	58.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $61	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70
SAT range	1280 - 1440	1300 - 1480
ACT range	29 - 33	30 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	28.0%	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	18.0%	11.0%
Total number of applicants	19,650	46,275
Total number of admissions given out	12,594	26,980
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,372	2,879
Yield rate	18.8%	10.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	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	$72,559
Average net price	$28,622	$37,583
Tuition	$52,542	$54,730
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,096 Meal plan: $6,314	$21,035
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	64.0% Average amount $27,332	94.0% Average amount $34,114
Students receiving federal student loan	38.0% Average amount $4,933	52.0% Average amount $5,280
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $25,877	6.0% Average amount $26,677

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,463 Men 37.2% Women 62.8%	9,904 Men 40.8% Women 59.2%
Graduate students	6,389 Men 37.1% Women 62.9%	7,082 Men 34.3% Women 65.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	60.9%
International students	10.6%	10.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	4,080	4,749
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	New York New Jersey California Mississippi Connecticut

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Legal Profession Social Sciences Public Administration and Social Service Education	Business Public Administration and Social Service Legal Profession Computer and Information Science Education
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	78.7%	83.2%
Dropout rate	20.9%	6.7%
Transferred out	N/A	9.9%
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	Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $146,081 Year 2: $100,690 Year 3: $124,166 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,577 Year 2: $113,850 Year 3: $121,893 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,586 Year 2: $85,538 Year 3: $98,267 Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,240 Year 2: $81,702 Year 3: $96,920 Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $103,078 Year 3: $95,156 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,465 Year 2: $73,195 Year 3: $87,850 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,578 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: $87,004 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,968 Year 2: $71,351 Year 3: $82,005 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $58,702 Year 2: $79,081 Year 3: $81,526 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,805 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $73,993

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