Washington University in St Louis (WashU) vs American University

Washington University in St Louis and American University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Washington University, nestled in the vibrant city of St. Louis, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 14%, while American University, located in the heart of Washington, D.C., maintains a slightly higher acceptance rate of 22%. In terms of student body demographics, Washington University's undergraduate population is more diverse, with international students comprising 16% of the student body compared to American University's 10%. Both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate programs, with popular majors at Washington University including Biology, Economics, and Computer Science, while American University is known for its strengths in International Studies, Political Science, and Public Administration. With graduation rates of 91% and 83% respectively, both universities ensure that their students are well-prepared for successful careers. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these two exceptional

	American University	Washington University in St Louis
Overview
Location	Washington, District of Columbia	Saint Louis, Missouri
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 and Graduate
Students retention rate	90.0%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	64.1%	13.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $61	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $45
SAT range	1280 - 1440	1490 - 1570
ACT range	29 - 33	33 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	28.0%	25.0%
Students submitting ACT score	18.0%	41.0%
Total number of applicants	19,650	33,634
Total number of admissions given out	12,594	4,373
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,372	1,980
Yield rate	18.8%	45.3%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$70,512	$81,620
Average net price	$28,622	$28,298
Tuition	$52,542	$57,750
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,096 Meal plan: $6,314	Room/dormitory: $12,350 Meal plan: $5,550
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	44.0% Average amount $51,288
Students receiving federal student loan	38.0% Average amount $4,933	14.0% Average amount $4,790
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $25,877	2.0% Average amount $25,095

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,463 Men 37.2% Women 62.8%	8,034 Men 46.4% Women 53.6%
Graduate students	6,389 Men 37.1% Women 62.9%	8,939 Men 47.6% Women 52.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	88.2%
International students	10.6%	26.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	4,080	6,826
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	California Missouri New York Illinois Florida

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Legal Profession Social Sciences Public Administration and Social Service Education	Business Legal Profession Engineering Health Professions Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	7:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	78.7%	93.1%
Dropout rate	20.9%	6.5%
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	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $89,930 Year 2: $99,517 Year 3: $149,178 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,627 Year 2: $112,270 Year 3: $125,369 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $83,311 Year 2: $91,744 Year 3: $123,261 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $90,605 Year 2: $80,755 Year 3: $115,101 Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,604 Year 2: $85,538 Year 3: $96,865 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,886 Year 2: $67,995 Year 3: $82,126 Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $57,989 Year 2: $58,334 Year 3: $73,030 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,467 Year 2: $64,379 Year 3: $68,070 Public Health (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,193 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $66,777 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $67,699 Year 2: $63,997 Year 3: $66,289

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