George Washington University (GWU) vs American University

When it comes to higher education in the nation's capital, George Washington University (GW) and American University (AU) stand out as two of the most sought-after institutions. While both offer a vibrant campus life, rigorous academics, and excellent career prospects, they also have distinct characteristics that set them apart. GW boasts a lower acceptance rate, indicating its highly selective admissions process, while AU offers a more diverse student body, reflecting its commitment to inclusivity. With GW's strength in business, international affairs, and engineering, and AU's focus on public affairs, communications, and international service, students can choose the programs that best align with their academic interests. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details about these universities, including graduation rates, popular majors, and additional factors that can help you make an informed decision about your educational journey.

	American University	George Washington University
Overview
Location	Washington, District of Columbia	Washington, District of Columbia
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%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	64.1%	49.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $61	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $80
SAT range	1280 - 1440	1310 - 1490
ACT range	29 - 33	30 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	28.0%	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	18.0%	18.0%
Total number of applicants	19,650	27,236
Total number of admissions given out	12,594	13,539
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,372	2,571
Yield rate	18.8%	19.0%
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	$78,335
Average net price	$28,622	$31,240
Tuition	$52,542	$59,780
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,096 Meal plan: $6,314	Room/dormitory: $15,260 Meal plan: $3,240
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	74.0% Average amount $31,678
Students receiving federal student loan	38.0% Average amount $4,933	30.0% Average amount $5,150
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $25,877	5.0% Average amount $25,366

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,463 Men 37.2% Women 62.8%	11,502 Men 36.3% Women 63.7%
Graduate students	6,389 Men 37.1% Women 62.9%	14,955 Men 38.1% Women 61.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	98.7%
International students	10.6%	11.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	4,080	6,693
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 Virginia California Pennsylvania

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	78.7%	83.7%
Dropout rate	20.9%	16.1%
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	Systems Engineering (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $160,692 Year 2: $146,893 Year 3: $153,607 Human Resources Management and Services (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $124,764 Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $130,306 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $124,241 Year 2: $127,142 Year 3: $127,952 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $107,834 Year 2: $114,046 Year 3: $119,393 Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $106,809 Year 2: $101,072 Year 3: $112,813 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $98,922 Year 2: $104,061 Year 3: $111,679 Public Health (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $84,962 Year 2: $104,192 Year 3: $105,816 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $104,747 Year 2: $96,405 Year 3: $105,562 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $95,274 Year 2: $101,254 Year 3: $103,350 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $77,345 Year 2: $83,177 Year 3: $102,875

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