Washington, DC · Private · Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.
How to pay for American University
What a year costs here, what brings it down, and what paying in the order that costs least is worth for a family like yours.
Paying for four years here
Four years here, after grants
$170,856
Paying it in the order that costs least saves a family like this about $20,855.
Your plan shows, with your own numbers:
- Which money pays each bill, semester by semester
- Which loans to take, if any, and what they will cost a month
- The dates that matter, from the FAFSA to the first bill
Best once your award letter arrives. No letter yet? Get a reminder when it does.
A family of four with $500 a month for college. How we worked these out ↓
A year at American University
| Full price | $88,970 |
| After grants, at your income | $37,232 |
66% of first-year students here got a grant or scholarship from the college in 2023-24, $35,415 on average.
At this income, 5 of DC's other 6 colleges cost less after grants, and 1 cost more. See them all →
What can bring it down
Merit scholarships. In state: The District Scholars Award covers full tuition, room and board for 10 students a year from DC public and charter high schools, by achievement and need (and 1 more below).
Get reminders for the dates that matter
We'll email you on the dates that matter: when the FAFSA opens, when award letters arrive, and before you choose a college and pay the first bill. If college is two or more years away, we'll also email you when the tax year that counts begins and when it has a month left.
Considering more than one college?
Put the schools you are considering on one list and we price each of them for your family. It is free. It asks what you earn and what you have saved, never your name.
Put your schools side by side →Merit scholarships
What American University says it awards for grades and test scores.
In state: the District Scholars Award covers full tuition, room and board for 10 students a year from DC public and charter high schools, by achievement and need
AU Presidential, Deans' and Leadership scholarships, $6,000 to $35,000, for students in the top 10 to 15 percent of admitted students. No separate application. Renewable for eight semesters
How we worked these out
The family
A family of four with $500 a month to put toward college, and the savings you pick. In state, the grants are what American University reports families at that income got, on average. Your own will differ, and a family with no aid pays close to the full price.
What the order saves
The difference, over four years, between paying in the order that costs least and the usual way: savings first, then loans for the rest. It counts loan interest and the federal tax credit.
The prices by income
- They describe students who got aid.
- “Over $110,000” has no upper limit, so it averages families just over $110,000 with far wealthier ones. A family at $115,000 should expect to pay less than it shows.
- Each range is reported on its own, so the prices do not always rise with income.
Grants from the college
How many first-year students got a grant or scholarship from American University, and the average, are the Department of Education's figures for full-time students who started college in 2023-24. They cover every income. The prices after grants already count these grants, so don't take them off again. The Department of Education's page for American University →
Where the prices come from
Where the prices come from: American University's own 2026-27 tuition, fees, housing, food and books, from its website, carried forward to 2027 at 4.0% a year. The grants are the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (2024-25 figures), carried forward the same way. Each price after grants is the cost less those grants. The average price after grants counts the students who get federal aid. Your own figure will be different.
American University's own budget for 2026-27 is $87,374. It also counts costs the university doesn't bill for, such as travel and personal spending. We leave those out.
SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by American University. Aid policies change; check current terms with the college's aid office.
Nearby at your income
- George Washington University$33,116 a year
- The Catholic University of America$34,802 a year
- American University$37,232 a year
- Howard University$61,901 a year
What each college charges, less the average grant for your income. Every DC college →