Despite what the name suggests, American University is not an excellent arbiter for admissions trends across colleges in the United States. Why? Because it’s more complicated than ever to get into most top schools in the nation. But by looking at the acceptance rate over the last decade at American University, you wouldn’t get a sense of this trend. Instead of getting more challenging to get into each year, if anything, American University has become less competitive. However, as we’ll unpack in this blog, it might not be for the reasons you might think.

American University is a private, federally chartered research university in Washington, DC. It’s an excellent choice for any student seeking to get their feet wet with the fast-paced world of DC politics, but anyone can make a home out of its lively and diverse campus. In the face of declining acceptance rates at comparable institutions, American remains an excellent choice for any student who wants an elite education without bringing undue stress on themselves during their senior year. But that doesn’t mean you should take for granted that American will admit you. Read on to find out why!

American University Acceptance Rate Over the Last Decade

American University Admissions Cycle	Overall Acceptance Rate
2023-2024	55%
2022-2023	~44%
2021-2022	64.00%
2020-2021	~39%
2019-2020	~38%
2018-2019	~35%
2017-2018	~33%
2016-2017	~31%
2015-2016	~26%
2014-2015	~38%
2013-2014	~46%

If one were to take a look at this data, compiled from a report by The Eagle, AU’s student-run newspaper, it would be difficult to say anything definite about the acceptance rate over the last decade. The rate of roughly 46% recorded for those applying during the 2013-2014 cycle is about the same as the ~44% rate recorded nine years later during the 2022-2023 cycle. While admissions were at their lowest for four years from 2015 to 2018, they quickly shot back up when the pandemic struck. How does one make sense of it?

Fortunately, the fastidious student reporters over at American haven’t left it to us to piece together this mystery data. According to that same report from The Eagle, AU administrators have sought to expand the student body since 2021, accounting for that dramatic spike in acceptance between the 2020 and 2021 cycles:

“’AU doesn’t aim for a specific admit rate each year,’ University officials said. Rather, it creates enrollment targets — the number of students it aims to enroll, according to Felder. These targets vary each year. The University enrolled a smaller number of students in fall 2020 for the Class of 2024 because of the coronavirus pandemic and made a ’strategic decision to enroll a larger class in 2021, of which we had a strong pool of applicants,’ according to a statement given to The Eagle by the Office of University Communications and Marketing.”

So there you have it. While it might look like AU’s reputation must have taken a blow during this time frame, leading them to be desperate for any applicants they could get their hands on, the reality is that this increase in acceptance rate was a strategic decision on the university’s part to adjust to a post-pandemic world. It just goes to show that not everything is as it seems in the modern college admissions process!

Ivy Coach’s Assistance With American University Acceptance

It’s not wise to throw in the towel on your AU application, even in the face of these relatively high acceptance rates. There’s no telling when AU’s administration will decide to cut back and shrink its class size and acceptance rate — you don’t want your child to be a casualty in this process if you can avoid it!

Turning to Ivy Coach’s team of former elite college admissions officers to help optimize your child’s odds of admission to American will ensure that you’ve done all you can to help them realize their dreams of sporting the classic red, white, and blue garb proudly and patriotically. So, fill out our complimentary consultation form, and we’ll be in touch with an outline of our services.