American University vs Saint Louis University (SLU)

American University and Saint Louis University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. American University, located in the heart of Washington, D.C., boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on international relations and public policy. Saint Louis University, rooted in Jesuit tradition, emphasizes a well-rounded education with strengths in the liberal arts, business, and health sciences. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	American University	Saint Louis University
Overview
Location	Washington, District of Columbia	Saint Louis, Missouri
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%	89.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Methodism	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	64.1%	70.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $61	$55
SAT range	1280 - 1440	1220 - 1430
ACT range	29 - 33	27 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	28.0%	9.0%
Students submitting ACT score	18.0%	26.0%
Total number of applicants	19,650	15,047
Total number of admissions given out	12,594	10,540
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,372	1,794
Yield rate	18.8%	17.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$70,512	$66,980
Average net price	$28,622	$30,096
Tuition	$52,542	$48,100
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,096 Meal plan: $6,314	Room/dormitory: $8,249 Meal plan: $5,244
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	98.0% Average amount $34,202
Students receiving federal student loan	38.0% Average amount $4,933	50.0% Average amount $5,313
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $25,877	9.0% Average amount $17,163

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,463 Men 37.2% Women 62.8%	8,745 Men 39.5% Women 60.5%
Graduate students	6,389 Men 37.1% Women 62.9%	4,729 Men 39.9% Women 60.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	10.6%	5.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	4,080	4,083
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Legal Profession Social Sciences Public Administration and Social Service Education	Health Professions Business Engineering Legal Profession Education
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	78.7%	80.0%
Dropout rate	20.9%	19.6%
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	International Business (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $109,763 Year 3: $138,445 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $114,892 Year 3: $114,118 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $83,242 Year 2: $92,243 Year 3: $99,680 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,584 Year 2: $85,391 Year 3: $92,599 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $81,720 Year 2: $88,904 Year 3: $90,866 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,607 Year 2: $70,253 Year 3: $81,493 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,962 Year 2: $66,941 Year 3: $77,500 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $68,121 Year 2: $70,680 Year 3: $72,663 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $76,556 Year 2: $78,343 Year 3: $72,499 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,963 Year 2: $64,990 Year 3: $71,570

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