AU’s Focus on Purpose, People, and Programs Reflected in New Rankings

American University's commitment enhancing to student thriving and the undergraduate experience, advancing impactful research, and tackling the world's most pressing challenges manifests itself in myriad ways.

Across our campus, students find their community and hone their purpose. Faculty, who exemplify the scholar-teacher ideal, innovate and inspire. Staff ensure our programs and students are poised for success.

And Eagle excellence demonstrates itself in the newly released 2025 US News and World Report rankings, with AU jumping 14 spots to No. 91 in the list of best colleges-the third highest rise among institutions in the top 100. AU also checked in at No. 47 among the best private universities in the country.

"American University continues to demonstrate its commitment to excellence for our students and our jump in the US New Best Colleges rankings reflects that," said President Jon Alger. "Our focus on improvements in student thriving and outcomes for our graduates will continue to grow as we work to deliver an educational experience that prepares our students to succeed in all aspects of their lives."

AU's focus on experiential education, leveraging our campus in Washington, DC, and creating impactful research led to high grades in the specialty rankings, which are based on peer assessments of the university's performance in key areas of student success. AU is:

• No. 4 for study abroad, with 38 percent of the Class of 2023 participating in AU's nearly 100 programs in 40 countries.
• No. 19 for co-ops and internships-up two spots from last year. About 85 percent of students pursue at least one internship, with AU's Eagle Internship Fund and Professional Development Fund providing $375,000 in in funding for high-need students.
• No. 23 for undergraduate research and creative projects-up from No. 41 last year. AU offers myriad opportunities to learn and work alongside faculty mentors, including the Summer Scholars and Artists Research Fellowship, which provides up to $4,000 in funding for a student-faculty collaboration, and the Mathias Student Research Conference, which saw a record 145 student presenters in April.
• No. 26 for undergraduate teaching, a five-point jump from last year. AU boasts an 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio and an average undergraduate class size of 23 students. This fall the College of Arts and Science debuted Swiftonomics, a class created by two juniors, while the School of Communication's SOC3 program-a student-run communications agency, which works with real-life clients like DC Central Kitchen-just marked its second anniversary.
• No. 33 for first-year experience. Initiatives like the Summer Transition Enrichment Program help incoming students before they even begin classes at AU, while programmatic offerings like Project Move In and Writer as Witness ensure they are engaged, supported, and building community. The recent renovations in the TDR dining hall also underscore AU's commitment to student thriving.
• No. 38 for most innovative-up from No. 46 last year. The Kogod School of Business announced this spring that it's infusing AI throughout its entire curriculum, launching or updating 20 courses this fall, while the Transforming Research into Action Center-funded by a $5.7 million National Science Foundation grant-fosters the application of research findings in both public and private sector, to amplify the impact of faculty scholarship.

The US News and World Report rankings come on the heels of some of AU's schools and colleges being ranked among the nation's best. They include:

• The School of International Service is No. 8 in both undergraduate and graduate programs, according to Foreign Policy.
• Kogod is No. 8 for international business and No. 16 for the full-time MBA in international business, according to US News and World Report. Fortune also named Kogod's full-time MBA 43rd in the country and No. 2 among ranked schools in DC. Kogod was also recognized for having the top sustainability curriculum in the country.
• The School of Public Affairs is No. 13, with three of its programs-public management and leadership, nonprofit management, and international policy and global administration-ranked in the top 10, according to US News and World Report. This marks the fourth year in a row that SPA has been named the top school of its kind in Washington.