For the application year 2024, American University had a domestic acceptance rate of 47% with 17,786 applicants and 8,427 acceptances. This marks a significant increase compared to the acceptance rate of 39% in the application year 2023, where 20,036 applicants were recorded. However, the acceptance rate significantly fluctuated in previous years, reaching a high of 64% in the application year 2025 and dropping to 41% in the application year 2026. These variations suggest a changing landscape in applicant competitiveness and admissions criteria at American University.