DC
American University
2.19 incidents / 1,000 students
Washington, DC · Clery Act 2024 · Private Nonprofit
American University
Across 2022–2024, American University reported 24 incidents in the Clery Criminal Offenses section, and the yearly count rose over that span (largest filed category: Burglary). Nearby same-state same-level comparison: Howard University.
- 2.19
- Incidents / 1k students
- #1,089
- Rank of 2,072
- #5
- DC rank
- 12,321
- Enrolled students
2.19 reported score-category incidents per 1,000 students
American University reports 2.19 2024 score-category incidents per 1,000 - 71% above California State University-East Bay. Similar-enrollment scored peers: California State University-East Bay (2.60/1k); Santa Barbara City College (0.57/1k); Nassau Community College (0.81/1k); University of Idaho (2.28/1k); Community College of Rhode Island (0.16/1k). Same-state same-level set also includes Howard University (2.22/1k); The Catholic University of America (0.57/1k); Georgetown University (3.94/1k); University of the District of Columbia (3.57/1k); Trinity Washington University (0.00/1k); Gallaudet University (100.37/1k); University of the Potomac-Washington DC Campus (0.00/1k); The Chicago School at Washington DC (0.00/1k). Largest Criminal Offenses total across filed years: Burglary.
Data source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey
- incidents / 1,000 students
- 2.19
- of 2,072 ranked nationally
- #1,089
- report fewer incidents than this campus
- 53%
- Criminal Offenses, 2024
- 11
Source: U.S. Department of Education OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey
Data updated August 2026
Clery Act plate
Sheet 131159 · American University 2.19/1k score rate · #1,089/2,072
RATE-MID · RANK-LOWER · ST-UPPER · PEER-FINISH · ZERO-NONE · TREND-UP · CAT-LEAD · ENR-MID · FIRE-REPORT
- RATE-MID 2.19/1k
- RANK-LOWER #1,089/2,072
- ST-UPPER #5 in state
- PEER-FINISH University of Idaho · ±0.09
- ZERO-NONE Scored
- TREND-UP ↑ 38%
- CAT-LEAD Burglary
- ENR-MID 12,321
- FIRE-REPORT 11 fires
Nearest enrollment peer: University of Idaho (+0.09/1k)
American University sheet RATE-MID · RANK-LOWER · ST-UPPER · PEER-FINISH · ZERO-NONE · TREND-UP · CAT-LEAD · ENR-MID · FIRE-REPORT · peer University of Idaho. Codes from this campus OPE filing: score-category rate, national/state rank, named enrollment peer, zero posture, Criminal Offenses trend, lead category, enrollment band, fire filing. Not a moving recommendation.
Clery plate RATE-MID · RANK-LOWER · ST-UPPER · PEER-FINISH · ZERO-NONE · TREND-UP · CAT-LEAD · ENR-MID · FIRE-REPORT. Nearest similar-enrollment peer is University of Idaho (+0.09/1k). National rank #1,089 of 2,072 scored campuses. Instrument codes from this campus OPE sheet; compare similarly sized peers before treating any single rate as decisive.
American University reports 2.19 2024 score-category incidents per 1,000 - 71% above California State University-East Bay. Similar-enrollment scored peers: California State University-East Bay (2.60/1k); Santa Barbara City College (0.57/1k); Nassau Community College (0.81/1k); University of Idaho (2.28/1k); Community College of Rhode Island (0.16/1k). Same-state same-level set also includes Howard University (2.22/1k); The Catholic University of America (0.57/1k); Georgetown University (3.94/1k); University of the District of Columbia (3.57/1k); Trinity Washington University (0.00/1k); Gallaudet University (100.37/1k); University of the Potomac-Washington DC Campus (0.00/1k); The Chicago School at Washington DC (0.00/1k). Largest Criminal Offenses total across filed years: Burglary.
Peer-rate neighbourhood around American University
Lowest/highest enrollment peers plus campuses nearest American on score-category rate. Full ladder: /rankings/safest-campuses.
- Community College of Rhode · lowest peer 0.16
Community College of Rhode Island — lowest peer
0.16 per 1,000 students
- Nassau Community College · near 0.81
Nassau Community College — near
0.81 per 1,000 students
- American University · this campus
American University — this campus
2.19 per 1,000 students
- University of Idaho · near
University of Idaho — near
2.28 per 1,000 students
- California State University-East Bay · highest peer
California State University-East Bay — highest peer
2.6 per 1,000 students
What this shows Neighbourhood of similar-enrollment peers around American University's 2.19/1k rate, not a full-corpus distribution reprint.
Reporting-period change
What changed in 2024
American University increased from 5 to 11 reported on-campus incidents between the 2023 and 2024 reporting years in the U.S. Department of Education OPE Campus Safety Survey.
This is a change in reported incidents, not a measure of individual safety. Enrollment, reporting practice, and category coverage can affect the count.
See national reporting-year changesSignature insight · size does not equal danger
Campus size vs reported safety rate
Among 15 DC 4-year peers in this comparison, American University is larger than 79% and safer-reporting than 43% - the larger, higher-reporting quadrant. Axes are within-sample percentiles so outliers share the same frame; a higher safety percentile means a lower Clery incidents-per-1,000 rate.
Read the chart as text
- Point 1: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 86, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 36
- Point 2: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 71, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 50
- Point 3: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 93, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 14
- Point 4: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 64, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 21
- Point 5: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 57, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 57
- Point 6: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 50, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 0
- Point 7: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 43, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 57
- Point 8: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 36, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 57
- Point 9: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 29, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 57
- Point 10: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 21, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 57
- Point 11: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 14, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 57
- Point 12: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 7, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 57
- Point 13: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 0, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 7
- Point 14: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 100, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 29
- American University: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 79, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 43
Read the chart as a table
| Campus | Enrollment | Rate / 1k | Size pct | Safety pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family | 65 | 46.15 | 0 | 7 |
| Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies | 74 | 0.00 | 7 | 57 |
| Institute of World Politics | 173 | 0.00 | 14 | 57 |
| Strayer University-District of Columbia | 188 | 0.00 | 21 | 57 |
| Wesley Theological Seminary | 374 | 0.00 | 29 | 57 |
| The Chicago School at Washington DC | 564 | 0.00 | 36 | 57 |
| University of the Potomac-Washington DC Campus | 1,241 | 0.00 | 43 | 57 |
| Gallaudet University | 1,335 | 100.37 | 50 | 0 |
| Trinity Washington University | 1,948 | 0.00 | 57 | 57 |
| University of the District of Columbia | 4,202 | 3.57 | 64 | 21 |
| The Catholic University of America | 5,243 | 0.57 | 71 | 50 |
| American University (this campus) | 12,321 | 2.19 | 79 | 43 |
Sample of 12 campuses from the plot (sorted by enrollment). Source: U.S. Department of Education OPE Campus Safety Survey + IPEDS enrollment. Rate = on-campus Criminal Offenses and VAWA incidents per 1,000 students; lower is safer-reporting, not a personal-risk forecast.
What changed between 2023 and 2024
Reported on-campus incidents at American University rose from 5 to 11 (+120%). The increase shows up in Rape (0 to 4), Aggravated Assault (0 to 1) and Burglary (4 to 5). Falling over the same period: Arson (1 to 0).
This describes reported incidents, not crime. Clery counts move with reporting policy, awareness campaigns and how a campus staffs its security authorities, so a rise can reflect better capture of reports and a fall can reflect worse capture. One year of movement at a single campus is not a trend.
What actually gets reported at American University
Across 3 reporting years, on-campus incidents were recorded in 5 Clery Act categories here: Burglary, Rape, Fondling, Aggravated Assault and Arson.
The remaining 6 categories were reported with no on-campus incidents, among them Incest, Motor Vehicle Theft, Murder / Non-Negligent Manslaughter and Negligent Manslaughter. Under the Clery Act that zero is an affirmative report that nothing in the category occurred, not an absence of data, which is why the table below lists those rows rather than dropping them.
Counts describe incidents reported under the Clery Act for the on-campus geography. Reporting practice varies between institutions, so counts are not a direct measure of relative safety.
Crime Statistics by Year
11 categories 3 reporting years on-campus onlyAmerican University: Criminal Offenses by year
Rising 38% (8 → 11 incidents)
Read the chart as text
| Period | On-campus incidents |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 8 |
| 2023 | 5 |
| 2024 | 11 |
| Crime Type | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Rape | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| Fondling | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Aggravated Assault | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Arson | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Incest | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Murder / Non-Negligent Manslaughter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Negligent Manslaughter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Robbery | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Statutory Rape | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Source: US Dept of Education OPE Campus Safety Survey. Table figures show the Criminal Offenses section; other Clery tables are separate
Fire Safety
| Year | Fires | Inj. | Deaths | Cat I | Cat II |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Arrests & Disciplinary Actions
36 category-year records| Category | Year | Arrests | Discipline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drugs | 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Drugs | 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Drugs | 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Drugs | 2024 | 4 | 67 |
| Liquor | 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Liquor | 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Liquor | 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Liquor | 2024 | 0 | 61 |
| Weapons | 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Weapons | 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Weapons | 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Weapons | 2024 | 0 | 3 |
| Drugs | 2023 | 0 | 0 |
| Drugs | 2023 | 0 | 0 |
| Drugs | 2023 | 0 | 0 |
| Drugs | 2023 | 0 | 53 |
| Liquor | 2023 | 0 | 0 |
| Liquor | 2023 | 0 | 0 |
| Liquor | 2023 | 0 | 0 |
| Liquor | 2023 | 0 | 110 |
American University vs peer institutions
Side-by-side safety scores for 3 peers of similar enrollment
Scores are $2024 Criminal Offenses and VAWA incidents per 1,000 enrolled students (lower is fewer in those categories).
CA
California State University-East Bay
2.60 incidents / 1,000 students
CA
Santa Barbara City College
0.57 incidents / 1,000 students
Cost context
Where American University sits on price and outcomes
At $41,943, American University's reported average net price is cheaper than 82% among 11 District of Columbia colleges with a reported figure. The state median is $29,561.
- $41,943
- average net price
- $29,561
- District of Columbia median
- 2.7×
- six-year earnings to median debt
- $30,440
- reported income-bracket spread
Aid here is steeply income-scaled. Families reporting under $30,000 of income record a net price of $23,233, while those above $110,000 record $53,673 - roughly 2.3 times as much. A published average of $41,943 therefore describes very few families well; the bracket nearest your own income is the more useful figure.
Median earnings six years after entry ($61,328) are less than 1.5 years of the reported net price. That is a thin margin, and it is the figure worth pressing the school on before enrolling.
Average net price reflects grant and scholarship aid for aided students, not a personal offer. Earnings cover former students who received federal aid; neither measure predicts an individual's outcome.
Academic & Financial Profile
Tuition & Costs
- In-State Tuition
- $58,771
- Out-of-State Tuition
- $58,771
- Avg Net Price
- $41,943
- Median Debt
- $22,750
- Pell Grant Recipients
- 14%
Admissions
- Acceptance Rate
- 62%
- SAT Average
- 1381
- SAT Math Range
- 620-720
- ACT Average
- 31
- ACT Range
- 29-32
Outcomes
- 4-Year Graduation Rate
- 77%
- Retention Rate
- 88%
- Median Earnings (6yr)
- $61,328
- Median Earnings (10yr)
- $77,370
- Loan Repayment (3yr)
- 86%
Source: IPEDS & College Scorecard. Methodology.
Similar Institutions
Showing 5 of 693 similar institutions by enrollment size.
California State University-East Bay
Hayward, CA · 12,326 enrolled
Safety Score 2.60
Santa Barbara City College
Santa Barbara, CA · 12,334 enrolled
Safety Score 0.57
Nassau Community College
Garden City, NY · 12,301 enrolled
Safety Score 0.81
University of Idaho
Moscow, ID · 12,286 enrolled
Safety Score 2.28
Community College of Rhode Island
Warwick, RI · 12,275 enrolled
Safety Score 0.16
Closest by National Rank
American University (national rank #1089) sits near Mohawk Valley Community College (#1088) and Eastern Washington University (#1090) on the scored national list, nearest by rank, not by size or state.
Mohawk Valley Community College
Utica, NY
National Rank #1088
Eastern Washington University
Cheney, WA
National Rank #1090
Geneva College
Beaver Falls, PA
National Rank #1091
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Erie, PA
National Rank #1087
Eastern Kentucky University
Richmond, KY
National Rank #1086
Nationwide campuses with similar scale or Clery rate
Two Clery-derived peer sets for American University, both outside DC so the neighborhoods are not state containment (Similar Institutions and national-rank neighbors above stay enrollment- or rank-based).
Similar enrollment (nationwide)
California State University-East Bay
Hayward, CA · 12,326 enrolled
Safety score 2.60
University of Idaho
Moscow, ID · 12,286 enrolled
Safety score 2.28
Georgia Gwinnett College
Lawrenceville, GA · 12,230 enrolled
Safety score 2.78
Youngstown State University
Youngstown, OH · 12,204 enrolled
Safety score 1.39
Tallahassee State College
Tallahassee, FL · 12,455 enrolled
Safety score 0.08
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH · 12,475 enrolled
Safety score 4.57
Bellevue College
Bellevue, WA · 12,485 enrolled
Safety score 1.28
Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX · 12,116 enrolled
Safety score 6.03
Similar 2024 Clery rate (nationwide)
Eastern Washington University
Cheney, WA · 10,492 enrolled
Safety score 2.19
Geneva College
Beaver Falls, PA · 1,366 enrolled
Safety score 2.20
Lindenwood University
Saint Charles, MO · 6,826 enrolled
Safety score 2.20
Kent State University at Kent
Kent, OH · 26,374 enrolled
Safety score 2.20
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Erie, PA · 4,133 enrolled
Safety score 2.18
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA · 7,692 enrolled
Safety score 2.21
Eastern Kentucky University
Richmond, KY · 15,673 enrolled
Safety score 2.17
St. John Fisher University
Rochester, NY · 3,693 enrolled
Safety score 2.17
Frequently Asked Questions
Is American University safe?
American University has a safety score of 2.19 (2024 on-campus Criminal Offenses and VAWA incidents per 1,000 enrolled students) and ranks #1,089 nationally out of 2,072 ranked institutions - nearest similar-enrollment comparison: California State University-East Bay (2.60/1k). Same-state same-level set: Howard University (2.22/1k); The Catholic University of America (0.57/1k); Georgetown University (3.94/1k); University of the District of Columbia (3.57/1k); Trinity Washington University (0.00/1k); Gallaudet University (100.37/1k); University of the Potomac-Washington DC Campus (0.00/1k); The Chicago School at Washington DC (0.00/1k).
What crimes are reported at American University?
For calendar year 2024, American University reported Burglary (5), Rape (4), Aggravated Assault (1) and Fondling (1) in the Criminal Offenses section. Every other category in that section was reported at zero; other Clery tables are separate.
How does American University compare to similar schools?
American University reports 71% more 2024 score-category incidents per 1,000 than California State University-East Bay. Scored similar-enrollment peers on this page: California State University-East Bay (2.60/1k); Santa Barbara City College (0.57/1k); Nassau Community College (0.81/1k); University of Idaho (2.28/1k); Community College of Rhode Island (0.16/1k). Same-state same-level set: Howard University (2.22/1k); The Catholic University of America (0.57/1k); Georgetown University (3.94/1k); University of the District of Columbia (3.57/1k); Trinity Washington University (0.00/1k); Gallaudet University (100.37/1k); University of the Potomac-Washington DC Campus (0.00/1k); The Chicago School at Washington DC (0.00/1k).
Does American University have fire safety data?
Yes. American University reports fire safety data for on-campus residential facilities, including total fires, injuries, deaths, and fire damage categories. 11 fires were reported in the most recent year.
Every figure on PlainCampus is rendered directly from federal Clery Act source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal Clery Act source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.
PlainCampus is for informational purposes only and does not constitute safety, security, legal, or enrollment advice; the data describes reported on-campus activity, it is not a complete picture of safety at any campus and cannot predict any individual student's experience. See our appropriate use guidance.
PlainCampus is for informational purposes only and does not constitute safety, security, legal, or enrollment advice.