American University’s acceptance rate for the 2018-2019 school year will remain the same as last year’s rate of 29 percent, AU’s admissions office told The Eagle. The rate is the second-lowest in university history, with AU admitting a record low 26 percent of applicants in the 2016 cycle.
Andrea Felder, the assistant vice provost for undergraduate admissions, described the University’s admission process as “fairly selective.” The admissions office received 18,950 applications this year, up slightly from last year’s total of 18,692.
In 2017, the University saw an increase in the freshman class size, growing from 5,024 to about 5,500 first-year students. Felder attributed this uptick in enrollment to the addition of more on-campus housing in East Campus, increased popularity of the institution and the University’s tuition-driven business model.
The demographic makeup of admitted students for the class of 2022 is 59 percent white and 60 percent female, according to admissions data given to The Eagle. Black students made up 7 percent of admitted students, while Hispanic and Asian students accounted for about 14 percent and 8 percent respectively.
“We’re very proud of the talent -- academic talent, artistic, musical, all sorts of talent -- of the students who are coming in,” Felder said. “We’re also proud of the diversity of the students who are coming in in terms of what students will bring to the campus community.”
Forty-two percent of students come from the Mid-Atlantic region, which includes Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., New York, New Jersey, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. However, the most recent admissions cycle has shown an increase in applicants from the southern and western parts of the country, Felder said.
All admitted students must notify the University by May 1 if they wish to enroll for the fall semester. However, the University has prepared for a “melt,” or loss of enrolled students over the summer months.
Felder said about 4 percent of AU students will melt over the summer for various reasons. For instance, students are admitted off the waitlist at another institution, decide to take a gap year or get sick.
