Washington, District of Columbia · Private Non-Profit
Physics at American University
Read the reported program-share signal, school-wide price, and outcome proxy before comparing peer schools in this field. The enrollment proxy is about 7 students when that share is applied to current enrollment.
Program snapshot
0.1% reported share makes this a small program signal in federal data.
This major
- Program signal
- 0.1%
- Enrollment proxy
- ~7
- Schools with reported signal
- 785
Admissions
- Acceptance rate (school)
- 62%
- Graduation rate
- 75.5%
Cost
- Avg net price (school)
- $41,943/yr
- 4-year cost (est.)
- $167,772
- Median debt
- $22,750
Outcomes
- Median earnings 10y
- $77,370/yr
- ROI grade (school)
- D
College Scorecard reports school-wide earnings and price, not per-major outcomes for individual colleges. Program share is a concentration signal, not a promise of department quality. Use it as a proxy, then verify department-level outcomes with the school.
This page stays available for users because the program appears in federal data, but it is not promoted for search indexing while the reported share is below 1%.
Value among peer schools
Compared with 785 schools that report this field.
This page treats cost and earnings as school-wide context, not department-level outcomes. The reported share is below the national average concentration; the school-wide net price is higher than the peer average ($22,116 above), and ten-year median earnings are higher than the peer average ($16,775 above). That combination produces a D value grade and a top 96% ROI position within this field set.
See the national program hub →Comparable programs
Peer schools below also report a positive program-share signal and are sorted by value grade.
College of San Mateo San Mateo, CA · 1.2% reported share · $536 net A+ Skyline College San Bruno, CA · 1.1% reported share · $1,738 net A+ Imperial Valley College Imperial, CA · 0.3% reported share · $1,115 net A+ 
Irvine Valley College Irvine, CA · 1.6% reported share · $2,090 net A+ 
Hartnell College Salinas, CA · 0.9% reported share · $2,039 net A+ CUNY Hunter College New York, NY · 0.3% reported share · $2,984 net A+ Santiago Canyon College Orange, CA · 0.6% reported share · $2,129 net A+ Questions about this program
How big is the program signal?
Physics accounts for 0.1% of reported programs at American University, which is bigger than 6% of schools in this field set and below the national average concentration. The enrollment proxy is about 7 students when that share is applied to current enrollment.
How should I read the cost number?
American University's average net price is $41,943 per year, about $167,772 over four years. That is $22,116 above the $19,827 peer average, before your own aid package changes the final bill.
Are the earnings major-specific?
No. The $77,370 median earnings figure is school-wide ten years after entry. It is $16,775 above the $60,595 average among schools reporting this field, so treat it as an outcomes proxy rather than a department guarantee.
What should I compare next?
Start with program share, net price after aid, graduation rate, location, and whether the department publishes placement or licensure outcomes. EduGradify ranks American University #750 of 785 schools in this field set by school-wide ROI proxy.