American University (AU)

American University creates meaningful change in the world. With highly ranked schools and colleges and internationally recognised faculty, AU offers a balance between class time and career-advancing experience in Washington, D.C., and beyond. Its students, among the most politically active in the U.S., distinguish themselves for their service, leadership, and ability to re-think global and domestic challenges and opportunities.

As an institution with a global perspective, American University is committed to hosting students and academics from across the world. Currently, almost 1,000 international students and 60 scholars from over 130 countries call this university home. This diversity is also reflected in their faculty and academic programmes.  

Available exchanges

American University hosts the University-wide exchange.

Academic restrictions

American University is not a suitable exchange destination for students studying the following subject areas:

  • Economics
  • Engineering
  • Communications (Including Journalism, Public Relations, Media Studies)

Students can only take undergraduate level courses at AU. There are some restrictions on courses within the school of International Service and School of Business.  

At AU, enrolment applies to all undergraduate academic areas and courses of study for which the students are qualified. Students may not be able to enrol in all their desired courses due to capacity constraints, in which case AU will make every reasonable effort to accommodate them in alternative courses in the fields of study they wish to pursue.   

Exchange students cannot enrol in courses that are within University Honours Program, University College Program, Washington Mentorship Program, or Washington Semester Program. These are special programs that students have been admitted into and are only for students in those programs.   

Your responsibilities

  • The information provided here serves as a guide.
  • It is your responsibility to research whether the partner provides appropriate courses for your degree programme.
  • Even if there are no restrictions on your degree subject, this does not mean that there are appropriate courses for you. 

Please be aware, there may not be an up-to-date course catalogue available at this exchange destination. Please use the information available to get an idea about what you can study while on exchange.

When exploring the course catalogue, be sure to lok at courses in the 100-400 level.


Guaranteed accommodation? 

No

University accommodation 

Each semester AU tries to secure limited spots for exchange students in campus housing, but this option cannot be guaranteed. More detailed housing information will be sent to students in their admissions email. 

Students who do live on campus should expect to be housed in a traditional double room in or . Additionally, students housed on campus are also required to have a meal plan. The estimate cost for housing and meal plan is around USD 8,200/semester.

Private accommodation  

In addition to campus housing, AU provides students with information from TurnKey Housing solutions, which offers fully furnished apartments in DC at a rate comparable to campus housing.  


How much will it cost to go on exchange to American University? 

To obtain a U.S. student visa, you will be required to submit bank statements showing you have access to a specific sum. This is calculated based on how much average costs for accommodation, meals, health insurance etc. will cost. This includes proving access to funds through personal funds, or family or sponsorship funds. 

For students going on exchange to AU, the amount to show is around USD $22,302 in total. This can be across multiple sources. You will need to provide sponsorship letters from personal funds/family members/sponsor funds/Sponsor organisations etc. 

Please bear this in mind. If you cannot prove this, you will not be able to get a visa and therefore not be able to go on exchange.  

Further cost breakdown

  • Sports Center fee, Technology Fee, Metro's University Pass: USD $642 per year
  • Student Health Insurance: USD $2371 for Academic Year

Please note these are estimated costs and subject to change each academic year. Additional costs will depend on your housing and lifestyle choices. Please consider the cost of living in Washington, D.C. 

You may also be required to pay for administrative fees: this can include paying for your transcript to be sent to us at the end of your exchange 

Health insurance  

Health insurance is mandatory at AU and therefore you must enrol in their private insurance plan. Their average health insurance plan annual costs are around USD $2,371.

If you wish to waive this insurance plan with alternative cover, you will need to reach out to American after acceptance.  


  • Semester 1 (Fall): August - December   
  • Semester 2 (Spring): January - May 

An orientation programme is offered for all new students to help them discover the university and inform them about any immigration requirements.


  

 

 

  

 


American University has provided the following documents for prospective exchange students:


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