American University vs Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Washington, DC · Troy, NY · largest Scorecard gap: median earnings (6 yr)

Scorecard match plate

Pair DC:NY

PRIVATE-NP-PAIR · CROSS-STATE · ACCEPT-OPEN · NET-SPLIT · EARN-SPLIT · DEBT-PAR · COMPLETE-HIGH · GAP-EARN

  • PRIVATE-NP-PAIR Private nonprofit pair
  • CROSS-STATE DC × NY
  • ACCEPT-OPEN Open admission
  • NET-SPLIT Net-price split
  • EARN-SPLIT Earnings split
  • DEBT-PAR Debt near-par
  • COMPLETE-HIGH High completion
  • GAP-EARN Largest gap · Median Earnings (6 yr)

Instrument codes from this pair's College Scorecard ownership, geography, acceptance, net price, earnings, debt, and completion, plus the ENROLL-1SIDE · modest · 2013–2023 decade-path stamp below, not a ranking or recommendation.

Decade path · College Scorecard

Only one enrollment path is a trend

ENROLL-1SIDE · modest · 2013–2023

Size changed directionally at one school over 2013–2023; the peer's series stays a range. Pair any selectivity note with that asymmetry before treating the two campuses as parallel growth stories.

  • American University: enrollment grew +11.2% over 2013–2023; fitted +85 students/yr fitted, r² 0.68.
  • Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: enrollment ranged 5,379–6,590 (2013–2023, 11 points) without a stable fitted direction.
  • American University: acceptance-rate path 2013–2023 stays non-directional here (r² 0.12).
  • Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: acceptance rate eased +41.9% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.81).

College Scorecard institution series; dollars are nominal. Direction claims require r² ≥ 0.40 on the fitted annual slope, otherwise the page reports the observed range. Descriptive history, not a recommendation.

Scorecard metrics

Cards ordered by relative gap on this pair. Teal = better side.

Largest gaps: American University vs Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

  1. MEDIAN-EARNINGS-(6 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute leads on median earnings (6 yr) ($83,054 vs $61,328 at American University)
  2. MEDIAN-EARNINGS-(1 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute leads on median earnings (10 yr) ($102,051 vs $77,370 at American University)
  3. AVG-NET-PRICE Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute leads on avg net price ($36,228 vs $41,943 at American University)

American University profile · Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute profile · Compare other colleges

Median Earnings (6 yr) and other Scorecard questions

On median earnings (6 yr), who leads between American University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute?
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute leads on median earnings (6 yr) at $83,054 versus $61,328 at American University. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On median earnings (10 yr), who leads between American University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute?
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute leads on median earnings (10 yr) at $102,051 versus $77,370 at American University. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On avg net price, who leads between American University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute?
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute leads on avg net price at $36,228 versus $41,943 at American University. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard College Scorecard institution outcomes (earnings, completion, debt); median earnings (6 yr) focus for this pair · 2025