This information is compiled from several pieces of data in the Graduation Census about students' future plans and current activities. Categories are defined as:

• Working:

  Graduates who indicate they are working or for whom American University confirmed employment through other means

• Grad School:

  Graduates who are attending or have been accepted to graduate school

• Working and Grad School:

  Graduates who meet both of the above criteria

• Seeking Employment:

  Graduates who are neither working nor attending graduate school and indicate they are seeking employment

• Other:

  Graduates whose plans are not reflected in any of the above categories and who check at least one of the following options: volunteering, traveling, caring for family, or other

Results are for May 2021, 2022, and 2023 graduates whose status was confirmed as of six months after graduation.

The research confirmed a status for 76 percent of all undergraduates.

The Graduate Census reflects salary information for graduates who report they are working full-time or working full-time and attending graduate school.

Salary information was provided by 44 percent of undergraduates that report working full-time.

Salary information was provided by 49 percent of master's that report working full-time.

We encourage you to consider AU salary data in conjunction with national surveys that provide reliable aggregate information and context for new college graduate earnings.

In addition, the National Association of Colleges and Employers publishes an annual Salary Survey. Highlights and the executive summary are available at naceweb.org. Because graduates of master's degree programs typically enter specific fields, with widely variable average salaries, meaningful national salary data covering all master's degrees are not available.

Percentages of students interning and studying abroad rely on self-reports of graduating students from the 2021-2023 Graduation Census. Results are shown in the pie charts only if the chosen filter (i.e., undergraduate/graduate, degree program, school) produces at least five responses to these questions.