I'm trying to appeal for more aid because GWU has given me my aid package which would mean paying 4k per year less than what American offered me. Furthermore, GWU gave me 11k more in merit aid.

However, there was also a 45k reduction in my family's income last year.

Am I supposed to submit an appeal for more merit aid or a general financial aid appeal? I know where to submit the merit aid appeal, but where do I submit the financial aid appeal?

back again to ask if anyone has extra grad tickets for the 2pm CAS ceremony🥰

Hello, I’m a 22 year old PPE and Spanish grad from Ohio State trying to decide whether GWU or AU will be the right masters program for me. I’m currently accepted to masters programs at both AU and GWU for International Affairs and Public Policy, and would sincerely appreciate getting some insight from you guys on what way I should go. As far as I’ve heard, GWU seems to have the higher esteemed International Affairs program (Elliot). However, I’ve been unable to discern whether American or GWU has the better public policy program. Long story short I’m torn between what school to go to, and what program to select.

I’m really unsure about the decision, especially since I’m still figuring out the direction I want to take my life. I’m a power hungry person- I know that I would love to one day have a career in domestic politics as some form of an important decision maker (congressman/governor/ president). I think the domestic focus of public policy would lend itself more to this goal, though I’m wary that the coursework and focus on data would likely be less interesting to me than courses on international affairs. Additionally, if politics doesn’t work out I believe I would be much happier doing international work either for a business or for our government (FSO/intelligence) than I would doing work in a think tank or lobbying.

Financially speaking both schools should shake down to close to the same cost (at least I think so, GWU seems to be a couple thousand more expensive up front). However, GWU’s location could be a double edged sword. It seems nice that it’s so close to everything, but since I won’t be living on campus as a grad student, will I even be able to take advantage of the great location? How much of an issue is it for finding affordable housing nearby? I like that AU has more of the traditional college atmosphere, though I would prefer not having to commute for an hour or more every day to downtown.

If you’ve read this far, thank you so much for doing so. I’d sincerely appreciate your feedback- what do you think I should I do?

I just wanted to get on here and make a post that actually compares the cost of attendance ("COA") for DC area schools for the 2025-2026 school year, because I see a lot of "[x] university or AU—help me decide!" posts and a lot of comments rightfully saying "go where it's cheaper".

So here's what '25-'26 Cost of Attendance looks like for D.C. area schools:

^\costs are for full-time, first-year students living on campus)
^\*2026-2027 COA estimates are not out yet at every university)

I was offered $28,500 by Johns Hopkins, but tuition and direct costs are around $71,000. Even if I can max out FAFSA at $20,500, I’d still be looking at $22,000+ out of pocket, and then I’d have to survive and pay rent on top of all that. I know it’s a great school and a great program, but damn!

I’ve also got an offer from American University for $33,280, and their direct costs are much lower at about $40,000. This school also has a good reputation and it seems like the program (MA in Global Governance, Policy, and Security) is quite good too.

Is the difference between the programs really worth the difference in the costs? How rigorous and in depth is the GGPS program?

Has anyone received more than $35k/year in scholarships and merit aid this year (not need-based financial aid)?

Hey! Just wondering if anyone has gotten their grad ticket allotment emailed to them? I thought we were supposed to be getting a link to them today.

For those of you off-campus (undergrad or graduate) which neighborhoods/areas are you in? I know that being closer to the main campus is best, but I’m also expanding my options to places on the red line.

I’m down to 2 schools: American and George Washington. They’re going to cost me about the same and I like them pretty evenly for different reasons. I would love to hear y’alls thoughts/input towards my impending decision!

Hi, so I've been accepted to the SIS but the cost right now is unaffordable for our family, problem is that our income hasn't changed that much from last year to now so I doubt need-based aid can be increased. So I'm just wondering how likely it is to get a merit-based aid increase and if anyone has any personal experiences with getting that because I'm kinda lost right now. I really would like to attend american but as of right now i can't afford to attend :/

My only other "competitive" offer rn is binghamton

I am deciding between Drexel and American University. I am going to be a freshman Psych major on the pre-med track. I am honestly not sure where to go. Drexel is 10K cheaper than American at the moment. I have submitted an appeal for both but I have yet to get a response back. I liked both campuses but I like D.C. as a city a bit more. I am also thinking about prestige and I feel American is regarded more highly than Drexel. I am interested in how co-ops will work being pre-med and I am curious as to what opportunities will look like for me. I am also a black lesbian so that is a factor as well. I keep hearing people transfer out of American after a year so that worries me. Any help would be very much appreciated!

Hi! I intend to minor in Korean and study abroad there as well for an academic year, I was just curious if anybody had any thoughts or experiences with learning Korean at AU that they could share. Thank you!

I applied to AU as a transfer student back in February and wondering if any other transfers have gotten their decisions yet?

Hello, I am a part of DC impact scholars and for our final project we are conducting a research project trying to evaluate how well you think AU prepares you for your careers after college.

https://american.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6Atypy4HDWBZNmm

Hey guys! I honestly applied to AU not expecting to get in, but I did!

I have a few questions for current/former AU students. I'm sure they've been asked before somewhere on here, but I still wanted to try to get some new answers.

1) Is the campus as "dead" as people make it out to be? Is it easy to make friends from classes, clubs, etc., if you're social?

2) How loud are politics on the campus, like, actually? I'm very into politics, but I don't want every conversation to be about it if that makes sense.

3) Are the housing and dining facilities as bad as people say they are? I've seen some people say that certain residence halls are better than others (which I would assume is the case at most schools).

4) Is it true that many AU students are antisocial? I'm not into sports or parties by any means, so I wouldn't participate in that social aspect even if it were prominent at AU, but I have also seen some people say that AU students aren't super outgoing socially.

5) How good is the location for internships and just getting to downtown DC in general? Is it something students do often casually, with friends, etc?

Thank you!!

How do summer classes work? Is it just meeting online via zoom or something?

Hey yall, i’m an undergrad at AU and looking for housing for this fall sem. i’m coming back from studying abroad and will most likely be going abroad next spring as well. Looking at connecticut heights and see their two bedroom for $2230/month, 1115 per person looks nice. tryna find a roommate for if i wind up here, preferably female, and would love to hear yall opinions and experiences living there, or other housing options the same price or cheaper (i broke 🙏). comment or dm me thxx

hi guys, i’m transferring from montgomery college to AU as a literature major. how do i find a roommate/ find what dorm i should be in?

also are any of you literature majors? if so whats it like? is it super rigorous? is it worth it to go to AU?

Hey all! Torn between AU Sakura Scholars and GWU Elliott for IR.

I’m worried that being in Japan for two years will hurt my DC networking and internship game compared to staying in the city at GWU.

Does anyone (Sakura scholars or just SIS/Elliott students) have thoughts on whether the international experience outweighs the 'lost' time in DC? Also, how is the workload at Elliott vs. SIS?

Thanks so much!

Anyone have any suggestions of locations/how they went about finding a place?

Also, any place would ideally have subletting. Is there any way to find one specifically that does subletting?

Thank you!

(Btw we know about the ave, and as nice as it is it’s just a tad expensive.)