American University, in Nation’s Capital, Is Getting More Selective

For many college-bound students, urban campuses are alluring. Especially if the campus happens to be located in a national capital with global clout.  Which could explain, partly, why American University is getting more selective. The undergraduate admission rate at the private university in Washington D.C. fell significantly this year.  There were 16,736 applicants for the freshman class at AU, and 5,868 were offered admission. That’s an admit rate of 35 percent, down from 46 percent the previous year. As recently as 2009, the rate was 53 percent.