Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for American University, Illinois Institute of Technology, University of San Diego. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | American UniversityWashington, DC | Illinois InstituteChicago, IL | San DiegoSan Diego, CA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 62.0% | 54.9% | 52.4% |
| SAT middle 50% | 1280–1460 | 1180–1440 | Not reportedUniversity of San Diego reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education. |
| Average net price | $41,94313.9% on Pell grants | $18,42530.0% on Pell grants | $30,36520.9% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $58,771Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $52,386Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $59,486Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 75.5% | 75.2% | 83.7% |
| First-year retention | 88.2% | 86.0% | 91.4% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 13.9% | 30.0% | 20.9% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $77,370 | $82,592 | $86,522 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $22,750 | $25,000 | $22,940 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 10:1 | 17:1 | 14:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 7,266 | 2,833 | 5,671 |
| Consensus percentile | 29Lower is better | 28Lower is better | 28Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 42 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 33 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 84 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | American University | Illinois Institute | San Diego |
|---|---|---|---|
| US News | #88 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #117 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #110 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 |
| Forbes | #136 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #171 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #105 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 |
| Washington Monthly | #204 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #451 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #162 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 |
| WSJ | #280 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #153 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #47 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 |
| Niche | #435 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #159 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #203 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| Princeton Review | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| QS | #588 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #594 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #1385 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 |
Students comparing American University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing Illinois Institute of Technology on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing University of San Diego on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
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