American University research and development spending, FY2024
- Washington, DC
- R2
- Private nonprofit
- Standard form filer
American University in FY2024
$78.4 million
spent on research and development in FY2024, as reported to the NSF HERD Survey
- National rank
- #198 of 925
- Change on FY2023
- up 3.0%
- Rank change
- down 4
American University reported $78.4 million of research and development spending in FY2024, ranking #198 of the 925 institutions in the survey. That is up 3.0% on FY2023's $76.0 million; its national rank was down 4 places. Institution funds is its largest funding source at 52.7% ($41.3 million), followed by federal government at 27.5%. Its largest field of research is non-s&e, $50.0 million or 63.9% of the total.
Over time
Research spending, FY2010 to FY2024
Standard-form totals FY2010 onwards as revised by NCSES in the newest release; rank is within that series.
Year-by-year figures
| Fiscal year | R&D expenditure | Rank in series |
|---|---|---|
| FY2010 | $39.7 million | 199 |
| FY2011 | $46.6 million | 194 |
| FY2012 | $43.5 million | 199 |
| FY2013 | $61.1 million | 174 |
| FY2014 | $63.6 million | 168 |
| FY2015 | $58.3 million | 174 |
| FY2016 | $57.1 million | 182 |
| FY2017 | $56.0 million | 183 |
| FY2018 | $61.7 million | 174 |
| FY2019 | $71.1 million | 172 |
| FY2020 | $71.8 million | 174 |
| FY2021 | $65.9 million | 180 |
| FY2022 | $67.6 million | 184 |
| FY2023 | $76.0 million | 194 |
| FY2024 | $78.4 million | 198 |
FY2024 breakdown
Where the money came from, and what it paid for
FY2024 funding sources and research fields
Funding sources
The 6 NSF funding sources American University reported in FY2024, largest first. Shares are of its own FY2024 total, and the rank is national within that source.
| Source | FY2024 | Share | Change on FY2023 | US rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Institution funds | $41.3 million | 52.7% | −6.6% | 164 |
| Federal government | $21.5 million | 27.5% | +23.3% | 237 |
| Nonprofit organizations | $10.6 million | 13.5% | +11.4% | 119 |
| All other sources | $2.0 million | 2.6% | −0.3% | 144 |
| State and local government | $1.9 million | 2.4% | −15.6% | 256 |
| Business | $1.0 million | 1.3% | +69.2% | 231 |
| All sources | $78.4 million | 100.0% | +3.0% | 198 |
Fields of research
The 9 NSF research fields American University reported in FY2024, largest first.
| Field | FY2024 | Share | Change on FY2023 | US rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-S&E | $50.0 million | 63.9% | +24.5% | 46 |
| Social sciences | $11.1 million | 14.1% | −41.7% | 89 |
| Physical sciences | $5.0 million | 6.4% | +2.6% | 185 |
| Other sciences | $4.9 million | 6.2% | −16.8% | 60 |
| Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences | $4.3 million | 5.5% | +296.9% | 140 |
| Psychology | $1.2 million | 1.6% | −3.5% | 193 |
| Life sciences | $1.2 million | 1.5% | −25.9% | 467 |
| Mathematics and statistics | $376 thousand | 0.5% | −75.0% | 224 |
| Computer and information sciences | $315 thousand | 0.4% | −57.0% | 322 |
Neighbours
Ranked around American University
Institutions ranked immediately above and below
The five institutions ranked above American University and the five below it in the FY2024 national ranking.
| Rank | Institution | FY2024 R&D |
|---|---|---|
| 193 | City University of New York, The, Graduate Center, The | $80.8M |
| 194 | New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | $79.9M |
| 195 | Louisiana State University, Health Sciences Center, New Orleans | $79.7M |
| 196 | University of California, Office of the President | $79.3M |
| 197 | Rochester Institute of Technology | $78.5M |
| 198 | American University | $78.4M |
| 199 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro, The | $77.4M |
| 200 | University of California, Merced | $77.2M |
| 201 | Touro University, New York | $76.9M |
| 202 | Old Dominion University | $76.2M |
| 203 | University of Massachusetts Boston | $74.6M |
Keep looking
Where this institution sits
Related rankings
Data: NSF HERD FY2024, built from NSF's published tables on September 8, 2026. Page updated September 13, 2026.
Data: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, National Science Foundation, Higher Education Research and Development Survey, FY2024.
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