American University (AU) is for students who want to understand-and influence- how the world works. AU's academically rigorous curriculum enables students to combine serious theoretical study with meaningful real-world learning experiences. Whatever major students choose, they acquire a solid foundation in the liberal arts and pursue in-depth study in their chosen fields.

AU's more than 5,000 undergraduates are a microcosm of the world's diversity. From across the United States and from more than 100 countries, they share a desire to shape tomorrow's world. AU actively promotes international understanding, and this is reflected in its curricula offerings, faculty research, and the regular presence of world leaders on campus.

In a letter to Virginia Governor Robert Brooke, George Washington explained his idea for a great "national university" to be established in the nation's capital city. Washington did not see this university in his lifetime, but approximately one hundred years later, in 1893, Washington's dream was realized when American University was chartered by an Act of the United States Congress. Through the vision of Methodist Bishop John Fletcher Hurst, the idea of a national university, an idea born with the nation itself, came into being.