I’m a non-traditional student majoring in International Relations. AU is ranked higher for International Relations, but UVa is ranked higher overall. I’m very torn. What do you guys think?
I am biased because I went to AU SIS. If you know you want to study IR seriously, I urge you to choose AU.
According to FP, AU is ranked #9 and #8 for undergrad and grad IR programs, respectively, while UVA is ranked #22 for undergrad IR programs. AU has over 120 (and growing) professors in its School of International Service, solely dedicated to the discipline of international relations. On the other hand, UVA has 9 professors in its Woodrow Wilson Department of Politics where international relations is a smaller focus. AU, while it may not in the heart of downtown DC, likely boasts more students interning and working in DC than UVA, and likely has a stronger alumni backing in the DC community (~20k SIS alum total, many who stayed in DC). AU’s international relations program curriculum is also likely more comprehensive than UVA’s simply because it is one of the largest IR schools in the United States and has more faculty, classes, and overall academic rigor in IR study. AU SIS is also a Member School of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA) which means that its program was vetted by the premier worldwide IR curriculum organization. AU has deep ties to APSIA and IR curriculum development as a whole given that APSIA was once headed by AU SIS’ former Dean and APSIA’s current ED is an AU alum. At AU, you’ll join a group of over 3,000 students studying IR while at UVA you might join a few hundred, given that the entire Department of Politics enrolls 700 students. When comparing the program ranking and curriculum, quality and quantity of professors, and overall prestige of international relations program, AU is the right place to be.
However, if you don’t know if you’re serious about IR and want a more traditional college experience, I think UVA would be your choice. UVA beats AU in mostly traditional university rankings and is a better overall university when comparing research, scope and size of the school, and prestige.
edit: But if it were me, I would also take into consideration financial aid…
Thank you @bk4972b! Reading your post made me feel like my gut instinct is correct. 
If you are going for IR i would think that it would matter about the internships and connections in the field. Given the stronger program and prime location, I imagine AU would have better connections to help you obtain those internships and other opportunities