Now, I already have a number of potential guesses in the back of my head as to why American and George Washington University aren’t rated higher. I’d like to know what some alumni and posted grads think, however. On US News and World Report, for example, Virginia Tech is rated higher than American University. Something seems off about this because the acceptance rate, average SAT scores and overall caliber of students attending American is supposed to be higher than Virginia Tech. I’m not bashing Virginia Tech but perhaps wondering why American is ranked lower than it? Also while George Washington isn’t ranked as high as Georgetown I still feel like it should at least be a top 30? Does anyone else agree with me on this?
I think ratings are pretty subjective since it is based on many different factors.
GU has always been the traditional “iv-league” like school while GWU is more modern in terms of campus, campus lifestyle and even the goals/logo of the university. I know in Korea, GU is the the “traditional” school while GWU is the “modern” school, both regarded very highly and even equally. I definitely agree that GWU should be ranked higher since it is considered equivalent to a schools like NYU, BC (Which are Top 30).
I’m not super familiar with rankings and where they come from, but I don’t find it hard to believe that GW is [only] ranked around 50 on any given year. There are A LOT of schools in the country, and being #50 is nothing to sneeze at, as far as I’m concerned. Would I like the school to be ranked higher? Sure, maybe a bit. But, you get too much higher and selectivity would shoot-up and there’s no way I would have gotten accepted 
For GW, the alumni giving rate is 9%, which is very low compared to schools similar to us. Alumni donating make up for a decent percentage of the rankings.
@liveyourlife26 very interesting- I didn’t know that was a factor.
I live in the area and American isn’t that well regarded.
@Muad_dib really? I think it’s still a solid university and it’s definitely really controversial how it’s ranked lower than some questionable state schools. The nice thing about George Washington is that it’s sort of in the epicenter of D.C. Georgetown is also a beautiful city.
I’ve lived in that area and have relatives in DC and disagree with maud_dib about AU’s local reputation. AU students and grads have very good success at getting internships and jobs which, among other things, speaks to reputation.
@doschicos I second that- I grew up in Fairfax County which is a suburb just a grain away from Washington D.C., in northen Virginia. Now, most folks would here think American is a good school. American is certainly better than a lot of state schools here. Plus most people here just tend to stereotype the big three schools in D.C - Georgetown, GW and American- as “rich kid” schools. Here at GW we certainly make education sexier than American. And yet American is still a quality school with honestly a fair number of comparable students who are fierce competition for spots at top Ivy League grad schools such as Harvard and Yale law.
@Muad_dib @doschicos How is the local representation of GW in DC? In terms of quality of education, what schools would you compare it to?
@randomstudent789 It depends on the professional circles. Any place that deals in politics or international affairs (quite a few places) look very favorably upon GW. Anything else and it depends on the field. I believe, however, that most employers here in the metro area have at least heard of GW and know that it’s a reputable private school.