Private for-profit · Community college

American National University

Salem, Virginia · Midsize suburb

0%
Transfer rate
$18,036
Avg net price
33%
Grad / completion
$26,370
Median earnings

American National University is a private for-profit associate-granting institution in Salem, Virginia (midsize suburb setting), enrolling 630 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

Private for-profitSmall · 630 undergradsMidsize suburbCold winters

About Salem, Virginia

Salem is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Europeans first explored the area of Salem in 1671, when the Siouan-speaking Totero people had a village nearby. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
5 miles to Roanoke, VA
To the ocean
151 miles
Nearest airport
3 miles to Roanoke–Blacksburg (ROA)

How American National University compares

Graduation rate33%

Higher than 17% · #58 of 65 in Virginia

First-year retention83%

Higher than 70%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$26,370

Higher than 21% · #48 of 62 in Virginia

Average net price$18,036

Cheaper than 39% · #39 cheapest of 61 in Virginia

Median debt at graduation$12,814

Lower than 24%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 73%

Undergraduate enrollment630

Larger than 66%

Percentiles compare American National University with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Virginia.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

770students
  • Undergraduate63082%
  • Graduate14018%

Undergraduates by gender

630undergrads
  • Women53184%
  • Men9916%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White40%
  • Black36%
  • Hispanic2.2%
  • Asian15%
  • Other or multiracial6.3%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
630
Graduate enrollment
140
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
68%
First-generation students
59%
Students over 25
88%
Median family income
$14,666
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$37,071

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Cost

In-state tuition
$10,961
Room & board
Books & supplies
$882
Total cost of attendance
$25,159
Average net price
$18,036

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
33%
Graduated on time (4 years)
50%
First-year retention
83%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$23,830
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$26,370
Median debt at graduation
$12,814
Students with federal loans
72%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
10%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
50%
Low-income (Pell)
21%
First-generation
22%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
No
Application fee
Free

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (770 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$17,281
$30–48k
$15,465
$48–75k
$20,692
$75–110k
$16,699
$110k+

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$82,768

$20,692/year × about 4.0 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$26,370
Typical debt at graduation
$12,814
Debt vs. one year's pay
49%
Out-earn a HS grad
23%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$25,507
Men
$30,223

Men out-earn women by $4,716 (18%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
88°F
Winter low
29°F
Annual rain
42.8″
Annual snow
14.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Roanoke Rgnl AP, VA US station (3 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to American National University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare American National University side by side →

Colleges near American National University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.