| Subject | QS | THE | ARWU | U.S. News |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Administration | #33 | — | #6 | — |
| Political Science & IR | #41 | — | #76-100 | — |
| Development Studies | #48 | — | — | — |
| Sociology | #301-375 | — | #51-75 | — |
| Law | #100 | #101-125 | #76-100 | — |
| Communication & Media | — | — | #101-150 | — |
| Economics & Econometrics | #401-450 | — | #151-200 | — |
| Business & Management | #451-500 | — | #201-300 | — |
| Social Sciences & Management | #350 | #251-300 | — | — |
| Accounting & Finance | #301-375 | — | — | — |
| Arts & Humanities | #363 | #601-800 | — | — |
| Public Health | — | — | — | #367 |
| Business & Economics | — | #401-500 | — | — |
| Education | — | #501-600 | — | — |
| Natural / Physical Sciences | — | #501-600 | — | — |
| Psychology | — | #501-600 | — | — |
American University ranks #587 in QS 2026, #700 in THE 2026 and #747 in U.S. News 2026. Its consensus position across the major rankings is #570 globally.
QS weights employer reputation and international metrics more heavily; THE places more weight on research influence and teaching environment. Differences of this size between the two systems are common — see our methodology comparison.