The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spring Valley and Tenleytown neighborhoods of Northwest D.C.

American was chartered by an Act of Congress in 1893 at the urging of Methodist bishop John Fletcher Hurst, who sought to create an institution that promoted public service, internationalism, and pragmatic idealism. The university was founded by the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church as a national Methodist institution. It remains affiliated with the United Methodist Church, however, religious affiliation is not a criterion for admission, employment, nor an academic requirement. AU broke ground in 1902, opened as a graduate education institution in 1914, and admitted its first undergraduates in 1925.

AU consists of eight schools and colleges: the School of International Service; the College of Arts and Sciences; the Kogod School of Business; the School of Communication; the School of Professional and Extended Studies; the School of Public Affairs; the Linda A. and H. Kent Baker School of Education; and the Washington College of Law (WCL). American offers over 160 academic programs, including 71 bachelor's degrees, 87 master's degrees, and 10 doctoral degrees, as well as JD, LLM, and SJD programs. The university is classified as an "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". With a student body of over 13,000 representing all 50 U.S. states and 141 countries, nearly a fifth of the students are international. Student athletes compete in intercollegiate athletic teams as the American Eagles in the NCAA Division I as a member of the Patriot League. AU is home to The Jack I. and Dorothy G. Bender Library, which holds more than one million books and is part of the Washington Research Library Consortium, along with WCL's Pence Law Library. American is one of the top three feeder schools to the U.S. Department of State.