Georgetown University: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Washington, District of Columbia · Private nonprofit · Selective · CDS 2025-2026
Georgetown University is a private nonprofit university in Washington, District of Columbia that admits about 44% of applicants, making it a selective school. The average family pays about $37,454 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for International Relations and National Security Studies, Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing and Political Science and Government, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 83% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 5.2 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Georgetown University is a private institution located in Washington, District of Columbia with a selective admissions profile. For the most recent reporting cycle, Georgetown University admits between a quarter and half of applicants, with an overall admission rate of 44%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1433 and an ACT composite around 32. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $37,454 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Georgetown University is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What parents should know about Georgetown University right now
Georgetown University is a Jesuit Catholic research university in Washington, D.C., enrolling 20,031 students as of fall 2024, with 7,833 undergraduates. For the Class of 2029, Georgetown admitted roughly 12 percent of 26,800 applicants, with about 11.1 percent admitted Early Action and 12.3 percent in Regular Decision. Selectivity varies meaningfully by school: the McDonough School of Business admitted only 9.1 percent, while the College of Arts and Sciences admitted about 10.9 percent and the School of Health admitted about 15 percent. Georgetown is need-blind for domestic applicants and meets 100 percent of demonstrated need, with over 55 percent of undergraduates receiving aid and roughly 70 percent of aid distributed as grants and scholarships. Distinctive programs include the Walsh School of Foreign Service, one of the country's leading international affairs programs, and a unique application that requires students to apply directly to one of four undergraduate schools rather than a single college. In January 2025, Georgetown launched Georgetown SFS Asia-Pacific in Jakarta, Indonesia, expanding its global footprint for both degree and executive programs. Families should note the religiously diverse student body, where about 41 percent of undergraduates identify as Catholic, and the university's $3.95 billion endowment as of 2025. Georgetown does not accept the Common Application; students apply through Georgetown's own platform with a separate timeline.
What GPA does my child need for Georgetown University?
Admitted students at Georgetown University typically present unweighted GPAs in the 3.6–3.9 range with several honors or AP courses. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
What does Georgetown University weight in admissions?
Georgetown University reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2025-2026). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Academic GPA
- • Application essay
- • Recommendations
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • Volunteer work
- • Standardized test scores
- • Character/personal qualities
- • First generation status
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Geographical residence
- • Work experience
- • Level of applicant's interest
- • Class rank
- • Interview
- • State residency
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
SAT and ACT scores Georgetown University typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 670–750, with an EBRW midpoint near 700. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 31–34. A score at or above this school's 75th percentile materially improves your child's odds, particularly when paired with a rigorous course load.
| 25th percentile | 1310 |
| 50th percentile | 1390 |
| 75th percentile | 1450 |
| % submitting SAT | 36.51% |
| 25th percentile | 31 |
| 50th percentile | 32 |
| 75th percentile | 34 |
| % submitting ACT | 13.89% |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Required for some
Where admitted students ranked in their high school class
Class rank distribution gives parents a clear sense of how academically dominant a typical admitted student was within their own high school cohort — often a more meaningful signal than absolute GPA.
| Top 10% of class | 44.11% |
| Top 25% of class | 77.45% |
| Top 50% of class | 95.61% |
| % submitting class rank | 20.83% |
How much does Georgetown University actually cost?
Published tuition is $64,990 for in-state students and $64,990 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $16,300 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $37,454 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 15% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | $72,000 |
| Room and board | $18,160 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $37,454 |
| Application fee | — (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Georgetown University
| Regular deadline | January 5 |
| Notification date | April 1 |
| Reply deadline | May 1 (or within 2 weeks if notified thereafter) |
| Offers Early Decision | Yes |
| ED deadline | November 1 |
Will my child graduate from Georgetown University?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Most popular majors at Georgetown University
The most popular undergraduate programs at Georgetown University, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are International Relations and National Security Studies, Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing and Political Science and Government. Across all programs, Georgetown University confers roughly 1,778 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its International Relations and National Security Studies program report a median income of about $84,705 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| International Relations and National Security Studies | 537 | $84,705 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 311 | $91,325 |
| Political Science and Government | 310 | $86,946 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | 154 | — |
| Economics | 145 | $104,484 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 119 | $131,971 |
| Public Health | 116 | $74,440 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 86 | $73,045 |
Is Georgetown University safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Georgetown University disclosed 58 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 5.2 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 5 violent offenses and 36 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
What is campus life like at Georgetown University?
About 58% of undergraduates at Georgetown University live in campus housing, making it a largely residential campus. In Greek life, 11% of men join a fraternity and 15% of women join a sorority. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.
Other colleges in District of Columbia parents ask about
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Georgetown University
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Georgetown University recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Georgetown University
What GPA do I need for Georgetown University?
Admitted students at Georgetown University typically present unweighted GPAs in the 3.6–3.9 range with several honors or AP courses.
What SAT or ACT score does Georgetown University typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 670–750, with an EBRW midpoint near 700. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 31–34.
How much does Georgetown University actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Georgetown University after grants and scholarships is $37,454 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Georgetown University realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Georgetown University is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Georgetown University?
Georgetown University accepts about 44% of applicants out of roughly 27,034 who apply each year. That makes it a selective school.
Is Georgetown University test-optional?
Yes. Georgetown University is test-optional, so SAT and ACT scores are not required, but strong scores can still be submitted and will be considered.
What is the graduation rate at Georgetown University?
About 83% of students at Georgetown University graduate within six years. 91% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
What does Georgetown University look for in applicants?
Georgetown University rates course rigor and GPA as "very important" in its Common Data Set. These are the factors the admissions committee weighs most heavily when reviewing an application.
Is Georgetown University a public or private school, and where is it located?
Georgetown University is a private nonprofit institution located in Washington, District of Columbia.
What are the most popular majors at Georgetown University?
The largest undergraduate majors at Georgetown University by annual graduates are International Relations and National Security Studies, Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing and Political Science and Government. The school awards about 1,778 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Georgetown University safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Georgetown University reported 58 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 5.2 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
What is campus life like at Georgetown University?
At Georgetown University, 58% of undergraduates live on campus, 11% of men are in fraternities, 15% of women are in sororities, according to its most recent Common Data Set.
Data sourced from the 2025-2026 Common Data Set submitted by Georgetown University, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.