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What’s Covered:
- Overview of Georgetown Admissions
- Unique Aspects of Georgetown
- What Are Your Chances of Acceptance?
Located in our country’s capital, naturally, Georgetown University has prestigious political science and international relations programs. With over 350 student clubs and organizations, many of which focus on service, Geroregtwon is true to its Jesuit traditions of cura personalis, meaning a profound care and responsibility for others.
What do you need to know about Georgetown? We’ve created this guide to help you understand Georgetown’s academic opportunities, extracurriculars, resources, and more.
Overview of Georgetown Admissions
Location: Washington D.C.
Undergrad Enrollment: 7,400
Acceptance Rate: 15%
Middle 50% SAT: 1420-1560
Middle 50% ACT: 32-35
Georgetown is consistently ranked in the top 30 national universities, and its rigorous admissions reflects that. Georgetown’s programs in politics, law, international relations, and especially programs within the School of Foreign Service (SFS) have similar admissions requirements to the Ivies. Other programs at Georgetown have less stringent requirements for academics, test scores, extracurriculars, and essays.
The School of Foreign Service (SFS) is a unique and competitive program. Students who speak more than two languages have a better chance of standing out in admissions.
Unlike at other schools, applying early action at Georgetown will not help students’ chances and will partially restrict a student’s ability to apply early to other colleges.
You should also keep in mind that Georgetown is not on the Common App, so you should budget extra time to fill out their school-specific application.
See our guide for how to write Georegetown’s supplemental essays.
Unique Aspects of Georgetown
Academics
With notable alumni like former U.S. President Bill Clinton, many government leaders and US diplomats have walked the halls of Georgetown. Georgetown is most known for its Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service where students are prepared to become empathetic and committed leaders in global affairs.
The McCourt School of Public Policy is among the most popular schools and one of the top-ranked public policy schools in the country. Students learn cutting-edge policy analysis skills to help drive forward the social policy agenda.
The liberal arts curriculum at Georgetown College allows students to cultivate various intellectual skills including analysis, interpretation, expression, and inquiry. Georgetown boasts a student faculty ratio of 11:1 that encourages curiosity and open dialogue between students and faculty. Students are required to fulfill a core curriculum that is integrated with most major tracks and is typically completed in the first two years of study. Students must also demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language through the intermediate level, which is in tune with the school’s international focus.
Students are taught by esteemed faculty like Madeleine Albright, an American politician and diplomat who served as the first female United States Secretary of State. The most popular majors include Political Science and Government, International Relations (ranked number one in the country), Finance, and Economics. Students may choose to pursue a minor in addition to their major as well as earn a certificate in a regional study, which is offered through the School of Foreign Service.
Other undergraduate schools include:
- McDonough School of Business
- Georgetown College
- School of Nursing and Health Studies
- School of Continuing Studies
Georgetown also has a campus in Qatar (GU-Q) which offers a four year undergraduate program in international affairs that leads to the Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service (BSFS) degree.
If you are interested in a less traditional undergraduate experience, you may consider the Capitol Applied Learning Lab (The CALL). This internship program allows students to live in the heart of Washington D.C., intern during the day, and take coursework in the evenings. While still graduating in four years, students are able to gain valuable work experience alongside their studies.
There are 213 different study abroad options available to undergraduates and many students become Fulbright Scholars upon graduation, traveling all over the world to teach or pursue research. In fact, last year, Georgetown produced 45 Fulbright scholars, the most of any university.
Extracurriculars
The most popular extracurriculars at Georgetown include writing for the campus newspaper, The Hoya and working for the Corp, a popular student-run coffee shop. Many students also join clubs like the International Relations Club and a host of other advocacy and social justice clubs, of which there are 127.
Georegtown’s pride is their dominant men’s NCAA’s Division I basketball team, that plays most home games at Capital One Arena in the heart of D.C. If you are interested in joining a sport at a more recreational level, Georgetown offers 39 club sports, of which some, like running, are quite competitive.
Dorms
There are numerous traditional residence halls and all students except seniors are required to live on campus. For freshmen, there are four dorms called Village C West, Harbin, New South, and Darnall Halls.
Students also have the option to reside in living-learning communities, which are residential communities where students are able to share their passions for certain topics like entrepreneurship, different languages, and social justice. Of course, students in the Capitol Applied Learning Lab (CALL) live in downtown D.C.
Learn more about Georgetown’s dorms in this post by a current student.
Traditions
Georgetown has many traditions, some more serious than others. If you ever take a tour, you’ll quickly learn not to step on a mosaic seal covering the ground at the central entrance to Healy Hall. If you do, you might just not graduate!
Students also celebrate the last Friday of classes of the spring semester with Georgetown Day, a campus-wide party where students head outside to Healy and Copley Lawns to enjoy the nice weather and show some school pride.
Resources
Do you dream of being an entrepreneur? The McDonough School of Business launched a Venture Lab just blocks from the White House. Students can meet mentors and network with alumni to better understand how to start a business.
Students interested in serving their community can become involved at the Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching and Service. Here, students can connect with local, national and international organizations committed to advancing education, juvenile justice, support for immigrant communities, and combating hunger and homelessness, among other causes.
Location
Georgetown sits overlooking the Potomac River less than two miles from downtown Washington, perhaps the school’s biggest asset. Students are surrounded by changemakers and innovators and have the unique opportunity to intern on Capitol Hill or pursue other policy work during the semester and summers. Throughout the school year, Georgetown brings in leaders from around the world to share their stories with Georgetown students.
Not to mention, Georgetown is just a short car, bus, or metro ride away from 17 free museums and the national zoo.
What Are Your Chances of Acceptance at Georgetown?
While being accepted to Georgetown University is no easy feat, your chances will depend on many factors, also varying based on what you are interested in studying.
To better understand how competitive you may be for Georegetown, check out our free admissions calculator. After you input your grades, test scores, and extracurriculars, we’ll estimate your chances of acceptance, while also making suggestions of how you can strengthen your application. It’s free—you just need to create a profile to get started!
