Georgetown University

Georgetown University is a highly selective private nonprofit university in Washington, District of Columbia. It admits about 1 in 8 applicants, graduates 95% of its students within six years, and its former students earn a median $103,494 ten years after starting college, more than 100% of the District of Columbia colleges we cover.

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Yearly household income. Saved on this device only. No account needed.

Acceptance rate
13%

More selective than 100% of District of Columbia colleges we cover.

College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class

What your family pays
$40,815 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $88,741. College Scorecard.

Graduation rate
95%

Higher than 100% of District of Columbia colleges we cover and 98% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.

Within 6 years · College Scorecard

Earnings after college
$103,494

Higher than 100% of District of Columbia colleges we cover and 99% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.

Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard

GU acceptance rate & admissions

Of 25,485 applicants, Georgetown University admitted 3,334 and 1,599 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1390–1550 on the SAT or 31–35 on the ACT.

25,485
Applied
3,334
Admitted
1,599
Enrolled

IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class

SAT total, middle 50% of first-years1390–1550
ACT composite, middle 50% of first-years31–35
First-years who sent SAT scores75%
First-year students who return97%
Pell Grant recipients10%
First-generation students16%
Women / men59% / 41%

Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS

GU tuition, cost & net price

What families actually pay per year, by income

Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.

College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)

Sticker price (before aid)

Tuition & fees$68,017
Housing & meals, on campus$19,750
Books & supplies$1,200
Total cost of attendance$88,741

IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard

Median debt at graduation$13,500
Loan default rate0.7%3-year rate, 2017 repayment cohort

College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal

Full cost breakdown, in-state vs out-of-state →

What GU costs to finish, and how fast it pays back

Graduates of Georgetown University took 4.1 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in District of Columbia. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.

Family incomeNet price / yrCost to finishYears to pay back
$0–30k$5,064$20,712under 1 year
$30–48k$12,155$49,714under 1 year
$48–75k$18,329$74,9661.1 years
$75–110k$26,459$108,2171.7 years
$110k+$57,403$234,7783.6 years

Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.1 years, the average time graduates took (87% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($103,494) minus $38,184 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in DC (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $65,310 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method

College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.

Best-value colleges in District of Columbia for your income →

GU majors, earnings & careers

Georgetown University offers 47 bachelor's majors across 7 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.

  • Humanities & Languages · 17
  • Business & Finance · 8
  • Science & Math · 8
  • Social Sciences & Public Service · 7
  • Arts & Design · 3
  • Health & Medicine · 3
  • Technology & Computing · 1

Highest-earning majors at GU

MajorEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debt
International Business$159,452$14,447
Finance$152,744$16,877
Computer Science$143,900$16,007
Health Administration$143,686$17,500
Accounting$141,931$17,500
Management Information Systems$138,263—
Mathematics$127,760$17,500
Economics$118,999$16,500
Quick list of all 47 majors
  • Accounting$141,931
  • Anthropology—
  • Area Studies—
  • Biochemistry—
  • Biological and Physical Sciences—
  • Biology$77,132
  • Business Administration$117,733
  • Chemistry—
  • Classics—
  • Computer Science$143,900
  • East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)—
  • Ecology and Evolutionary Biology—
  • Economics$118,999
  • English$78,370
  • Ethnic / Gender Studies—
  • Finance$152,744
  • German—
  • Health Administration$143,686
  • History$75,501
  • International / Global Studies—
  • International Business$159,452
  • International Relations$82,197
  • Liberal Arts / General Studies$112,722
  • Linguistics$65,574
  • Management Information Systems$138,263
  • Management Science / Analytics—
  • Marketing$105,944
  • Mathematics$127,760
  • Medieval and Renaissance Studies—
  • Middle / Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
  • Music—
  • Neuroscience—
  • Nursing—
  • Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution$73,534
  • Philosophy—
  • Physics—
  • Political Science$79,502
  • Psychology$99,007
  • Public Health—
  • Religious Studies—
  • Science, Technology and Society$89,228
  • Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
  • Social Sciences—
  • Sociology—
  • Spanish / French / Romance Languages$70,025
  • Studio Art—
  • Theatre—

— means too few graduates to report earnings.

College Scorecard field of study, latest release

All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →

Finance → Financial analyst

$108,330
Washington
$105,780
District of Columbia
$102,740
U.S.

Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 7.2% from 2025 to 2035.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35

Marketing → Marketing specialist

$87,160
Washington
$98,090
District of Columbia
$78,760
U.S.

Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 7.0% from 2025 to 2035.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35

Living in Washington

Cost of living
9% above the U.S. average

Overall prices in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area.

BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024

Off-campus rent, 1 bedroom
$2,204/mo

2 bedrooms $2,438. Housing costs 51% above the U.S. average.

HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027

Weather
43° / 88°

January and July average highs. 49 inches of rain a year, 6 inches of snow.

NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020

Natural hazard risk
Relatively High

Highest: hurricane (relatively high); tornado (relatively high); river flooding (relatively high); heat wave (relatively high); winter weather (very high).

FEMA National Risk Index, District of Columbia

Campus & students

Total enrollment (incl. graduate)20,392
First-year students from District of Columbia2%
Next most common home statesNew York, New Jersey, California
AthleticsNCAA Division I-FCS · 15 sports
Undergraduate degrees awarded, 2023-2486% bachelor's · 14% certificates
Campus typeHighly residential
Student bodyWhite 46% · Asian 15% · Hispanic 6% · Two or more 6%International 13%

IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute

District of Columbia at a glance

Population681,294
Median household income$109,870
Adults with a bachelor's degree64%
Median age35

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024

Compare GU with similar schools

Similar private colleges in District of Columbia by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.

SchoolAcceptanceYou'd payGraduationEarnings, 10 yrsPrice gap
Georgetown University13%$40,81595%$103,494This school
Howard University41%$50,53970%$63,066
George Washington University47%$36,58684%$90,873
American University62%$41,94375%$77,370
The Catholic University of America83%$29,56179%$73,250

College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.

Why the price is different

Georgetown University would cost you $9,724 less per year than Howard University, on average.

  • Higher sticker price at Georgetown University, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$32,207).
  • Georgetown University gives aided families $43,835 more in grants, on average.
Per year, District of Columbia residentGUHUDifference
Tuition & fees$68,017$35,810+$32,207
Books & supplies$1,200$1,360−$160
Housing & meals$19,750$16,474+$3,276
Personal & travel$2,710$3,452−$742
Living-at-home adjustment−$2,936−$2,466−$470
Sticker price$88,741$54,630+$34,111
Average grants−$47,926−$4,091−$43,835
You pay$40,815$50,539−$9,724

“+” means GU costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.

Common questions about GU

What is the GU acceptance rate?

Georgetown University accepts 13% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 3,334 of 25,485 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1390–1550 on the SAT or 31–35 on the ACT.

How much does Georgetown University cost per year?

The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $88,741 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $40,815 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $5,064 and families earning $110k+ pay $57,403.

How much do GU graduates earn?

Former Georgetown University students earn a median $103,494 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.

What is the GU graduation rate?

95% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 97% return for their second year.

How long does a GU degree take to pay off?

For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Georgetown University costs about $74,966 after grants ($18,329 a year for 4.1 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $103,494 ten years after starting, $65,310 more than high school graduates in District of Columbia ($38,184), so the cost is repaid in 1.1 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).

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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Georgetown University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/georgetown-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).