Georgetown University

Summary 

Georgetown University is a private institution that was founded in 1789. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 7,433, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 104 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Georgetown University's ranking in the 2011 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 21. Its tuition and fees are $40,203 (2010-11).

Georgetown University is situated overlooking the Potomac River just a few minutes from downtown Washington. The majority of students live on campus in the numerous traditional residence halls, but some students choose to live in the townhouses and apartments surrounding campus. Student organizations on campus include religious groups, media outlets, and student government associations. The Georgetown Hoyas are part of NCAA’s Division I and are well known for their dominant men’s basketball team, which maintains a fierce rivalry with Syracuse and plays most home games at the Verizon Center, also home to the Washington Wizards. The popular chant "hoya saxa," ancient Greek for "what rocks," gained prominence in 1920 and—contrary to popular belief—has nothing to do with Georgetown’s mascot, Jack the Bulldog.

Georgetown comprises four undergraduate schools and three graduate and professional schools, including the highly ranked Robert Emmett McDonough School of Business, Law Center, School of Medicine, School of Nursing and Health Studies, and Public Policy Institute. Georgetown’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service also offers well-regarded graduate programs. The neighborhood of Georgetown surrounding the university’s campus houses high-end shopping, restaurants, and bars. Notable alumni include former U.S. President Bill Clinton, actor Bradley Cooper, journalist Maria Shriver, and Hall of Fame basketball player Patrick Ewing. The famous "Exorcist steps" used in the 1973 horror film The Exorcist are located just below Georgetown’s campus.

School mission (as provided by the school):

As the nation's oldest Catholic University, conveniently located in the District of Columbia, Georgetown University offers its students the dynamic combination... Read More

Applying

When applying to Georgetown University, it's important to note the application deadline is January 10, and the early action deadline is November 1. Scores for either the ACT or SAT test are due January 10. The application fee at Georgetown University is $65. It is most selective, with an acceptance rate of 19.8 percent.
For more information about the tests, essays, interviews, and admissions process, visit the Applying to College knowledge center.

Selectivity	most selective
Fall 2009 acceptance rate	20%
Application deadline	January 10
SAT/ACT scores must be received by	January 10

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Academic Life

The student-faculty ratio at Georgetown University is 10:1, and the school has 60.6 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at Georgetown University include: Finance; International relations and affairs; and Political science and government. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 96.0 percent.

Class sizes
Student-faculty ratio	10:1
4-year graduation rate	85% - High
Five most popular majors for 2009 graduates
Finance 11% International relations and affairs 21% Political science and government 9%

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Student Life

Georgetown University has a total undergraduate enrollment of 7,433, with a gender distribution of 44.9 percent male students and 55.1 percent female students. 70.0 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing and 30.0 percent of students live off campus. Georgetown University is part of the NCAA I athletic conference.

See what students are saying about life at Georgetown University.

Total enrollment	16,437
Student gender distribution
Undergraduate men who are members of a fraternity	N/A
Undergraduate women who are members of a sorority	N/A
Collegiate athletic association	NCAA I

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Campus Info & Services

Georgetown University offers a number of student services including nonremedial tutoring, women's center, placement service, and health service. Georgetown University also offers campus safety and security services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night transport/escort service, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, student patrols, and controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc). Alcohol is permitted for students of legal age at Georgetown University.

Students who have cars on campus	0% - Low
Health insurance offered	No
Students required to own/lease a computer	No

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Paying for School

At Georgetown University, 42.8 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $30,140.
Paying for college doesn't have to be difficult or devastating. Go to the Paying for College knowledge center to get advice on raising cash and reducing costs.

Tuition and fees	$40,203 (2010-11)
Room and board	$12,240 (2010-11) - High
Financial aid statistics

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Student Reviews Ratings data provided by Unigo

It's the non-Ivy Ivy school. Off-campus housing is expensive. MSB grads have the 2nd highest starting salaries of b-school undergrads.

Ashley Junior

Best thing about Georgetown is its positioning as a college campus with access to DC. That being said, one thing I would change is to increase our access to DC even more with more bus routes to downtown or by having a metro stop closer to campus, but that will likely never happen given the stance of Georgetown residents. The school is a good size with a good reputation. If you tell a peer that you go to Georgetown, he or she may just nod and ignore, but if you tell someone beyond college (e.g. future employer?) you go to Georgetown, then a compliment will most likely ensue. There is a great amount of school pride, especially during basketball season.

Hogan Junior

Georgetown is an interesting place. I do love it, but it took me some time to feel that way. My fellow students are relentlessly careerist and more than a little neurotic about their grades - people like that get tiresome to anyone remotely well-adjusted. They're the kind of "Organization Kids" that David Brooks wrote about in the Atlantic in 2001. I've learned that it's nice, ultimately, to be around people who care about their academics and their careers; their ambition is contagious. I do find myself wishing from time to time, though, that people would be a little more inclined to enjoy college for what it is: an opportunity to be irresponsible and have some fun before the curtain of the real world descends.

Eben Junior