#381 in the world · QS 2027

The George Washington University

A private research university in Foggy Bottom, a few blocks from the White House, built around studying policy and power up close.

Washington, District of Columbia, United States Private research university Founded 1821 Official website

See my chances at GW Admissions office

Photo: APK · CC BY 4.0

Acceptance rate: 47%; First-year class entering fall 2025 (CDS 2025-26); deadlines for fall 2027
Students: 24,500; 11,495 undergraduates
International: 8%; of students
Student–faculty: 13:1; ratio
Tuition: $72,000; 2026-27

About GW

The George Washington University was chartered by Congress in 1821 and moved its main operations to the Foggy Bottom neighbourhood of Washington, D.C., in 1912. Its 43-acre main campus sits a few blocks from the White House, the State Department, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, and it enrolled 24,500 students in fall 2025, 11,495 of them undergraduates. It is a member of the Association of American Universities.

GW's identity is tied to its city. The Elliott School of International Affairs, the School of Media and Public Affairs, political science and the School of Business (No. 5 in the U.S. for international business) draw students who want internships in government, diplomacy, journalism and policy, and the university says undergraduates can choose from more than 15,000 internship and research opportunities. Undergraduates apply to one of its schools, including Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the Milken Institute School of Public Health and the School of Nursing.

GW admitted about 47% of first-year applicants for fall 2025 and is test-optional for most students. It suits applicants who want an urban campus, a professional, politically engaged student body and access to Washington's institutions, and its Revolutionary Promise covers full tuition for families earning under $100,000.

Deus Nobis Fiducia

“God is Our Trust” — university motto

Why students choose GW

The Foggy Bottom campus is a few blocks from the White House, the State Department, the World Bank and the IMF, with a Metro station on campus.

GW's Revolutionary Promise covers full tuition for students from households earning under $100,000 and at least half of tuition up to $150,000.

U.S. News 2027 ranks GW No. 5 in the country for international business and No. 19 for undergraduate nursing.

Special programs, including the B.A./B.S.-M.D. program, the University Honors Program and Corcoran Scholars, are open to first-year applicants.

Admissions

First-year class entering fall 2025 (CDS 2025-26); deadlines for fall 2027

About 1 in 2 applicants is admitted

12,741 admitted from 27,034 applicants

SAT 1310–1450

1000120014001600

Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.

ACT 31–34

2024283236

Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.

2,405 first-year students enrolled in fall 2025. International applicants were admitted at a lower rate: 1,380 of 3,804 (about 36%).

Testing Test-optional for most applicants; GW superscores the SAT and ACT. Scores are required for B.A./B.S.-M.D. applicants, homeschooled applicants and students whose schools give only narrative evaluations. Your choice can be changed only within a limited window after you apply.

Grades GW publishes no minimum GPA; 44% of enrolled first-years were in the top tenth of their class (among the 21% whose schools reported rank). 36.5% of enrollees submitted SAT and 13.9% ACT scores.

Typical entry requirements

U.S. high school	Transcripts for all four years of high school plus a midyear report; no minimum GPA or test score, but admitted students are typically strong academic students in their class
English language	IELTS 6.5 · TOEFL iBT 90 Minimums: TOEFL 90 (tests before January 26, 2026) or 4.5 on the new scale, IELTS 6.5, PTE Academic 61 or Duolingo 120. Admitted students may be placed into English for Academic Purposes in their first year; an optional InitialView interview can add context but does not replace the test.

Deadlines

Early Decision I Binding Next deadline · In 26 days

November 1, 2026

Financial aid deadline November 1; notification late December.
Early Decision II Binding In ~3 months

January 5, 2027

Financial aid deadline January 5; notification late February.
Regular Decision Non-binding In ~3 months

January 5, 2027

Financial aid deadline January 5; notification late March.

Dates are from GW's first-year application page (month and day, for fall admission). International applicants seeking the You Are Welcome Here Scholarship must apply for it by January 31.

How to apply

Common App or Coalition Application: one personal essay (choice of two prompts), one recommendation from a counselor or academic teacher, school report and transcripts, and an $80 fee. An optional writing supplement is reviewed if submitted. BFA applicants (except Interior Architecture) submit a 12-20 piece portfolio via SlideRoom; special programs need an extra essay. No interviews.

What admissions looks for

Academic background, the rigor of high school coursework and GPA come first in the committee's review.
Essays, letters of recommendation and extracurricular activities are also considered.
Academic preparation, personal qualities and the motivation to thrive in GW's environment.
Students who want to bridge ideas and action, for example through research, internships, global experiences and service.

Tips for applying to GW

1 Decide on test-optional before you submit: you have only a limited window to change the choice in your portal, and after that it is locked.
2 Use the optional writing supplement to connect your experiences to GW's values; it is not required and skipping it is not penalised.
3 BFA applicants should make sure the major selected on the application matches the one in SlideRoom (for example B.A. vs. B.F.A. in Fine Arts), as GW asks.
4 If you are aiming at medicine, the B.A./B.S.-M.D. program needs test scores (ACT Science included) and an extra essay.
5 Families earning under $100,000 should apply for aid: the Revolutionary Promise covers full tuition, and aid documents are due November 1 (ED I) or January 5.

What are your chances?

Costs & financial aid

2026-27 · figures in USD

Tuition, new first-year students (plus $420 mandatory fees and a one-time $350 matriculation fee) Tuition $72,000

+ on-campus housing and food, first-year students $18,160 ≈ $90,160 per year

Tuition On-campus housing and food, first-year students

Official cost of attendance $95,155

Financial aid

Through its Revolutionary Promise, GW covers full tuition for students with household income below $100,000 and at least half of tuition up to $150,000, and says 99% of applicants with need receive assistance. Need-based aid uses the FAFSA and CSS Profile and is only for U.S. citizens and permanent residents. All applicants, including international students, are automatically considered for merit scholarships such as the Presidential Academic Scholarship, and two full-tuition You Are Welcome Here Scholarships go to international applicants each year.

$95,155
Estimated cost of attendance, first-year student on campus, 2026-27: Full tuition for household income below $100,000; at least half of tuition up to $150,000
Revolutionary Promise: 90.35%
Average need met, full-time undergraduates (2025-26): $60,473
Average financial aid package, full-time undergraduates (2025-26): 157 students, average $39,344
International undergraduates awarded institutional aid

Academics

Academic calendar: Semesters

International Affairs (Elliott School)

A dedicated international affairs school next to the U.S. Department of the Interior, blocks from the State Department.

International Business (School of Business)

Ranked No. 5 in the U.S. by U.S. News 2027.

Nursing (BSN)

Ranked No. 19 for undergraduate nursing by U.S. News 2027.

B.A./B.S.-M.D. program

A joint program of Columbian College and the School of Medicine and Health Sciences for students already committed to becoming physicians.

Corcoran School of the Arts and Design (BFA)

Portfolio-based fine arts and design degrees; Corcoran Scholars receive support for their artistic work.

Research

GW is an R1 research university and a member of the Association of American Universities.
Its libraries, including Gelman Library and Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library, belong to the Washington Research Library Consortium, which shares resources across D.C.-area universities.
Nobel laureate Julius Axelrod earned his PhD at GW.

Schools & faculties

Columbian College of Arts and Sciences
Elliott School of International Affairs
School of Business
School of Engineering and Applied Science
Milken Institute School of Public Health
School of Nursing
School of Medicine and Health Sciences
College of Professional Studies
Law School
Graduate School of Education and Human Development

Graduation rate

83%

First-year students who return

91%

College Scorecard reports median earnings of $90,873 ten years after entry for students who received federal aid.

Student life

GW is a city campus: students who start as first-years are required to live on campus for three years (six semesters) unless exempted, a rule that began with the class of 2030, most in residence halls on the Foggy Bottom campus, with more on the Mount Vernon campus in the Palisades neighbourhood. Kogan Plaza and University Yard are the green spaces between classroom buildings, and the Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro station sits on campus. The athletic teams, now the Revolutionaries (formerly the Colonials), compete in NCAA Division I in the Atlantic 10, and the student newspaper is The GW Hatchet.

The Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro station is on campus.
Residence halls include Thurston Hall, three blocks from the White House.
The GW Revolutionaries play in NCAA Division I in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
The Mount Vernon campus, a former women's college, offers a quieter residential setting.

Housing. From the class of 2030 onward, students who begin at GW as first-years must live on campus for their first three years (six semesters) unless they receive a residency exemption; earlier classes had a two-year requirement.

Location

Foggy Bottom is a historic Washington neighbourhood near the White House, the State Department, the World Bank, the IMF and the National Mall. For students, the city's federal agencies, think tanks, embassies, media and museums become classrooms and internship sites. The Metro links campus to the rest of the region.

Nearest airport: Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)

Notable alumni

CP
Colin Powell

General and U.S. Secretary of State; School of Business
JK
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

First Lady of the United States; Columbian College
SR
Syngman Rhee

First president of South Korea
EW
Elizabeth Warren

U.S. senator from Massachusetts (attended GW on a debate scholarship)
KW
Kerry Washington

Emmy-winning actor
JA
Julius Axelrod

Nobel Prize-winning medical researcher (PhD)
BA
Belva Ann Lockwood

First woman to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court
DB
Dana Bash

CNN journalist

Frequently asked questions

What is George Washington University's acceptance rate?

For fall 2025, GW admitted 12,741 of 27,034 first-year applicants, about 47%, according to its Common Data Set.

Is GW test-optional?

Yes, for most applicants. Scores are required only for B.A./B.S.-M.D. applicants, homeschooled students and students from schools with narrative evaluations. Among fall 2025 enrollees who submitted, the middle 50% was 1310-1450 on the SAT and 31-34 on the ACT.

What are GW's application deadlines for fall 2027?

Early Decision I is due November 1, 2026, with decisions in late December; Early Decision II and Regular Decision are due January 5, 2027, with decisions in late February and late March.

How much does George Washington University cost?

For new first-years in 2026-27, tuition is $72,000 and the estimated cost of attendance on campus is $95,155. The Revolutionary Promise covers full tuition for families earning under $100,000.

Does GW give financial aid to international students?

GW does not offer need-based aid to international applicants, but they are automatically considered for merit scholarships, and two full-tuition You Are Welcome Here Scholarships are awarded each year.

Sources & methodology

Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.

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