Admit rate has ranged 41%–50% over the last 5 years — notably volatile. Source: IPEDS via Urban Institute.
Acceptance & SAT from Common Data Set / IPEDS; net price, earnings & graduation from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~1–2 years — verify with the school.
George Washington University (GW) is a politically charged, globally connected research university where Foggy Bottom’s corridors of power double as classrooms. With a 47% acceptance rate and a median SAT range of 1360–1470, GW attracts ambitious students who leverage its D.C. adjacency for internships at the State Department or CNN. The school’s strengths—international affairs, public health, and political communication—come with a steep $69,780 sticker price, though 84% graduate within six years to earn median salaries of $91,442.
Admission requirements
Test-optional — scores considered if submitted
Required
High school transcript
Grade point average
Letters of recommendation
College-prep program
TOEFL (non-native English)
Considered (not required)
Class rank
Test scores (SAT/ACT)
Source: IPEDS Admissions survey (2022) via Urban Institute. Covers formal factors only — it does not reflect essays, extracurriculars, or other holistic criteria.
More details
Undergrad enrollment
11,182
In-state tuition
$67,710
Out-of-state tuition
$67,710
Acceptance Rate
47%
Mid-Career Salary
$91,442
Undergraduate Majors
75+
4-Year Graduation Rate
77%
5-Year Graduation Rate
82%
Median Early-Career Salary
$66,952
Outcomes & value
Outcomes & value
Median earnings (10 yr)
$90,873
Value (earnings ÷ net price)
2.5×
Median debt at graduation
$20,449
Graduation rate
84%
First-year retention
92%
Reducing loan balance (3 yr)
80%
Pell (lower-income) share
36%
First-generation share
16%
Endowment / student
$236,068
Financial health
2.5 / 3.0Meets the federal financial-responsibility standard
U.S. Dept. of Education Financial Responsibility Composite Score (FY2022-23). Scale −1.0 to 3.0; ≥1.5 meets the standard. Reported for private nonprofit & for-profit institutions only — public universities are state-backed and not scored, so this is a stability signal, not a ranking.
Top-earning majors
Median earnings by field of study (highest credential), ~2 years after completion.
Systems Engineering$74,576
Civil Engineering$74,307
Computer and Information Sciences, General$73,949
Computer Science$73,446
Finance and Financial Management Services$72,214
Mathematics$71,015
Campus & location
Campus safety
On-campus violent crimes (2024)
18
Per 1,000 students
1.61
On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.
Climate
Pleasant days / yr
86
Summer high
86°F
Winter low
31°F
Annual rain
55.6"
Annual snow
10.9"
Natural-hazard risk
Relatively High
Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Deep dive — research, future-scholar output & economic mobility▾
Research output
Institutional h-index
750
Scholarly works
117,574
Institutional research volume and impact from OpenAlex. The h-index reflects large research universities and will be low for teaching-focused liberal-arts colleges — not a measure of undergraduate quality.
Economic mobility
Mobility rate
2.2%
Bottom → top quintile
42%
From bottom quintile
5%
Mobility rate = the share of students who both start in the bottom household-income quintile and reach the top quintile; bottom → top is that chance conditional on starting at the bottom. Source: Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Cards (Chetty, Friedman, Saez, Turner & Yagan). Reflects 1980–82 birth cohorts, so it’s directional, not current.
Quick answers
What is the acceptance rate at George Washington University?
George Washington University's acceptance rate is approximately 47% (Washington, DC), based on the most recent figures we compiled from public and primary sources.
What SAT score do you need for George Washington University?
Admitted students at George Washington University typically score 1350–1500 on the SAT (the middle-50% range). Scores outside this band are still admitted, especially with strong applications.
How much does George Washington University cost?
At George Washington University, the average net price (after aid) is about $36,586 per year. Actual cost varies with financial aid and residency.
How many undergraduates attend George Washington University?
George Washington University enrolls approximately 11,182 undergraduate students.
Where is George Washington University located?
George Washington University is located in Washington, DC.
Admissions
GW’s admissions process is selective but not cutthroat, with a 47% Acceptance rateThe share of applicants a college admits in a given year. A 10% acceptance rate means it admits about 1 in 10 applicants. for the Class of 2028. The middle 50% SAT range falls between 1360–1470, while ACT scores cluster around 30–33. Notably, only 27% of applicants submitted SAT scores and 12% submitted ACT scores in the most recent cycle, reflecting GW’s Test-optionalA policy where you choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores. If you don't, the rest of your application carries more weight. policy. The average admitted student carries a 3.66 GPA, and the university received 27,006 applications for roughly 12,718 acceptances. Deferred admission is permitted, allowing accepted students to postpone enrollment for up to a year.
GW’s academic identity is defined by its D.C. gravitational pull, particularly in international affairs, , and —all top-10 nationally ranked programs. The Columbian College of Arts & Sciences alone offers 67 undergraduate majors, from astrophysics to photojournalism. STEM programs thrive through partnerships with federal agencies like NASA and the NIH. A Reddit thread notes GW’s 'niche' reputation: 'The STEM is strong here too, probably the strongest in DC.' The university operates as a research powerhouse, with cross-disciplinary centers that turn Foggy Bottom into a lab for policy and global studies.
Earnings = median of students working ~10 years after entry; debt = median of graduates. Value divides 10-yr earnings by one year’s net price — read it as earnings per dollar of annual cost, not a full lifetime ROI; it favors lower-cost schools. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~2 years and reflect all students, not your intended major.
Biomedical/Medical Engineering
$69,338
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$68,875
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings). Figures cover graduates who received federal aid and lag ~2 years; not all programs report data.
Campus culture skews high-achieving and politically engaged, though Reddit users warn of a 'superficial' social scene dominated by 'spoiled kids or those who are annoyingly political.' With 11,000+ undergrads from all 50 states and 130+ countries, GW leans cosmopolitan. The Office of Student Life curates traditions and Instagram-worthy events (@studentlifeatgw), but the real action happens off-campus: internships on Capitol Hill, museum-hopping on the National Mall, or networking at embassy receptions. Housing is guaranteed for freshmen, though many upperclassmen migrate to D.C.’s row houses. Greek life exists but isn’t dominant—only 14% of students join sororities or fraternities.
GW’s 84% graduation rate outpaces the national average (59%), with 77% finishing in four years and 82% by year five. Alumni earnings are robust: $66,952 at the one-year mark, soaring to $91,442 after five years—well above the $60,377 median for four-year colleges. The NCAA reports a 94% graduation success rate for athletes. Career trajectories lean heavily into government (State Department, USAID), global health (WHO, CDC), and media (CNN, Politico), with many graduates leveraging D.C. connections secured through GW’s internship pipeline.
At $69,780 per year for tuition, GW is among the priciest private universities, though the average Net priceWhat a family actually pays after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the sticker price — usually far less than the published cost. drops to $45,466 after aid. Merit scholarships and need-based packages are available, with the Net Price Calculator estimating costs as low as $42k for families earning ~$112k. Payment plans help distribute the burden, but Reddit threads reveal sticker shock: 'I’m just wondering if the calculator is accurate.' Health sciences students should note additional program fees, and all applicants are encouraged to call the financial aid office directly at (202) 994-6620 for personalized estimates.
GW is the ultimate university for political animals and policy wonks, where a Senate internship is just a Metro ride away. Its location—four blocks from the White House—transforms the city into a classroom, offering unmatched access to think tanks, NGOs, and global institutions. The trade-off? A high cost of living and a competitive social scene that one Redditor dubbed 'fake trendy.' But for students who thrive on ambition and proximity to power, GW delivers career-launching opportunities that few campuses can match.
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