Address: 37th and O Streets NW, Washington, DC 20057, United States
Arts and Sciences, Foreign Service, Medicine, Law, Business, Public Policy, Nursing, Health, Continuing Studies
Georgetown University was founded in 1789 by Bishop John Carroll. It is the oldest Catholic institution of higher education in the United States and the nation’s first federally chartered university. The main campus is in the Georgetown neighbourhood of northwest Washington, D.C., on a hill above the Potomac River. The Healy Gates stand at 37th and O Streets NW, and the campus covers 104 acres.
Other sites complete the main campus. The Law Center is on New Jersey Avenue near Union Station, and the School of Continuing Studies is in Chinatown. Abroad, the School of Foreign Service has a campus in Doha, Qatar, and Georgetown SFS Asia-Pacific in Jakarta, launched in January 2025. The university also owns villas in Alanya, Turkey, and in Fiesole, Italy.
In fall 2024 the university counted 20,031 students, of whom 7,833 were undergraduates and 12,198 graduate or professional students. They came from more than 135 countries, and foreign nationals made up 14 percent of the student body in 2022. The staff numbered 7,419, with 5,869 full-time and 1,550 part-time employees. The endowment reached 3.95 billion dollars in 2025.
Eleven schools are active. They are the College of Arts and Sciences from 1789, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences from 1820, the School of Medicine from 1851, the Law Center from 1870, the Berkley School of Nursing from 1903, the Walsh School of Foreign Service from 1919, the School of Continuing Studies from 1956, the McDonough School of Business from 1957, Georgetown University in Qatar from 2005, the McCourt School of Public Policy from 2013 and the School of Health from 2022.
The alumni record is long. It lists 32 Rhodes Scholars, 46 Marshall Scholars, 33 Truman Scholars and 565 Fulbright Scholars, at least 12 living billionaires and 26 governors. Two Supreme Court justices and two presidents of the United States studied there, among them Bill Clinton, who graduated from the School of Foreign Service in 1968. The university counts 116 members of Congress, 26 of them senators, at least 92 ambassadors and 12 foreign heads of state or government. Tuition is high. Check the current tariff.
Domains taught:
Data Analytics, Finance, Life Sciences, Project Management, Statistics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Private
Partnerships:
Law Center near Union Station, campuses in Doha and Jakarta, villas in Alanya and Fiesole.
Research:
International affairs, law, medicine, public policy, business and health.
Famous Alumnis:
Bill Clinton
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
7419
Current students***:
20031
Foreign students***:
14%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Founded in 1789, Walsh School of Foreign Service, 3.95 billion dollar endowment, many alumni in government, campus above the Potomac.
Cons
High tuition, competitive admission, high cost of living in Washington.
Best For
Students interested in international affairs, law, public policy and government in Washington, D.C.
Official Linkedin
Official Facebook
Official X / Twitter
Linkedin Alumni Page
Most Similar Schools Locally
George Washington University offers a comparable education in finance, statistics and life sciences: it covers software engineering and engineering as well, and is slightly larger, at about 24,500 students against roughly 20,031 here.
Emory University follows much the same lines as this institution, with finance, statistics and life sciences as common ground, and it is slightly smaller, at about 16,142 students against roughly 20,031 here, and is also a private institution.
Where this institution leans on finance, life sciences and data analytics, University of Miami does the same, and it is also a private institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes.
A good alternative in the same country is Brandeis University, which likewise covers finance, life sciences and data analytics; it is also a private institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba.
On content, Harvard University and this university are close, as both teach statistics, life sciences and data analytics; it covers bioengineering and chemistry as well, and has almost the same size, at about 21,200 students.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Renmin University of China, based in China, is built around finance, project management and statistics much like this institution, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and covers mathematics as well.
London School of Economics and Political Science in the United Kingdom is the nearest foreign match on finance, project management and statistics; it does not run the mba programmes found here and covers logistics and mathematics as well.
Catholic University of the Sacred Heart offers an international parallel to this institution, with finance, statistics and life sciences as common ground; it is larger, enrolling about 30,263 students against roughly 20,031 here, and is also a private institution.
Korea University in South Korea pursues a similar profile in finance, life sciences and data analytics, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and covers chemistry and physics as well.
Pompeu Fabra University, in Spain, takes a similar route through finance, statistics and life sciences; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and covers signal processing and AI and machine learning as well.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is Georgetown University?
In the Georgetown neighbourhood of Washington, D.C., above the Potomac River.
When was it founded?
In 1789, by Bishop John Carroll.
Is it the oldest Catholic university in the United States?
Yes, it is the oldest Catholic institution of higher education in the country.
How large is the main campus?
104 acres.
How many students does it have?
20,031 in fall 2024.
How many schools are active?
Eleven.
Does it have a campus abroad?
Yes, in Doha, Qatar, and in Jakarta, Indonesia.
How large is the endowment?
3.95 billion dollars in 2025.
Which US president studied there?
Bill Clinton, School of Foreign Service, 1968.
What does it cost?
Tuition is high. Check the current tariff.
Healthcare, Human-Centered Design, Innovation, Quality Management, Research and Development, Sustainability, User experience (UX), Value Proposition
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
Innovation.world is not affiliated with this school/university. We recommend to contact them directly on their website for any special request.
To complete or correct any information here or share your opinion, please comment below or > send us a direct message <.
