Address: 2121 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20052, United States
Arts and Sciences, Medicine and Health Sciences, Law, Engineering and Applied Science, Business, International Affairs
The George Washington University is a private research university in Washington, D.C. Congress chartered it, and President Monroe approved the charter on 9 February 1821, under the name Columbian College. The main campus covers 43 acres in the historic Foggy Bottom district, a few blocks from the White House. The university moved its main operations to Foggy Bottom in 1912. It also has campuses at Mount Vernon and at the Virginia Science and Technology Campus in Ashburn.
The student body counted 24,500 in 2025, with 11,148 undergraduates and 12,936 postgraduates. In 2023 international students made up 7.68 percent of undergraduates and 19.19 percent of graduate students. Students come from all 50 states and from more than 120 countries. More than 6,000 faculty members, administrators and support staff work there.
The university has fourteen schools and colleges. Columbian College of Arts and Sciences dates from 1821, the School of Medicine and Health Sciences from 1824 and the Law School from 1865. The School of Engineering and Applied Science was created in 1884, and the George Washington School of Business in 1928. The Elliott School of International Affairs completes the group, with a history that reaches back to a predecessor of 1898.
The George Washington University Hospital stands next to the Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro station, at the intersection of 23rd and I Streets NW. Its emergency department was renamed the Ronald Reagan Institute of Emergency Medicine after President Reagan was treated there following the assassination attempt of 1981. Medicine and health sciences students train in this setting.
Many figures of public life studied here. The list includes Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Colin Powell, J. Edgar Hoover, Elizabeth Warren and William Barr. Syngman Rhee, the first president of South Korea, and Lee Kun-hee, chairman of Samsung, are also on the roll. The location in the capital opens doors to internships in government, in think tanks and in international organisations. Tuition is high. Check the current tariff.
Domains taught:
Data Analytics, Engineering, Finance, Life Sciences, Software Engineering, Statistics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Private
Partnerships:
Fourteen schools and colleges, George Washington University Hospital, campuses at Foggy Bottom, Mount Vernon and Virginia Science and Technology.
Research:
International affairs, law, health sciences, engineering and applied science, business.
Famous Alumnis:
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Colin Powell, J. Edgar Hoover, Elizabeth Warren, William Barr, Syngman Rhee, Lee Kun-hee
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
6000
Current students***:
24500
Foreign students***:
14%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Location a few blocks from the White House, 14 schools and colleges, university hospital next to the campus, strong international affairs.
Cons
High tuition and living costs in Washington, urban campus, competitive admission.
Best For
Students interested in politics, law, international affairs and health in the heart of Washington, D.C.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
Anyone who wants a second school in the same country with a similar spread of finance, statistics and life sciences can consider Georgetown University, and it is also a private institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba.
Where this institution leans on finance, statistics and life sciences, George Mason University does the same, and it is larger, enrolling about 39,638 students against roughly 24,500 here, and is public, whereas this institution is private.
Indiana University Indianapolis overlaps with this university on finance, life sciences and data analytics, so the two are easy to compare, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and covers bioinformatics as well.
Anyone who wants a second school in the same country with a similar spread of finance, life sciences and data analytics can consider University of Miami, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and covers marine science and microbiology and genetics as well.
Emory University follows much the same lines as this university, with finance, statistics and life sciences as common ground, and it covers bioinformatics and microbiology and genetics as well, and is smaller, enrolling about 16,142 students against roughly 24,500 here.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Korea University, based in South Korea, is built around finance, life sciences and data analytics much like this institution, and it is also a private institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes.
Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, based in Italy, is built around finance, statistics and life sciences much like this university, and it covers agriculture and food science as well, and is slightly larger, at about 30,263 students against roughly 24,500 here.
Beyond national borders, Yonsei University stands out as a comparable school for finance, life sciences and data analytics; it covers chemistry and physics as well, and is slightly larger, at about 29,832 students against roughly 24,500 here.
Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand pursues a similar profile in finance, life sciences and data analytics, and it is slightly smaller, at about 20,939 students against roughly 24,500 here, and is public, whereas this institution is private.
Seen from abroad, Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong) is a close relative on subject matter, since finance, statistics and life sciences are central to both, and it is public, whereas this institution is private, and runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes.
*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 the George Washington University?
In the Foggy Bottom district of Washington, D.C., a few blocks from the White House.
When was it chartered?
On 9 February 1821, as Columbian College.
How large is the main campus?
43 acres.
What other campuses does it have?
Mount Vernon and the Virginia Science and Technology Campus in Ashburn.
How many students does it have?
24,500 in 2025.
How many schools and colleges are there?
Fourteen.
What share of graduate students are international?
19.19 percent in 2023.
Where is the university hospital?
Next to the Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro station.
Which famous people studied there?
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Colin Powell and Elizabeth Warren, among others.
What does it cost?
Tuition is high. Check the current tariff.
Engineering, Financial, Innovation, Research and Development
*: 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.
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