George Washington University
George Washington University at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
George Washington University Featured Rankings
- #1 Best Online MBAs District Of Columbia
- #1 The Fastest Accelerated Online Psychology Doctorate Programs (PhDs) 2026
- #2 DC's Best Online Master's Degrees
- #2 Best Research Universities in DC 2026
- #2 Most Unusual Doctoral Degrees You Can Earn Online (PhDs)
- #2 Best Research Universities with Online Doctorate Programs (PhDs) 2026
- #2 Best Grad Schools in DC
- #2 Best Online Master's of Public Relations
- #2 Best Private Colleges in DC 2026
- #2 Most Influential US Universities by State
- #2 Best Colleges in DC 2026
- #3 Criminal Justice Research Universities
- #3 Most Affordable No GRE Online PhD Degree Programs
- #4 Best Online PhD of Nursing (DNP) Degree Programs
- #5 Non-GMAT Online MBAs
- #7 Social Work Research Universities
- #10 The 50 Best No GRE Online PhD Degree Programs
- #15 Nursing Research Universities
- #18 Business Research Universities
- #18 Communications Research Universities
- #23 Best Private Grad Schools 2026
- #28 The Best Traditional MBA Programs
- #31 Best Undergrad Research Universities 2026
- #33 Best Grad Schools 2026
- #34 Best US Universities 2026
About George Washington University
In brief
George Washington University (GW) is a private research university in Washington, DC, founded in 1821 as Columbian College by an act of Congress signed by President James Monroe. It took its present name in 1904 and moved to its Foggy Bottom campus in 1912. By our measure of academic influence, it ranks #54 in the United States and #148 in the world. It admitted 47.1% of applicants for fall 2024; admitted students had a median SAT score of 1425 and a median ACT score of 32.
Its 14 colleges and schools include the Elliott School of International Affairs and the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration, a few blocks from the White House, the State Department, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund.
Where GW’s influence is strongest
GW’s influence is concentrated in political science, criminal justice, and law. Its strongest broad fields, by US rank in our data, are:
- Political science: #18 in the US (#46 in the world)
- Criminal justice: #24
- Law: #28
- Communications: #39
- Business: #40
Its highest-ranked specialties in our data are:
- #6 in the US: international affairs
- #7: biomimetics
- #8: paleobiology
- #11: forensic science
By comparison, GW sits further back in psychology (#88), literature (#111), and social work (#112).
How we measure influence: these ranks come from the citations and recognition earned by a school’s faculty and alumni in each discipline, not from surveys or admissions statistics. See our methodology.
Notable people
GW-connected figures in public life include CIA director Allen Dulles and Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, Secretary of State Colin Powell, FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, Senators J. William Fulbright, Daniel Inouye, Harry Reid, and Elizabeth Warren, and the former South Korean presidents Syngman Rhee and Lee Myung-bak. In the sciences, the physicists George Gamow and Edward Teller taught there, and the Nobel laureates Julius Axelrod and Ferid Murad are GW-connected. Our full lists of GW’s most influential alumni and faculty appear below.
Frequently asked questions
Is GW hard to get into? Moderately. It admitted 47.1% of applicants for fall 2024; the middle half of admitted students scored 680–750 on the SAT reading section and 670–750 on math.
What does GW cost after financial aid? Tuition is $70,170 for 2025–26. The average net price for aided students with family incomes of $48,000–$75,000 was $21,338 in 2024–25; it ranged from about $17,768 for incomes of $30,000–$48,000 to $52,577 for incomes above $110,000.
How do GW graduates do? 82.5% of students who started in 2019 graduated within six years, and 92% of first-year students return for a second year. Ten years after starting college, former students had median earnings of $96,691.
What is GW best known for academically? By our influence data: political science, criminal justice, and law, plus international affairs, where it ranks in the US top 10.
According to Wikipedia, The George Washington University is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GW is one of six universities in the United States with a congressional charter.
George Washington University Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27,094 | 47% | 92% | 83% | 1425 | 32 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does George Washington University Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $70,170 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $19,440 |
| 30K - 48K | $17,768 |
| 48K - 75K | $21,338 |
| 75K - 110K | $28,010 |
| 110K+ | $52,577 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do George Washington University Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former George Washington University students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $96,691 a year, and 92% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
George Washington University's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 28,729 | 12,334 | 16,395 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is George Washington University?
George Washington University is located at 1918 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20052.
How Safe is George Washington University?
George Washington University reported 0.9 violent and property offenses on campus per 1,000 students in 2024, fewer than most large residential campuses. See George Washington University’s campus safety information.
Relative to its enrollment, George Washington University has a violent crime rate of 0.07% and a property crime rate of 0.02%. Washington has a violent crime rate of 0.94% and a property (including theft) crime rate of 3.63%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is George Washington University Known For?
George Washington University is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Political Science
- Criminal Justice
- Law
- Communications
- Business
- Anthropology
- Physics
- Medical
- Education
- Earth Sciences
- Economics
- Religious Studies
- History
- Engineering
- Mathematics
- Nursing
- Biology
- Computer Science
- Philosophy
- Chemistry
- Sociology
- Psychology
- Literature
- Social Work
George Washington University's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much George Washington University's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
George Washington University ranks #18 in the U.S. and #46 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesGeorge Washington University ranks #24 in the U.S. and #29 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.
criminal-justice DegreesGeorge Washington University ranks #28 in the U.S. and #103 worldwide for influence in Law.
George Washington University ranks #39 in the U.S. and #128 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesGeorge Washington University ranks #40 in the U.S. and #90 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesGeorge Washington University ranks #46 in the U.S. and #125 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesGeorge Washington University ranks #51 in the U.S. and #176 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesGeorge Washington University ranks #53 in the U.S. and #143 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesGeorge Washington University ranks #54 in the U.S. and #181 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesGeorge Washington University ranks #55 in the U.S. and #200 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesGeorge Washington University ranks #59 in the U.S. and #222 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesGeorge Washington University ranks #59 in the U.S. and #269 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesGeorge Washington University ranks #60 in the U.S. and #159 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesGeorge Washington University ranks #69 in the U.S. and #243 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesGeorge Washington University ranks #70 in the U.S. and #279 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesGeorge Washington University ranks #75 in the U.S. and #157 worldwide for influence in Nursing.
nursing DegreesGeorge Washington University ranks #78 in the U.S. and #226 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesGeorge Washington University ranks #78 in the U.S. and #235 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesGeorge Washington University ranks #79 in the U.S. and #258 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesGeorge Washington University ranks #79 in the U.S. and #333 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesGeorge Washington University ranks #81 in the U.S. and #244 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesGeorge Washington University ranks #88 in the U.S. and #176 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesGeorge Washington University ranks #111 in the U.S. and #280 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesGeorge Washington University ranks #112 in the U.S. and #240 worldwide for influence in Social Work.
social-work DegreesWho Are George Washington University's Most Influential Alumni?
George Washington University's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Criminal Justice, Political Science, and Business. Here are some of George Washington University's most famous alumni:
- J. Edgar Hoover
- An American law enforcement administrator .
- L. Ron Hubbard
- An American writer and Church of Scientology founder .
- Glenn Greenwald
- An American journalist, lawyer and writer .
- Bob Woodward
- An American journalist.
- Allen Dulles
- A First civilian and longest-serving Director of Central Intelligence .
- George Armitage Miller
- An American psychologist .
- Juan Guaidó
- A Ladrón of the National Assembly of Venezuela..
- Roger Stone
- An American political consultant and lobbyist .
- James E. Webb
- An Administrator of NASA in 1961–1968.
- Michael D. Griffin
- An American physicist and aerospace engineer.
- Lester Frank Ward
- An American sociologist and paleontologist .
- Brian Williams
- An American TV news anchor.
Who Are George Washington University's Most Influential Faculty?
George Washington University's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Criminal Justice, Political Science, and Business. Here are some of George Washington University's most famous faculty:
- Leana Wen
- An American physician, academic, author and journalist.
- Michael Marder
- A Philosopher.
- Frank Sesno
- An American journalist.
- Ned Price
- An American spokesman, political advisor and former intelligence officer.
- Henry Farrell
- An American political scientist.
- Laura Coates
- An American legal analyst.
- Harris Mylonas
- A Greek-American political scientist.
- Marlène Laruelle
- A French historian.
- Mindy Finn
- An American academic.
- M. Brian Blake
- An American computer scientist.
- Tayari Jones
- An American writer.
- Derek Chollet
- An American government official and foreign policy advisor.
