As one of the most prestigious universities in the United States, Georgetown University is also one of the most difficult to get accepted to. Located in Washington, D.C., Georgetown is the oldest Jesuit institution in the U.S. and one of the highest-ranked as well.
This private research university is home to the oldest international relations school in the U.S., the Walsh School of Foreign Service. It’s also where the renowned McDonough School of Business is located. Georgetown offers over 60 majors on its campus, which is situated at the Potomac River and known as “The Hilltop.”
Forbes ranks Georgetown #22 in its list of top colleges in 2022. The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education ranks it #32, and U.S. News & World Report ranks it #22.
Graduates of Georgetown have accomplished great things and become some of the world’s top thinkers, analysts, business professionals, and researchers. Some renowned Georgetown graduates include Bradley Cooper, Pat Buchanan, Jim Gaffigan, Patrick Ewing, Maria Shriver, and many others.
Georgetown Application Help: What You Need
If you’re determined to join the list of prestigious Hoya alumni, you’ll need to work hard throughout high school and earn an almost perfect GPA. You will need to achieve very high test scores on the ACT or SAT, participate in extracurricular activities, and submit a flawless application.
In other words, you’ll need to learn everything you can about how to get accepted into Georgetown and put it to good use starting early in high school. The best Georgetown application help is available to guide you through every step of your admission journey.
How to Get into Georgetown: What Is the Acceptance Rate?
For the class of 2025, 27,650 students applied and just 3,226 of them were accepted, giving Georgetown an overall acceptance rate for that year of 11.7%. The class of 2026 had just 3,229 students accepted for admission out of the 26,670 who applied, giving the school an acceptance rate for that admissions round of 12.1%.
Acceptance rates for some of the specific schools at Georgetown are as follows:
- Georgetown College: 11%
- McDonough School of Business: 12%
- School of Nursing & Health Studies: 13%
- Walsh School of Foreign Service: 15%
Even though the Georgetown acceptance rate isn’t as low as Harvard, Caltech, or other prestigious universities, it’s still extremely competitive. It remains one of the most challenging schools to get into.
What Is the Early Action Acceptance Rate at Georgetown?
Students sent in 8,832 applications during the 2021–2022 admission cycle. Just 881 were invited to join the student body, giving the school its lowest acceptance rate in history at just 10%. While most other schools have early acceptance rates up to three times as high as regular decision rates, this is not the case for Georgetown.
Georgetown Admission Help: ACT, SAT, GPA, and Class Rank
Admission officials at the university consider GPA, test scores, and class rank to be very important factors in their admission decision-making process.
Class Rank
The average class rank for students who were accepted into the Georgetown class of 2026 was reportedly 6%. In other words, most students accepted for admission had graduated in the top 6% of their high school classes.
What GPA Do You Need to be a Hoya?
Like most of the other heavy hitters in national universities, Georgetown does not report the GPAs of its incoming freshmen students. However, it’s safe to say that you’ll need to aim for at least a 4.0 if you want to stand out in the sea of other hopeful applicants.
The university makes it clear that, while many non-academic factors influence admission decisions, applicants’ academic performances and histories are the most important ones. Other factors considered include demonstrated commitment to your community and personal qualities like curiosity, ambition, motivation, and resiliency.
What SAT and ACT Scores Do You Need to Get into Georgetown?
Georgetown does require applicants to submit their ACT or SAT scores as part of their application packets. While many colleges and universities have switched to a “test-optional” policy for admissions requirements, and others have permanently dropped test scores as a requirement, Georgetown still needs to see them.
Georgetown also does not permit applicants to do any self-reporting of scores, so you will need to have the College Board or ACT send official score reports to the university.
If you are an applicant with no access to an open testing center, you will be required to fill out a form explaining why you could not take either test. In this case (and only this case), Georgetown encourages students to apply without test scores.
For the class of 2026, the SAT and ACT scores reported are as follows:
- The 25th percentile SAT score was 1370
- The 75th percentile score was 1530
- The class had an average SAT score of 1450
- The 25th percentile ACT score was 31
- The 75th percentile ACT score was 34
It’s important that you know that the university considers scores for only the math and verbal portions of the SAT. The College Board discontinued SAT subject tests in 2001. Georgetown will consider the highest score on each section if you take the test more than once.
In addition, for the ACT, Georgetown takes into consideration only the math, science, reading, and English portions in the review process. It does not use the new super score reports. Therefore, you must have all of your ACT scores sent to the admissions office.
Does Georgetown Require Interviews?
Unlike many of its elite university counterparts, Georgetown requires all first-year applicants to participate in an alumni interview. The only admissible reason for not participating is if there are no alumni available in your geographic region.
With that being said, however, there are no interviews conducted on campus. The university does not ask applicants to travel to other cities or counties in order to have an interview. Therefore, if alumni interviewers are not available where you live, the requirement will be waived for you.
Georgetown assures that if this requirement is waived for you, it will not negatively impact your admission chances. If there are alumni in your area, you will be provided with contact information for an interviewer sometime between September and January. It will be your responsibility to make arrangements for your interview.
The interview is your chance to share all kinds of information about yourself that you didn’t get the chance to share on your application. It’s essential that you use the opportunity to converse about your general thoughts and interests as a person. Don’t rehash information that was already included elsewhere on the written application.
It’s also your chance to learn about Georgetown from a Hoya alumnus. Have a handful of questions prepared ahead of time that you’d like to ask your alumnus to help you understand what the Georgetown experience is like.
Georgetown Admission Help: What High School Classes Should You Take?
When it comes to your high school education, Georgetown is, above all else, interested in the rigor and quality of the work you have demonstrated in your classes. There are no cut-and-dry course requirements that will make or break an applicant’s chances of admission success, but the university has some recommendations:
- One year of natural science
- At least two years of social studies
- At least two years of language study
- Two years or more of mathematics
- Four years of English
In addition, there are certain recommendations for students who are planning on specific academic concentrations in college:
- Math or science majors should take three years of science and four years of math
- Nursing program majors need one year of biology and chemistry and three years of math
- Foreign service or language majors should have a background in a modern language or Latin
Students interested in the McDonough School of Business should take at least three years of math through advanced algebra trig. This is because calculus is required during study at Georgetown. In addition, two years of natural science are recommended, and at least one course in computer science during high school is ideal.
Does Georgetown Participate in the Advanced Placement Credit Program?
If you are able to take Advanced Placement examinations during high school, you should. Georgetown will award you college credit and course exemptions if you have qualifying scores on the AP exams. If you want to send your scores to Georgetown, you should do so via the Advanced Placement Coordinator in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions during the summer before you start classes on campus.
The specific awards students receive from their test scores vary depending on the undergraduate school and the major students choose.
What About Dual Enrollment Credit?
If you are taking joint high school/college courses, the university encourages you to apply as a first-year student. However, Georgetown will not award credit for any more than four courses.
How to Get into Georgetown: What Extracurricular Activities Should You Participate In?
Georgetown wants to see an impact. The admissions committee looks for problem-solving skills and leadership. The number of extracurricular and community activities you participate in is far less important than what you did while active.
College-bound high school students are always told that they need to be well-rounded to attract the attention of colleges, but that doesn’t mean they should sign up for a dozen different activities.
Students should select and excel in a few high-quality activities that are important to them. They should also seek out leadership opportunities in activities that reflect their areas of study or interests whenever possible.
Georgetown is also interested in students who show a high quality of character and put it to good use in their spare time. The idea behind participating in extracurricular activities is not to show that you are more talented than other people. It’s to make a difference in your community and show Georgetown that you are innovative, reliable, and have a spirit of volunteerism.
Who Should Write Your Letters of Recommendation for Georgetown?
Georgetown allows high school teachers and counselors to submit letters of recommendation for applicants, but only one is required in general. However, it’s important to note that individual schools have their own requirements for admissions, and they often ask for additional letters of recommendation.
Your letter(s) of recommendation should be written by a teacher who teaches a subject related to your particular area of interest. The teacher should know you well and be able to vouch for your academic abilities as well as your character.
Does Georgetown Consider Demonstrated Interest?
In short, no, Georgetown does not take demonstrated interest into account in any way that would influence its admission committee’s decision. Demonstrated interest would include making a documented visit to campus, meeting with admissions officials, participating in virtual campus tours, and talking with alumni.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t participate in these types of activities, though — you should! All of the above activities will help you gain an excellent grasp of the atmosphere that surrounds the campus and the school. It’s the best way to see if you’d be a good fit for the school and vice versa.
How to Get into Georgetown: Final Thoughts
If your dream is to become a Hoya but you fall short in one of the critical areas the university considers very important, you’ll need a hook to achieve that dream. Make sure you have a rock-solid application and have written compelling answers to the essay prompts you receive with your application.
You will be required to answer three essay prompts and one additional prompt specific to the school you are interested in joining. The prompts ask you to talk about special talents or skills you have, discuss an activity in which you’ve been involved, and write a personal description of yourself.
Get started by learning everything possible about how to get accepted into Georgetown, and get as much Georgetown application help as you can. If you’re able to visit the campus, do so. You will need to have a standout transcript by the time you graduate from high school if you want to join the next class at Georgetown University.