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Private Research University

Georgetown University

Private Research University in Washington, DC. Six-year graduation rate 95%. Median 10-year earnings $103,494.

Verdict High-return
Georgetown University · Campus
Median earnings · 10 yr
$103,494
Median debt at grad
$15,500
Mobility score
1.9
% bottom→top quintile
Graduation rate
94.8%
Federal loan default
0%

A decade after enrolling, the median Georgetown University student earns $103,494 — comfortably above what the typical bachelor's-granting institution returns. The six-year graduation rate of 95% is well above average and the clearest sign this school holds onto its students. Graduates leave owing a median of $15,500 — modest by four-year standards.

Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.

Green Flags
  • Debt-to-income ratio 0.15 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
  • Graduation rate 95% — well above the national average
  • 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Red Flags
  • ! Admit rate 13% — heavily selective, limited transfer slots

Admissions

Acceptance rate
13%
Applicants
26,131
Yield rate
46.7%

Georgetown University admits just 13% of applicants, placing it among the most selective undergraduate institutions in the country. The applicant pool is large — 26,131 in the most recent cycle — so the published rate reflects genuine competition rather than a small-sample quirk. 47% of admitted students actually enroll, which is a high yield by national standards. The score bands below cover the middle 50% of the enrolled students who submitted a score — not the whole class, and not a cutoff.

Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)

These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.

Test 25th–75th percentile Submitted
SAT Evidence-Based Reading 700–770 1,232 (78%)
SAT Math 690–780
ACT Composite 31–35 480 (30%)

IPEDS Admissions · 2024

Apply at Georgetown University →

Academics

Full-time retention
97%
Transfer-out rate
0%
Student:faculty
11:1

A 95% six-year graduation rate is the strongest academic signal on this page. 97% of full-time first-years return for a second year — a healthy figure. A 11:1 ratio points to small classes and accessible faculty. As a private nonprofit four-year college, the relevant comparison is other four-year schools rather than the national average across all institutions. 7,968 undergraduates makes this a mid-sized institution.

Financial Aid

Average net price
$39,083
Full-time, first-time undergraduates paying the in-state rate who were awarded grant or scholarship aid
% receiving grants
36%
degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
% receiving federal loans
19%
degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 7,409 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates

Net price averages $39,083 annually, so cost is the first thing to weigh here. The income table below is the number that matters — $5,064 at $0–30k versus $57,403 at $110k+. Only 36% of students receive grant aid, so most families are paying near the published price. 19% borrow federally — a low rate, though it covers federal loans only.

Entering first-year students

A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.

% receiving grants
33%
Average grant
$49,658

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 1,598 students

Net price by family income

The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.

Family income band Average net price
$0–30k $5,064
$30–48k $12,155
$48–75k $18,329
$75–110k $26,459
$110k+ $57,403

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24

Federal student loans went to 1,410 of these 7,409 students, totalling $6,626,838 — an average of $4,700 each.

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24

Local housing costs

Typical rents near campus (District of Columbia) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.

Studio
$1,953/mo
1 bedroom
$2,015/mo
2 bedroom (whole unit)
$2,246/mo

HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026

Veterans & GI Bill

GI Bill students
976
Yellow Ribbon
Yes
Principles of Excellence
Yes

VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)

Compare Georgetown University with peer institutions

How we evaluate Georgetown University

IPEDS
US Department of Education
College Scorecard
Post-grad earnings
Census PSEO
Earnings by major
Opportunity Insights
Mobility by institution
Read our full methodology →