George Washington University (GWU)
Private nonprofit four-year university in Washington, DC that costs an average of $35,760 a year after financial aid, admits 47% of applicants and graduates 83% of full-time students.
Net price / year
$35,760
Acceptance rate
47%
Graduation rate
83%
Earnings after 10 yrs
$96,691
Private nonprofitLarge city11,182 undergraduates
Cost of GWU
| Total cost of attendance (per year) | $87,253 |
|---|---|
| Tuition and fees, in-state | $70,170 |
| Housing and food (on campus) | $17,600 |
| Books and supplies | $1,450 |
| Average net price after aid | $35,760 |
Net price by family income
| Family income | Average net price / year |
|---|---|
| $0–30,000 | $19,440 |
| $30,001–48,000 | $17,768 |
| $48,001–75,000 | $21,338 |
| $75,001–110,000 | $28,010 |
| $110,001+ | $52,577 |
Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships. Get your own estimate with GWU's net price calculator ↗.
Admissions
| Acceptance rate | 47% |
|---|---|
| Average SAT | 1,433 |
| SAT reading (25th–75th percentile) | 680–750 |
| SAT math (25th–75th percentile) | 670–750 |
| ACT composite (25th–75th percentile) | 31–34 |
| Test scores | Considered but not required |
Graduation, earnings and debt
| Graduation rate | 83% |
|---|---|
| First-year retention | 92% |
| Median earnings 6 years after enrolling | $77,448 |
| Median earnings 10 years after enrolling | $96,691 |
| Rank in District of Columbia (earnings) | 2nd of 9 similar colleges |
| Median debt of graduates | $19,857 |
| Typical monthly loan payment | $226 (10-year plan) |
| Students with Pell grants | 20% |
| Students with federal loans | 32% |
Majors and programs at GWU
Earnings one year after graduation and median debt, by program. Click a program for details and comparisons.
Bachelor's degree programs (83)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | 121 | $98,819 | $20,500 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 475 | $91,990 | $18,750 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | 61 | $85,333 | $22,000 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | 54 | $84,240 | — |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | 85 | $83,703 | $20,500 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 76 | $82,462 | $25,500 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 43 | $81,037 | — |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 169 | $78,114 | $19,500 |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions | 23 | $75,868 | — |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 322 | $74,092 | $21,500 |
| International Business | 106 | $71,105 | $21,250 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | 37 | $70,483 | $20,646 |
| Economics | 205 | $69,696 | $17,500 |
| Marketing | 92 | $63,642 | $20,500 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | 80 | $63,370 | $19,500 |
| Sociology | 37 | $58,458 | — |
| Human Resources Management and Services | 53 | $58,393 | $20,000 |
| Mathematics | 26 | $58,255 | — |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | 7 | $56,880 | — |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | 921 | $56,427 | $20,125 |
| Political Science and Government | 596 | $55,831 | $20,500 |
| Design and Applied Arts | 62 | $55,439 | $19,250 |
| Public Health | 241 | $55,305 | $19,500 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 51 | $54,206 | — |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 136 | $54,080 | $19,500 |
| Journalism | 96 | $53,658 | $19,875 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 72 | $52,523 | $21,500 |
| English Language and Literature | 59 | $51,854 | $23,750 |
| Anthropology | 60 | $46,874 | $14,697 |
| History | 91 | $46,348 | $22,000 |
| Area Studies | 49 | $46,273 | $24,125 |
| Biology | 138 | $44,107 | $20,500 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | 93 | $42,765 | $21,500 |
| Geography and Cartography | 44 | $42,120 | $21,375 |
| Philosophy | 43 | $41,466 | — |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | 34 | — | — |
| Archeology | 16 | — | — |
| Astronomy and Astrophysics | — | — | — |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | 1 | — | — |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology | 6 | — | — |
| Business/Commerce | 8 | — | — |
| Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences | — | — | — |
| Chemistry | 27 | — | — |
| Civil Engineering | 28 | — | — |
| Classical and Ancient Studies | 10 | — | — |
| Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | — | — | — |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 17 | — | — |
| Computer Engineering | 13 | — | — |
| Computer Software and Media Applications | 24 | — | — |
| Dance | 13 | — | — |
| Data Science | — | — | — |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 15 | — | — |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 25 | — | — |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 22 | — | — |
| Engineering | 2 | — | — |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations | 20 | — | — |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | 20 | — | — |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | — | — | — |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 42 | — | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 4 | — | — |
| Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 4 | — | — |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | 39 | — | — |
| Homeland Security | 9 | — | — |
| Human Services | 29 | — | — |
| Information Science/Studies | 35 | — | — |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 1 | — | — |
| Literature | — | — | — |
| Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 6 | — | — |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 2 | — | — |
| Music | 17 | — | — |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | 87 | — | $15,100 |
| Nutrition Sciences | 14 | — | — |
| Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution | 16 | — | — |
| Physics | 6 | — | — |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences | 43 | — | — |
| Psychology | 235 | — | $19,500 |
| Real Estate | 10 | — | — |
| Religion/Religious Studies | 7 | — | — |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 26 | — | — |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 32 | — | — |
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 3 | — | — |
| Statistics | 28 | — | — |
| Systems Engineering | 37 | — | — |
Certificate programs (3)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions | — | — | — |
| Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other | — | — | — |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | — | — | — |
Associate's degree programs (4)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions | — | $44,406 | — |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | — | — | — |
| Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other | — | — | — |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 24 | — | — |
Post-baccalaureate certificate programs (2)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions | — | $75,888 | $23,448 |
| Health/Medical Preparatory Programs | — | $25,518 | $20,000 |
Master's degree programs (89)
Doctoral degree programs (46)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering-Related Fields | 1 | $186,411 | $57,260 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 6 | $135,403 | — |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 27 | $108,861 | $74,862 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | — | $80,203 | $159,266 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | 5 | $67,504 | $124,751 |
| Accounting and Related Services | — | — | — |
| Anthropology | 8 | — | — |
| Area Studies | 4 | — | — |
| Biology | 14 | — | — |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology | 3 | — | — |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | 17 | — | — |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 8 | — | — |
| Chemistry | 9 | — | — |
| Civil Engineering | 7 | — | — |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions | — | — | — |
| Computer Engineering | 7 | — | — |
| Computer Science | 8 | — | — |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | — | — | $64,007 |
| Curriculum and Instruction | 11 | — | — |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology | 13 | — | — |
| Economics | 18 | — | — |
| Education | 5 | — | — |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 17 | — | — |
| English Language and Literature | 6 | — | — |
| Genetics | 6 | — | — |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | 13 | — | — |
| History | 7 | — | — |
| Human Resources Management and Services | 26 | — | — |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies | 4 | — | — |
| Mathematics | 3 | — | — |
| Mechanical Engineering | 16 | — | — |
| Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies | 20 | — | — |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | 6 | — | — |
| Molecular Medicine | 5 | — | — |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | 3 | — | — |
| Pharmacology and Toxicology | 1 | — | — |
| Physics | 8 | — | — |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences | 6 | — | — |
| Political Science and Government | 15 | — | — |
| Public Health | 15 | — | — |
| Public Policy Analysis | 17 | — | — |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | 19 | — | — |
| Special Education and Teaching | 12 | — | — |
| Statistics | 10 | — | — |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | 12 | — | — |
| Systems Engineering | 13 | — | — |
Professional degree programs (10)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Law | 1,101 | $104,455 | $190,920 |
| Medicine | 358 | $68,287 | $215,211 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | 41 | — | — |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions | 23 | — | — |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | 39 | — | — |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 11 | — | — |
| Engineering-Related Fields | 97 | — | — |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | 7 | — | — |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 23 | — | — |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | 93 | — | — |
Graduate certificate programs (72)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 91 | $130,784 | — |
| Human Resources Management and Services | 95 | $101,727 | $71,000 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | 48 | $101,698 | — |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 52 | $98,288 | — |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 113 | $93,410 | $61,500 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 60 | $79,355 | $20,500 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 9 | — | — |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | 1 | — | — |
| Applied Mathematics | 1 | — | — |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | 1 | — | — |
| Biology | 2 | — | — |
| City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning | 3 | — | — |
| Civil Engineering | — | — | — |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions | 127 | — | — |
| Community Organization and Advocacy | 5 | — | — |
| Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other | 4 | — | — |
| Computer Engineering | — | — | — |
| Computer Science | 6 | — | — |
| Computer Software and Media Applications | 35 | — | — |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | 16 | — | — |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | — | — | — |
| Curriculum and Instruction | 4 | — | — |
| Data Science | — | — | — |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | 4 | — | — |
| Economics | — | — | — |
| Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | 2 | — | — |
| Educational/Instructional Media Design | 8 | — | — |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | — | — | — |
| Engineering Science | 5 | — | — |
| Engineering-Related Fields | 9 | — | — |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations | 10 | — | — |
| Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians | 3 | — | — |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering | — | — | — |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | 6 | — | — |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | — | — | — |
| Geography and Cartography | 27 | — | — |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | 23 | — | — |
| Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other | 1 | — | — |
| Health Professions Education, Ethics, and Humanities | — | — | — |
| Health/Medical Preparatory Programs | 82 | — | — |
| Homeland Security | 3 | — | — |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | 1 | — | — |
| Industrial Engineering | 1 | — | — |
| International and Comparative Education | 45 | — | — |
| International Business | 68 | — | — |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | 6 | — | — |
| Legal Support Services | 48 | — | $31,000 |
| Management Information Systems and Services | 22 | — | — |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | 33 | — | — |
| Marketing | 27 | — | — |
| Mathematics | — | — | — |
| Mechanical Engineering | 2 | — | — |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | 2 | — | — |
| Museology/Museum Studies | 23 | — | — |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 4 | — | — |
| Political Science and Government | 5 | — | — |
| Public Health | 32 | — | — |
| Public Policy Analysis | — | — | — |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | 20 | — | — |
| Publishing | 2 | — | — |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | 1 | — | — |
| Real Estate | — | — | — |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | — | — | — |
| Religion/Religious Studies | 1 | — | — |
| Security Science and Technology | 4 | — | — |
| Special Education and Teaching | 3 | — | — |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 7 | — | — |
| Statistics | — | — | — |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | 6 | — | — |
| Systems Engineering | — | — | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 4 | — | — |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language | 10 | — | — |
Similar colleges in District of Columbia
| College | City | Net price / yr | Acceptance | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howard University | Washington | $33,002 | 41% | $69,682 |
| Georgetown University | Washington | $33,661 | 13% | $110,516 |
| American University | Washington | $41,302 | 62% | $85,458 |
| The Catholic University of America | Washington | $32,543 | 83% | $81,308 |
| Trinity Washington University | Washington | $12,820 | 100% | $57,561 |
| Gallaudet University | Washington | $27,398 | 58% | $49,334 |
| NewU University | Washington | — | — | — |
About GWU
| Type | Private nonprofit four-year university |
|---|---|
| Location | Washington, DC |
| Setting | Large city |
| Undergraduates | 11,182 |
| Student-to-faculty ratio | 13 to 1 |
| Accreditor | Middle States Commission on Higher Education |
| Website | gwu.edu ↗ |
Frequently asked questions
What is GWU's acceptance rate?
George Washington University admits 47% of applicants, making it selective. Admitted students average 1,433 on the SAT.
How much does GWU cost per year?
The full cost of attendance is $87,253 a year (tuition and fees: $70,170). After grants and scholarships the average student pays $35,760 a year, and students from families earning under $30,000 pay about $19,440.
How much do GWU graduates earn?
Former students earn a median of $96,691 a year, 10 years after first enrolling — 2nd of 9 similar colleges in District of Columbia. The best-paid bachelor's program is computer science ($98,819 a year after graduation).
What is GWU's graduation rate?
83% of full-time students graduate within six years, and 92% of first-year students return for a second year.