George Washington University

Washington, District of Columbia · Private nonprofit · 4-year · City

At a glance

Average net price: $36,586What students typically pay per year after grants and scholarships.
Acceptance rate: 47%
Graduation rate: 85%Share of students who finish within 150% of the normal time.
Undergraduates: 11,182
In-state tuition: $67,710Published price before aid.
Out-of-state tuition: $67,710
SAT midpoint: 1,400
Median earnings, 10 yrs: $90,873Median earnings of former students ten years after they first enrolled.

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Data year: 2022-23 academic year. Updated September 2026. Figures are averages across all students and will differ from what any individual pays.

How it compares to similar colleges

Each rating covers one measure against private nonprofit 4-year colleges nationally. Five stars means the top fifth on that measure. There is no overall score, because which of these matters is your call.

Affordability

$36,586

1/5

Better than 9% of private nonprofit 4-year colleges (1092 compared).

Completion

85%

5/5

Better than 92% of private nonprofit 4-year colleges (1063 compared).

Earnings

$90,873

5/5

Better than 95% of private nonprofit 4-year colleges (1087 compared).

Debt at graduation

$20,449

5/5

Better than 81% of private nonprofit 4-year colleges (1020 compared).

What these ratings are based on

Affordability: Based on average net price: what students receiving federal aid actually paid, after grants and scholarships. Your own cost depends on your family's finances.
Completion: Based on the share of first-time, full-time students who graduate within 150% of normal time. It excludes transfer and part-time students, which understates colleges serving many of them.
Earnings: Based on median earnings ten years after students first enrolled. It reflects the subjects a college teaches and the region it sits in as much as its teaching.
Debt at graduation: Based on median federal loan debt among students who completed. Private and parent loans are not included, so real totals are often higher.
Why there is no rating for selectivity: A lower acceptance rate is selectivity, not quality. Awarding stars for it would be us inventing a value judgement and hiding it behind a number.

What it actually costs

Published cost

$83,856

The sticker price: tuition, fees, housing, food and books for one academic year, before any aid.

Average net price

$36,586

What students receiving federal aid actually paid on average, after grants and scholarships. This is the more useful number, though your own figure depends on your family’s finances.

What would this cost me?

Use this college’s official net price calculator

Outcomes

Graduation, retention, debt and earnings for George Washington University
Graduation rateWithin 150% of normal time	85%
Retention rateFirst-year students who return	92%
Median debt at graduationFederal loans only, students who completed	$20,449
Median earnings, 10 years after entryFormer students, working and not enrolled	$90,873

What graduates of each major earn

Median earnings one year after finishing, for people who took that subject here. This is the figure a college-wide median hides: the spread between subjects at one college is usually far wider than the spread between colleges.

Bachelor’s programs at George Washington University by graduate earnings
Major	Earnings, 1 yr	Degrees awarded
Computer Science	$104,200	55
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management	$86,753	35
Mechanical Engineering	$82,361	37
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing	$79,221	272
Finance and Financial Management Services	$73,833	95
Computer and Information Sciences, General	$71,192	22
International Business	$70,856	66
Biomedical/Medical Engineering	$69,942	53
Accounting and Related Services	$69,151	28
Economics	$67,684	112
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions	$66,905	7
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods	$66,362	29
Business/Commerce, General	$58,373	7
Human Resources Management and Services	$57,219	23
Marketing	$54,833	54
Hospitality Administration/Management	$53,625	7
International Relations and National Security Studies	$52,933	511
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations	$52,893	12
Geography and Cartography	$52,883	26
Journalism	$52,015	48
Political Science and Government	$51,537	305
Criminal Justice and Corrections	$51,256	63
Natural Resources Conservation and Research	$51,201	36
Communication and Media Studies	$50,552	28
Public Health	$44,809	129
English Language and Literature, General	$38,985	37
History	$38,927	54
Research and Experimental Psychology	$37,906	60
Biology, General	$32,354	68
Anthropology	$22,614	33
Business Administration, Management and Operations	Not reported	156
Psychology, General	Not reported	110
Neurobiology and Neurosciences	Not reported	48
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication	Not reported	39
Design and Applied Arts	Not reported	34
Area Studies	Not reported	30
Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences	Not reported	25
Philosophy	Not reported	25
Systems Engineering	Not reported	24
Health and Medical Administrative Services	Not reported	23
Statistics	Not reported	21
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	Not reported	19
Fine and Studio Arts	Not reported	19
Sociology	Not reported	19
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	Not reported	18
Mathematics	Not reported	17
Civil Engineering	Not reported	15
Chemistry	Not reported	14
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies	Not reported	13
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	Not reported	13
Human Services, General	Not reported	13
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies	Not reported	12
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering	Not reported	11
Information Science/Studies	Not reported	11
Archeology	Not reported	10
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services	Not reported	10
Dance	Not reported	9
Real Estate	Not reported	8
Music	Not reported	7
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft	Not reported	7
Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution	Not reported	6
Nutrition Sciences	Not reported	6
Homeland Security	Not reported	5
Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology	Not reported	5
Computer Engineering	Not reported	5
Classical and Ancient Studies	Not reported	5
Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	Not reported	4
Religion/Religious Studies	Not reported	4
Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	Not reported	3
Physics	Not reported	3
Computer Software and Media Applications	Not reported	3
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences	Not reported	2
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other	Not reported	2
Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	Not reported	1
Engineering, General	Not reported	1
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology	Not reported	1
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	Not reported	Not reported
Literature	Not reported	Not reported
Astronomy and Astrophysics	Not reported	Not reported
Visual and Performing Arts, General	Not reported	Not reported
Film/Video and Photographic Arts	Not reported	Not reported

All 81 bachelor’s programs this college reported.

Similar colleges

Howard University
Washington, DC
Also a private nonprofit four-year college in DC, with a similar undergraduate enrollment.
Compare these two
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
Also a private nonprofit four-year college in DC, with a similar undergraduate enrollment.
Compare these two
American University
Washington, DC
Also a private nonprofit four-year college in DC, with a similar undergraduate enrollment.
Compare these two
The Catholic University of America
Washington, DC
Also a private nonprofit four-year college in DC, with a similar undergraduate enrollment.
Compare these two