Georgetown University

Washington, DC · founded 1789 · 20,000 students · private research university · Big East Conference

Known for: Georgetown is America's oldest Catholic and Jesuit university, renowned for international relations, politics, and law. Its location in Washington, D.C. provides unparalleled access to government, diplomacy, and policy work, making it a top destination for aspiring politicians and diplomats.

Rankings

U.S. News national: #22
QS World: #226
Times Higher Education: #108
ARWU Shanghai: #201
Forbes: #21

Top programmes

International Relations (Walsh School of Foreign Service)
Political Science
Government
Law
Business (McDonough)
Linguistics

Notable alumni

Bill Clinton — 42nd President of the United States
Antonin Scalia — U.S. Supreme Court Justice
Patrick Ewing — NBA Hall of Fame basketball player and coach
Bradley Cooper — Academy Award-nominated actor
Dikembe Mutombo — NBA Hall of Fame player and humanitarian
Maria Shriver — Journalist and former First Lady of California
King Felipe VI of Spain — Current King of Spain
Ivanka Trump — Businesswoman and former White House advisor

Traditions

Midnight Madness basketball kickoff
Hoya Hoop Hysteria
Lighting of the Tree ceremony
Senior Week activities
Exorcist Steps run

If Georgetown University were…

As a food: Oysters Rockefeller — Old money, East Coast establishment, served at the kind of white-tablecloth restaurants where deals get made over cocktails. Georgetown is all about tradition, connections, and the taste of power—rich, refined, and unapo
As an athlete: Patrick Ewing — Georgetown's most famous athlete, a towering presence who defined an era of Hoya basketball dominance and brought national prestige to the program. Like Ewing, Georgetown students carry themselves with a certain gravitas
As a person alive today: Jake Sullivan (U.S. National Security Advisor) — The ultimate Georgetown archetype—brilliant, politically connected, fluent in the language of power, and operating at the highest levels of government. SFS grads like Sullivan are the reason Georgetown exists: to train t
As a historical figure: Dean Acheson — The quintessential Cold War establishment figure—Yale and Harvard Law pedigree, architect of the Truman Doctrine, and embodiment of the foreign policy elite. Georgetown aspires to produce modern Achesons: polished, conne
As a movie or TV show: The West Wing — Idealistic, fast-talking politicos walking the halls of power, convinced they're the smartest people in the room and destined to save the world. Georgetown students live and breathe this fantasy, and a surprising number
As a US president: John F. Kennedy — Catholic, charismatic, East Coast elite, and effortlessly comfortable in the corridors of power. Georgetown students see themselves as the heirs to Camelot—young, ambitious, and destined to lead, with just enough Jesuit
As a city: Brussels — The capital of international diplomacy, filled with multilingual strivers working for NGOs, embassies, and global institutions. Both Georgetown and Brussels are where ambitious young people go to network their way into t
As an element: Gold — Prestigious, traditional, universally recognized as valuable, and historically the currency of empires. Georgetown trades on its name, its location, and its network—just like gold, it's been the standard for centuries an
As a car: 1987 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEL — Old-money elegance with diplomatic plates, the car of choice for Georgetown's legacy admits and future ambassadors. Jesuit intellectualism meets prep-school polish in a university where Supreme Court justices and foreign

Campus life

Georgetown combines Jesuit intellectual tradition with D.C. political energy, creating an internationally-minded, politically engaged student body. Students balance rigorous academics with internships on Capitol Hill, at embassies, and with NGOs. The campus has a preprofessional atmosphere with active social life centered around basketball games, Georgetown traditions, and exploring D.C. neighborhoods.