Georgetown University: GPA and Admissions Requirements

Gaining admission to Georgetown University is a competitive endeavor that requires careful attention to academic performance and a well-rounded application. Georgetown University admits qualified students of any age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, color, disability status, religion, citizenship, immigration status, and national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. This article delves into the GPA and standardized test score expectations, along with other crucial elements that contribute to a successful application.

Understanding Georgetown's Selectivity

The acceptance rate at Georgetown is 12.9%, highlighting its extremely selective nature. To navigate this competitive landscape, prospective students must understand the academic benchmarks and holistic review process employed by the university.

GPA Expectations: Aiming for the Top

The average GPA at Georgetown is 4.09. This figure underscores the need for applicants to be at the top of their class, with nearly straight A's in all courses. For students with a GPA at or below this average, a higher SAT score can compensate and demonstrate preparedness for college-level academics. If you're currently a junior or senior, your GPA is hard to change in time for college applications.

Standardized Testing: SAT and ACT Requirements

Georgetown requires all applicants to submit either SAT or ACT scores. While the university might not explicitly state minimum score requirements, the reality is that these scores play a vital role in the admissions process.

SAT Scores

The 25th percentile SAT score is 1400, and the 75th percentile SAT score is 1540. Aiming for the 75th percentile, with a 1540 SAT or higher, is advisable to be above average. A score of 1400 places you below average, while a 1540 will move you up to above average. It is important to note that, while objective test results provide important information about candidates, the Committee on Admissions is far more concerned with school record, academic program, and rank in class than with test scores.

ACT Scores

The average ACT score at Georgetown is 33. The 25th percentile ACT score is 31, and the 75th percentile ACT score is 35. To maximize chances of admission, students should aim for an ACT score of 35 or higher.

Test-Optional Admission

A test-optional admission standard is currently available.

Test-Taking Strategies

Colleges typically focus on the highest score from a single test date. Aim to take the ACT as many times as you can. From research and talking to admissions officers, it's been learned that 4-6 tests is a safe number to submit. The college understands that you want to have the best chance of admission, and retaking the test is a good way to do this. Within a reasonable number of tests, they honestly don't care how many times you've taken it. If you take it more than 6 times, colleges start wondering why you're not improving with each test. But below 6 tests, it is strongly encouraged retaking the test to maximize your chances. If your SAT score is currently below a 1540, it is strongly recommended that you consider prepping for the SAT and retaking it.

Essay

Georgetown considers the SAT Essay/ACT Writing section optional and may not include it as part of their admissions consideration.

Beyond Academics: A Holistic Approach

While GPA and test scores are crucial, Georgetown employs a holistic admission process. This means that the university considers a range of factors beyond academic achievements, including:

Extracurricular Activities

Participation in extracurricular activities demonstrates a student's interests, passions, and commitment outside the classroom. Extracurricular activities, leadership or key positions you've held, relevant personal or academic projects, awards, accomplishments, and volunteer activities are all considered.

Letters of Recommendation

A recommendation letter is your opportunity to show the Admissions Committee how your supervisors and peers think of you and why you should be chosen for the Georgetown MSF. Strong letters of recommendation from teachers, counselors, or mentors can provide valuable insights into a student's character, work ethic, and potential. A recommendation letter from your current or previous work supervisor is ideal, however we also accept letters of recommendations from internship supervisors, organizational leaders, or professors for pre-experience candidates.

Personal Essays

The personal essay offers a platform for students to showcase their personality, values, and unique experiences. Share with the committee the unique path that brought you to be interested in Georgetown, and your road map for further success during and after the program, through an organized, thoughtful, and engaging personal statement. You want to show the admissions committee that you will be a strong, positive addition to the Georgetown MSF community and how you plan to make your goals a reality.

Interviews

Another important part of the selection process at Georgetown is an interview with a member of an Alumni Admissions Program committee which are located in all fifty states and in many foreign countries. As applications are received by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, each student who lives or attends boarding school within a committee’s jurisdiction is provided with the name of an alumni interviewer and asked to make arrangements for an interview.

Jesuit Values

Moreover, Georgetown considers several pious criteria when deliberating between students, not least of which is the applicant’s adherence to GU’s Jesuit values.

Read also: Georgetown Admission SAT

Additional Considerations

Application Deadlines

All first-year student applications are due in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions by November 1 for Early Action and January 10 for Regular Decision. These applications should contain the results of three and one half years of high school work. No application will be considered until all of the above credentials have been received.

Early Action

The Early Action program is designed to enable superior students to learn of their admission early in their senior year. Students offered admission at Early Action are those whom the Admissions Committee members feel confident would be admitted at Regular Decision. Georgetown’s Early Action program is grounded in the belief that students should be free to choose among colleges until the Candidates Reply Date, May 1. In keeping with this principle, students applying under the Early Action program may not apply at the same time to binding Early Decision programs since they would not be free to choose Georgetown if admitted. Students are welcome to apply to other Early Action programs or other Regular Decision programs while at the same time applying to Georgetown’s Early Action program. No candidates are denied admission during the Early Action review. Candidates not accepted under the Early Action program are deferred to the regular review. Applicants for Early Action must indicate their interest in being considered for this program in the space provided on the application form. The admissions application and all credentials for Early Action must be received at Georgetown by November 1. Please note that the Early Action review is based on information from first, sophomore, and junior years, so it is not necessary to rush SAT Subject Test results to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Fall scores will be added to an applicant’s file if the student is deferred to the Regular Decision review.

Transfer Students

Georgetown welcomes transfer applications to its undergraduate programs. Transfer applicants should have completed one full-time semester of at least twelve transferable credits, or the equivalent, on the college level; otherwise they should follow the first-year student application procedure. Students who have already earned a bachelor’s degree at another college or university are not eligible for admission to Georgetown’s undergraduate degree programs. Transfer students admitted for the fall term, may begin studies during the summer term if they wish. Credit for electives will be given if the course is similar to courses offered at Georgetown. Grades earned must be at least one level above minimum passing level, e.g., C. The maximum number of transferable credits is one-half of the total required for the degree. Students must spend a minimum of four full semesters in residence at Georgetown to earn a degree. Summer sessions will not count toward fulfilling the residency requirement. Work completed on semester study abroad will not count toward fulfilling the academic residency requirement unless completed at one of Georgetown’s Global Living and Learning Communities or at SFS-Qatar. An evaluation of courses accepted for transfer will be sent with or shortly after the notification of acceptance.

International Students

Georgetown welcomes applications for admission from well-qualified international students. Deadline dates are the same as those established for students applying from within the United States. Along with final application forms, students should submit complete, translated, and official transcripts of all secondary and, when applicable, university credentials along with subjective evaluations from teachers and tutors when obtainable. Similarly, students applying from countries offering Matriculation Examinations must submit results of such examinations as soon as results are available. educational systems whose native language is not English are required to demonstrate a level of competence that would indicate their ability for successful study in English. It is recommended that such students submit results from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), including the Test of Written English (TWE), given at test centers throughout the world. International applicants are required to take the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or the American College Testing Program (ACT) examination. These tests are available in virtually every foreign country, and should be taken prior to January 1 to allow the results to be sent to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions in time for review.

Adult Learners

Adult Learners who have been out of high school for more than five years and who have fewer than 24 hours of earned college credit from an accredited college or university may be admitted under alternate admission criteria. Their applications may be made “test optional,” requiring only their high school transcript and no standardized test score. They should also submit a letter of admission, and may be required to interview with an academic official.

Visiting Students

Due to limitations of space, Georgetown is only able to offer admission to a limited number of students via our Visiting (non-degree) Student Program. Applications must be approved by the dean of the school in which the student wishes to study. Students who are earning degrees at schools other than Georgetown and who wish to attend Georgetown as Visiting Students must include with their application materials a letter from the current dean approving the courses to be taken at Georgetown. Approval for Visiting Student status does not mean automatic acceptance into the courses requested and approved. Enrollment in specific courses is determined on a space-available basis only.

Academic Policies and Regulations

Grading System

The grades S (satisfactory) and U (unsatisfactory) are applicable to courses taken for credit but not for quality points. S is equivalent to grade C or better. Students may not repeat a course for which they have previously earned credit. If a course is repeated, both grades will appear on the student’s transcript, and only the first passing grade earned will be computed in the student’s grade point average. If a failed course is repeated and passed, both the F and the passing grade are computed in the average. Credits from other institutions, e.g. transfer credit, study abroad and consortium credit, will not be computed in the student’s cumulative Quality Point Index.

Pass/Fail Option

Students choose an elective course to be graded on a pass/fail basis by initiating a pass/fail course request online in GU Experience. The pass/fail option is restricted to free electives and must be exercised only for courses within the normal course load for a given semester. A department or program may, for valid reasons, designate certain of its courses as unavailable to the pass/fail option and will notify the Dean’s Office. Pass/fail courses will be marked S (Satisfactory), equivalent to letter grades of C or better, or U (Unsatisfactory), equivalent to letter grades below C. The last day to request the pass/fail option is the last day to withdraw from the course in the semester. Courses on different modular dates will have the option to request a pass/fail up to the last day to withdraw in that module. *For purposes of the pass/fail policy, a course is considered three or more credits.

Auditing Courses

Students may wish to audit a course for which they will not receive credit or a grade. Students who audit a course pay the standard per credit hour tuition. Refer to the Expenses and Finances ( section of this Bulletin for the per credit hour tuition amount. GU-Q, College of Arts & Sciences, and School of Health students are not permitted to audit courses. If a student wishes to change status from credit to audit, the student must obtain formal approval from their advising dean during the add/drop period. The last day to request to audit a course is the last day to add a course for that semester.

Advisory Grades

Advisory grades are made available by the Registrar through GU Experience after mid-term examinations in the fall and spring semester. These grades are not part of the permanent academic record of the student; they are designed to help students evaluate academic achievement.

Incomplete Grades

Students are expected to complete all work in a course by the deadline(s) determined by the instructor, and no later than the end of the final exam period. In the event that a student is unable to meet the standard deadlines due to illness or an emergency at the end of the term, the student may request a provisional grade of N (“incomplete”). All requests for N grades must be approved by both the instructor of record for the course and the student’s advising dean. Please note that N grades will only be granted in cases where the student is deemed to be in good standing in the course by the instructor (i.e., the student has participated actively, has completed the majority of the course requirements in a timely fashion, etc.) and is in good academic standing in general. Students on academic probation are not eligible for incompletes. When an N grade is granted, the course must be completed by the new deadlines agreed upon by the student, instructor, and dean, and the final grade submitted by the instructor no later than (1) March 30 for the fall semester; (2) September 30 for the spring semester; or (3) November 30 for the summer sessions.

Accessing Grades

The Registrar will make semester grades available through GU Experience at the end of the examination period each semester. Students may view their grades and unofficial transcript on GU Experience or request an official transcript of their academic record through Parchment.

Grade Changes

As a matter of equity, professors cannot change final grades on the basis of additional work from an individual student after grades have been submitted. This includes, but is not limited to, revision of papers, retakes of tests, or submission of supplemental work. A final grade may not be changed on the basis of documentation received after the grade has been posted. Students are expected to provide documentation of absences, etc.

Grade Appeals

When a student thinks that a given course grade is not justified, the student must first discuss the grade on an informal basis with the professor of the course. Within the first 21 calendar days of the next semester, the student and professor should discuss the grade. (Faculty may be unavailable between semesters. An error in grading procedures or inequity in the application of policies stated in the course syllabus are grounds for an appeal. A disagreement with the professional judgment of the professor should not be the basis of an appeal or any resulting change of grade. If the student believes that there is reason for an appeal of the professor’s assigned grade, the student may make a formal written appeal to the Chair of the faculty member’s department with a copy of the appeal letter sent to the student’s advising Dean. In the appeal letter, the student must state the grounds for the appeal and document any claims of grading error or inequities in as much detail as possible. The Chair must then notify the faculty member of the appeal and provide a copy of the formal request. Such an appeal must be filed within the first thirty calendar days of the semester after that in which the grade was assigned.

Latin Honors

In order to ensure that Latin honors represent a mark of distinction, they will be calculated within designated percentiles of the current cumulative GPA of the senior class in each school according to the following rules. *Full-time status for purposes of computing honors requires that a student be enrolled in at least twelve credits of coursework for which quality points are awarded.

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