If you’re a devout Catholic high schooler (or even if you aren’t!), chances are you’ve considered applying to Georgetown University. This private Jesuit university has the luxury of being choosy about who it admits! Even students with grades that make their parents proud might be at a loss when faced with the Georgetown admissions office.

The proof is in the pudding: for the Georgetown Class of 2028, 85% graduated in the top tenth of their high school’s graduating class. But the moral of the story is that excellent grades and test scores alone aren’t going to cut it. There’s another piece to this puzzle.

What kind of GPA does a student need when applying to Georgetown? Can a student with average grades earn admission? Though the GPA data for the Georgetown University Classes of 2029 and 2030 are not yet available, we can get a good idea of the GPA makeup of Hoyas by looking at the three admissions cycles prior:

Georgetown University Admissions Rate

First, just how difficult is it to get into Georgetown? For applicants to Georgetown’s Class of 2029, a formidable 12% earned admission. The year prior, for the Class of 2028, 12.33% received the good word of admission; for the Class of 2027, 12.79% saw their prayers answered and made it onto this Washington, DC-based campus.

What is a Good GPA for Getting into Georgetown?

The following is the class rank breakdown of Georgetown’s Class of 2028 members, as reported in Georgetown’s 2024-25 Common Data Set. Georgetown University has not provided straightforward GPA data in the Common Data Set. Therefore, the class rank information below serves as the best indicator of the GPA requirements for admission.

Assessment	Percent
Percent in top tenth of high school graduating class	85%
Percent in top quarter of high school graduating class	95%
Percent in top half of high school graduating class	98%
Percent in bottom half of high school graduating class	2%
Percent in bottom quarter of high school graduating class	0%
Percent of total first-time, first-year (freshman) students who submitted high school class rank:	51%

GPA Percentage of The Georgetown University Class of 2027

The following is the GPA breakdown of the members of Georgetown’s Class of 2027:

Assessment	Percent
Percent in top tenth of high school graduating class	87%
Percent in top quarter of high school graduating class	97%
Percent in top half of high school graduating class	99%
Percent in bottom half of high school graduating class	1%
Percent in bottom quarter of high school graduating class	0%
Percent of total first-time, first-year (freshman) students who submitted high school class rank:	49%

GPA Percentage of The Georgetown University Class of 2026

The following is the GPA breakdown of the members of Georgetown’s Class of 2026:

Assessment	Percent
Percent in top tenth of high school graduating class	84%
Percent in top quarter of high school graduating class	95%
Percent in top half of high school graduating class	98%
Percent in bottom half of high school graduating class	2%
Percent in bottom quarter of high school graduating class	0%
Percent of total first-time, first-year (freshman) students who submitted high school class rank:	60%

Further Context on GPAs of Georgetown Students

Most admitted students to Georgetown have GPAs around 4.0 or 3.9. However, academic performance is not the only factor in admissions. Georgetown prioritizes other criteria that parents often lose sight of. While GPA is important, it is just one aspect of the overall evaluation. Georgetown considers factors such as high school attended, coursework rigor, extracurricular activities, essays, and recommendations, making GPA just one part of an applicant’s profile that must be supplemented by evidence of staunch commitment to a singular hook.

Moreover, Georgetown considers several pious criteria when deliberating between students, not least of which is the applicant’s adherence to GU’s Jesuit values. These principles are a significant part of the Georgetown experience and are a key consideration in the admissions process (and, no, one need not be Catholic to appreciate Jesuit values).

Can I Get into Georgetown with a Low GPA?

While gaining admission to Georgetown with a low GPA is not impossible, it’s certainly a rare occurrence. However, some students overcome this hurdle by meeting other institutional needs, such as being a recruited athlete with strong coach backing or the child of a major donor. Parents need to understand that the typical middle-class student without these special advantages won’t receive leniency on academic standards at Georgetown, a school that required testing in the admissions process years before many of its peer institutions switched back to the mandates in the wake of the pandemic.

How Ivy Coach Can Gauge Your Child’s Chances at Georgetown University

If you’re interested in determining whether your child has a chance of getting into Georgetown, we recommend scheduling a Strategy Session with Ivy Coach. Our team of former admissions officers will assess your child’s fit for Georgetown and create a strategy to maximize their chances at top schools. To learn more about Ivy Coach’s Strategy Session, please fill out our complimentary consultation form, and we will get in touch with you.