Admitted Student Profile
📌 Georgetown does not use the Common App — it has its own application. No official test-optional policy; scores are expected and considered carefully.
Application Deadlines
Essay Overview
Georgetown requires four essays totaling approximately 2.5–3 pages (single-spaced), measured in page length rather than word count—a deliberate format choice that tests your ability to sustain narrative and argument at length. Three essays are universal (significant activity, personal/creative reflection, talents/skills), and one is school-specific, asking you to connect your goals to your chosen school or program. Georgetown's rubric rewards essays that demonstrate Jesuit values (cura personalis, service, integrated education) through lived experience rather than name-dropping, and that treat Washington, D.C. as an active laboratory for your specific ambitions.
What They're Really Looking For
The Official Prompt — 2025-26
"Please elaborate on any special talents or skills you would like to highlight."
"Briefly discuss the significance to you of the school or summer activity in which you have been most involved."
"As Georgetown is a diverse community, the Admissions Committee would like to know more about you in your own words. Please submit a brief personal or creative essay which you feel best describes you and reflects on your personal background and individual experiences, skills, and talents."
Prompt varies by school. Select your program below:
College of Arts & Sciences: "Founded in 1789, the Georgetown College of Arts & Sciences is committed to the Jesuit traditions of an integrated education and of productive research in the natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, and fine arts. Describe your interest in studying at College of Arts & Sciences. Applicants interested in the sciences, mathematics, or languages are encouraged to make specific reference to their choice of major."
Berkley School of Nursing: "Georgetown University's School of Nursing is committed to the formation of ethical, empathetic, and transformational nursing leaders. Describe the factors that have influenced your interest in studying Nursing at Georgetown University."
Walsh School of Foreign Service: "Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service was founded more than a century ago to prepare generations of leaders with the foundational skills to address global issues. Describe your primary motivations for studying international affairs at Georgetown University and dedicating your undergraduate studies toward a future in global service."
McDonough School of Business: "Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business provides graduates with essential global, ethical, analytical, financial, and diverse perspectives on the economies of our nation and the world. Describe your primary motivations for studying business at Georgetown University."
McCourt School of Public Policy: "For nearly 50 years, Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy has equipped leaders and changemakers with the interdisciplinary skills to address local, national, and global policy problems. Undergraduate public policy students at Georgetown will have the unique opportunity to live and study on two campuses, spending their first two years immersed on the Hilltop, before completing the second half of their time at Georgetown on the Capitol Campus, immersed in the policy world. Describe your primary motivations for studying public policy at Georgetown University and dedicating your undergraduate studies toward a future related to public service."
Earth Commons: "Through this joint program between the College of Arts & Sciences and the Earth Commons Institute, you'll explore theories and practical skills in the classroom, in the field, and around the world, and put it all together to make a difference. Describe your primary motivations for studying environment and sustainability at Georgetown University to effect positive change in the world."
School of Health: "Georgetown University's School of Health was founded to advance the health and well-being of people locally, nationally, and globally through innovative research, the delivery of interdisciplinary education, and transformative engagement of communities. Describe the factors that influenced your interest in studying health care at Georgetown University, specifically addressing your intended related major: Global Health, Health Care Management & Policy, or Human Science."
The #1 Failure Mode
Describing what the activity is and what you achieved in it without explaining its significance to you personally. Georgetown already sees your activity list. This essay is asking what one activity means, not what you did.