Georgetown SAT & ACT Score Requirements: What You Need to Get In (2026)

Georgetown University in Washington, DC is the oldest Catholic and Jesuit university in the United States, with an overall acceptance rate of about 12 percent. Admitted students score in the 1410 to 1560 range on the SAT and 32 to 35 on the ACT. Georgetown is also one of the most distinctive schools in elite admissions: its own application system (not the Common App), a required alumni interview, no Score Choice (you must send all scores), and admission to one of four undergraduate schools rather than the university at large. If you are aiming for the Hilltop, this guide walks you through the score ranges, the deadlines, and the procedural quirks that catch a lot of applicants off guard.

Georgetown SAT Score Requirements

The middle 50 percent SAT range for admitted Georgetown students is 1410 to 1560, with an average composite around 1480. A 1410 puts you at the 25th percentile and a 1560 lands in the top quartile. Georgetown super-scores the SAT, considering your highest EBRW and highest Math scores across multiple administrations.

Georgetown is test-required for the 2025 to 2026 admissions cycle (Fall 2026 entry). Practical translation: you need a real score on file, no test-optional path. The committee's own language is that test scores matter less than school record, academic program, and rank in class, but your score still has to clear the floor.

Our SAT Math practice and SAT Reading and Writing practice drills target the question types that move scores into the 1500+ range. Our SAT score calculator shows exactly how many additional questions you need to clear that bar.

Georgetown ACT Score Requirements

The middle 50 percent ACT range is 32 to 35, with an average around 34. Important distinction: Georgetown super-scores the SAT but does NOT super-score the ACT. The committee uses your highest single-sitting composite, so retesting only helps your reported ACT score if you outperform your previous best as a single composite.

If you have not committed to one test yet, our SAT vs ACT comparison walks through how the two tests differ. Note that Georgetown's ACT no-super-score policy makes the SAT slightly more forgiving for retesters.

The All-Scores Rule

Georgetown does NOT participate in Score Choice. You are required to submit your complete testing record, including every SAT and every ACT you have ever taken. This is genuinely different from most peer schools and has practical implications:

• If you have a weak score from a junior year diagnostic-style sitting, you cannot hide it.
• Plan your test calendar with the all-scores rule in mind. Some students use a single full-prep test attempt rather than multiple lightly-prepared sittings.
• The committee's holistic review does take patterns of growth into account: scores that improve sharply across sittings are read as evidence of effort and capacity to grow, not as a bad first attempt.
• SAT super-scoring still applies (highest EBRW and Math across dates are combined), but every test score is visible.

Georgetown Application Deadlines

Georgetown uses non-binding Early Action and Regular Decision. There is no Early Decision option, and Georgetown is one of the few selective universities that does not deny EA applicants outright. If you are not admitted EA, your application is automatically deferred for full second review during Regular Decision.

Reply deadline is May 1 for both rounds.

The Georgetown Application System (Not Common App)

Georgetown is one of a small handful of selective universities that does not accept the Common Application. You apply through Georgetown's own online application system. Practical implications:

• You will write Georgetown-specific essays from scratch. None of your Common App work transfers.
• The Georgetown application has its own short-answer prompts for each of the four undergraduate schools. The McDonough School of Business essay is different from the Walsh School of Foreign Service essay, even within the same applicant.
• Counselor materials can be uploaded through Slate.org or sent directly to admissions.
• Plan for the additional time the Georgetown-specific application requires, especially if Georgetown is your only application using a non-Common-App system.

The Four Schools at Georgetown

You apply to one of Georgetown's four undergraduate schools, not the university at large. Each has its own admit rate and applicant profile.

• Georgetown College: liberal arts and sciences. The largest and broadest school.
• Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS): international affairs, regional studies, and global politics. One of the most selective international affairs programs in the country.
• McDonough School of Business: undergraduate business with a global orientation. Direct admission rather than internal transfer.
• School of Nursing and Health Studies: nursing, health care management, global health, and human science.

Apply to the school that genuinely fits the work you want to do. SFS and McDonough are notably more selective than the headline 12 percent rate, while the other two schools roughly match the headline rate.

The Required Alumni Interview

Georgetown requires every first-year applicant to participate in an interview with a member of the local Alumni Admissions Program committee. The only admissible reason to skip is if no alumni are available in your geographic region.

Tips:

• Treat the interview as a conversation, not a performance. Alumni interviewers are looking for personality and genuine fit, not rehearsed lines.
• Be prepared to discuss why you chose your specific Georgetown school, not just Georgetown overall.
• Ask thoughtful questions about your interviewer's own experience.
• The alumni interviewer writes a report that becomes part of your file. Strong, specific reports help; lukewarm or generic ones do not.

Financial Aid: 100% Need Met but Loans Included

Georgetown meets 100 percent of demonstrated financial need, but unlike Brown, Yale, Princeton, or several other peer schools, Georgetown is NOT a no-loan school. Need-based aid packages typically include federal loans and work-study alongside grants.

• About 37 percent of first-year students receive need-based financial aid.
• The average need-based grant for first-year students is around $56,082.
• The average self-help (loan + work-study) component is around $4,551.
• Georgetown uses the CSS Profile in addition to the FAFSA for aid determination.
• Some merit scholarships exist for academic and athletic achievement, but these are limited compared to schools with broader merit programs.

Cost of Attendance

For the 2025 to 2026 academic year:

• Tuition and fees: $71,338
• Housing: approximately $13,354
• Food: approximately $7,848
• Total cost of attendance: approximately $93,000+

Tuition will rise to $74,520 for 2026 to 2027 (a 4.75 percent increase). Run the net price calculator on Georgetown's financial aid site for an estimate based on your family's specifics.

What Else Matters Beyond the Score

At a 12 percent admit rate (and lower for SFS and McDonough), the score is necessary but not sufficient. The application elements that move the needle:

• Course rigor. Admitted students typically take the most demanding course load their high school offers.
• The school-specific essay. Engagement with the actual work of your chosen Georgetown school (named courses, faculty, programs) reads as authentic. Generic Georgetown praise is filtered out fast.
• The alumni interview. A required, real interview that gets read closely. Be specific about why this school fits.
• Demonstrated values alignment. Georgetown is unapologetically Jesuit. You do not need to be Catholic, but the application reads better if your essays show you understand and value the Jesuit tradition of intellectual rigor and service.

For a wider view of similarly selective universities in DC and the Northeast, see our guides on Cornell SAT and ACT requirements, Penn SAT and ACT requirements, and Vanderbilt SAT and ACT requirements.

If Your Score Is Below the 25th Percentile

If your composite is below 1410 SAT or 32 ACT, applying is still worth it, but be honest about what your application needs to overcome. Students admitted with scores below the 25th percentile typically have at least one of: a stand-out GPA in the most rigorous courses your school offers, exceptional fit with one of the four schools (especially SFS for students with deep international experience), recruited athletics, or significant first-generation or socioeconomic context.

If you have time before applying, sitting one more SAT or ACT is almost always worth it. SAT super-scoring at Georgetown means a strong second sitting can meaningfully improve your reported composite.

Frequently Asked Questions About Georgetown SAT and ACT Requirements

What is the average SAT score at Georgetown?

The average SAT composite at Georgetown is around 1480, with the middle 50 percent of admitted students scoring between 1410 and 1560.

What is the average ACT score at Georgetown?

The middle 50 percent of admitted students scored between 32 and 35 on the ACT, with an average around 34.

Does Georgetown require the SAT or ACT?

Yes. Georgetown is test-required for the 2025 to 2026 admissions cycle (Fall 2026 entry). All applicants must submit SAT or ACT scores.

Does Georgetown super-score the SAT and ACT?

Georgetown super-scores the SAT (combining the highest EBRW and highest Math scores across multiple administrations) but does NOT super-score the ACT. For the ACT, the committee uses your highest single-sitting composite.

Does Georgetown accept Score Choice?

No. Georgetown requires applicants to submit their complete testing record, including every SAT and every ACT they have ever taken. There is no way to send only your strongest sittings.

What is Georgetown's acceptance rate?

Georgetown's overall acceptance rate is around 12.2 percent. The Walsh School of Foreign Service and McDonough School of Business run notably more selective; Georgetown College and the School of Nursing and Health Studies are closer to the headline rate.

Does Georgetown use the Common Application?

No. Georgetown is one of the few selective universities that uses its own application system. You will write Georgetown-specific essays for each undergraduate school you apply to.

Is the alumni interview required at Georgetown?

Yes. Every first-year applicant is required to interview with a local Alumni Admissions Program committee member. The only admissible reason to skip is if no alumni are available in your geographic region.

What GPA do I need for Georgetown?

Georgetown does not publish an official cutoff, but admitted students typically have unweighted GPAs in the 3.9 to 4.0 range, in the most rigorous course load their school offers.

When are Georgetown's application deadlines?

Early Action is November 1, with decisions released by December 15. Regular Decision is January 10, with decisions released by April 1. Reply deadline is May 1 for both rounds. Georgetown does not deny EA applicants; if not admitted EA, your file is automatically deferred for RD review.

Does Georgetown offer no-loan financial aid?

No. Georgetown meets 100 percent of demonstrated financial need but typically includes federal loans and work-study in aid packages. The average need-based grant is about $56,082 for first-year students and the average self-help component is around $4,551.