George Washington University

The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a private federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress and is the first university founded under Washington D.C.’s jurisdiction. It is one of nation’s six federally chartered universities.

GW is classified among “R1: Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity.” It is the only member of the Association of American Universities in Washington, D.C. The university offers degree programs in seventy-one disciplines, enrolling around 11,500 undergraduate and 15,000 graduate students. The school’s athletic teams, the George Washington Revolutionaries, play in the NCAA Division I Atlantic 10 Conference. GW also annually hosts numerous political events, including the World Bank and International Monetary Fund‘s Annual Meetings.

Several notable individuals have served as trustees, including two presidents, John Quincy Adams and Ulysses S. Grant, and Alexander Graham Bell.^[13] Notable alumni, faculty, and affiliates include 16 foreign heads of state or government, 28 United States senators, 27 United States governors, 18 U.S. Cabinet members, five Nobel laureates, two Olympic medalists, two Academy Award winners, and a Golden Globe winner. GW has over 1,100 active alumni in the U.S. Foreign Service and is one of the largest feeder schools for the diplomatic corps.