College dataData from U.S. Dept of EducationUpdated May 2026 · 4 min read
Data: 2026-05 Next refresh: Nov 2026

George Washington University: Cost, Graduate Salary, Acceptance Rate and Return on Investment

George Washington University is a private nonprofit college in Washington, DC. Students pay about $36,586 a year in net price, and the median graduate earns $90,873 ten years after enrolling. By our Degree-ROI measure the degree pays back in about 3.8 years and adds $274,937 over a decade, ranking it #50 of 918 (top 6%) by value added.

Avg net price / yr
$36,586
Median salary (10 yrs)
$90,873
10-yr value added
$274,937
Acceptance rate
47.1%

What is George Washington University's acceptance rate?

George Washington University has an acceptance rate of 47.1%, which makes it selective. It is a private nonprofit institution in Washington, DC enrolling about 11,182 students, with a 84.5% graduation rate.

How much does George Washington University cost?

George Washington University costs about $36,586 per year in average net price, what a typical student actually pays after grants and scholarships. Over four years, including typical borrowing, that totals roughly $166,793. Published sticker cost of attendance is $83,856 per year.

How much do George Washington University graduates earn?

Ten years after enrolling, the median George Washington University student earns $90,873 per year. That is $44,173 more than the $46,700 that the typical worker with only a high-school diploma earns.

Is George Washington University worth it? Degree ROI and payback period

George Washington University pays back its roughly $166,793 cost in about 3.8 years, then keeps returning the earnings premium. Over the first decade the degree adds about $274,937 net of cost, a 2.65x return on the money invested. That ranks it #50 of 918 (top 6%) by value added. Its top-tier value is driven mainly by strong graduate earnings and a high graduation rate.

Top 10% value

George Washington University graduation rate and student debt

84.5% of George Washington University students complete their degree, and the median graduate leaves with $20,449 in federal student debt. That debt is about 23% of one year of median graduate earnings.

George Washington University by the numbers (vs the typical college)

How George Washington University compares to the median four-year college in our snapshot. Percentile is its rank among the 918 colleges that report both earnings and cost (higher is better).

MetricThis schoolMedian collegePercentile
Avg net price / yr$36,586$20,299cheaper than 8%
Median earnings (10 yrs)$90,873$54,76896th
Graduation rate84.5%57.0%92th
Acceptance rate47.1%75.7%more selective than 85%
10-yr value added$274,937-$28,19295th
ROI multiple (per $1)2.65x0.73x89th
Payback period3.8 yrs8.8 yrsfaster than 85%
How we compute Degree value-add & ROI. Investment basis = average net price × 4 years + median debt (net price preferred; published sticker cost used as a fallback). Earnings premium = median earnings 10 years after entry minus the $46,700 typical earnings of a worker with only a high-school diploma (BLS Current Population Survey, median annual earnings for workers with a high-school diploma and no college (~$899/week, 2023)). Degree value-add = premium × 10 years minus total cost, the net return of the degree itself over a high-school career (it can be negative). ROI multiple = 10-year premium ÷ cost. Payback = cost ÷ annual premium. Ranked by value-add among the 918 four-year colleges in this snapshot that report both earnings and cost; 226 of them do not pay back at ten years. Missing values are excluded, never estimated.
Open data: these figures come from the public College Scorecard (public domain). Our computed Degree value-add, ROI multiple, and payback are free to cite/reuse under CC-BY 4.0.

Frequently asked

Is George Washington University worth the cost compared to other colleges?

By value added net of cost, George Washington University ranks #50 of 918 (top 6%) of the 918 four-year colleges we rank, and returns about 2.65x the money invested over a decade.

Is George Washington University expensive compared to other colleges?

Its $36,586 average net price is above the $20,299 median for the colleges in this snapshot, making it cheaper than 8% of them.

Do George Washington University graduates earn more than average?

Median earnings of $90,873 ten years out are above the $54,768 median, higher than 96% of the colleges here.

How hard is it to get into George Washington University compared to other colleges?

Its 47.1% acceptance rate is below the 75.7% median, making it more selective than 85% of the colleges in the snapshot.

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