Georgetown University is known for its rigorous academic programs and its commitment to social justice.
Georgetown’s main campus, located in Washington, D.C., is home to a variety of undergraduate and graduate programs, including law, medicine, business, design, government and public policy, and international affairs. The school also has a presence in Virginia with satellite campuses in Alexandria and Arlington as well as a campus in Qatar that opened in 2010.
The University was founded in 1789 by John Carroll, who would become the first Catholic bishop in the United States after the American Revolution. It was originally called Georgetown College but changed its name to Georgetown University when it received university status from the District of Columbia Board of Regents in 1904.
The university’s main campus is located on what was once a tobacco plantation owned by Cuthbert Calvert (1679–1732), who founded Maryland as a colony for Catholic immigrants from England. Georgetown University is named after him because he donated his land for its use by Roman Catholics during an era when they were persecuted by Protestants. Most students are Catholic or Protestant Christian but there are also students from other faiths or no faith at all.
Georgetown students come from all 50 states and over 100 countries around the world. More than half of Georgetown undergraduates live on campus and participate in more than 400 student organizations each year.
