Washington, DC · Private · Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.
How to pay for George Washington University
What a year costs here, what brings it down, and what paying in the order that costs least is worth for a family like yours.
Paying for four years here
Four years here, after grants
$156,083
Paying it in the order that costs least saves a family like this about $15,450.
Your plan shows, with your own numbers:
- Which money pays each bill, semester by semester
- Which loans to take, if any, and what they will cost a month
- The dates that matter, from the FAFSA to the first bill
Best once your award letter arrives. No letter yet? Get a reminder when it does.
A family of four with $500 a month for college. How we worked these out ↓
A year at George Washington University
| Full price | $95,834 |
| After grants, at your income | $33,116 |
78% of first-year students here got a grant or scholarship from the college in 2023-24, $35,915 on average.
At this income, 3 of DC's other 6 colleges cost less after grants, and 3 cost more. See them all →
What can bring it down
Merit scholarships. In state: The District Scholars program covers what a family cannot pay, for DC high school graduates with a family income of $75,000 or less. No separate application (and 1 more below).
George Washington University's promise. Revolutionary Promise, full tuition for a household income of $100,000 or less. The conditions ↓
Get reminders for the dates that matter
We'll email you on the dates that matter: when the FAFSA opens, when award letters arrive, and before you choose a college and pay the first bill. If college is two or more years away, we'll also email you when the tax year that counts begins and when it has a month left.
Considering more than one college?
Put the schools you are considering on one list and we price each of them for your family. It is free. It asks what you earn and what you have saved, never your name.
Put your schools side by side →Merit scholarships
What George Washington University says it awards for grades and test scores.
In state: the District Scholars program covers what a family cannot pay, for DC high school graduates with a family income of $75,000 or less. No separate application
Presidential Academic Scholarships, tuition awards to the most competitive applicants. Every applicant is considered automatically, and amounts vary by student
Published guarantees you may qualify for
We do not assume you qualify for any of these, and our plans never bank on them. Check each against your own situation with the aid office.
Revolutionary Promise, full tuition for a household income of $100,000 or less
Household income up to $100,000. Covers tuition. Also requires “typical assets” — a test we cannot evaluate for you.
- For domestic, residential undergraduates: new first-degree students enrolled full-time in one of GW's five residential colleges, entering in fall 2026 or later. Part-time students, second-degree students, and students in the College of Professional Studies, the School of Nursing and the School of Medicine and Health Sciences are not eligible.
- The student must stay enrolled full-time, in good standing and meet the merit scholarship renewal standards. The program covers up to 12 fall and spring semesters, not summer, and the student lives on campus for the required residency years unless approved to commute. The college sets the amount from the documented household income and assets of the family.
- Household income counts adjusted gross income, all untaxed income and the income of both parents, custodial and noncustodial, and any stepparent. It is verified through the CSS Profile and the FAFSA.
“New domestic undergraduate first-time students, entering in Fall 2026 from families with documented household incomes of $100,000 or less, will receive grant and scholarship aid sufficient to fully cover tuition, provided they are enrolled full-time in their first degree program and remain in good standing.”
Revolutionary Promise, at least half of tuition for a household income of $150,000 or less
Household income up to $150,000. Covers tuition. Also requires “typical assets” — a test we cannot evaluate for you.
- For domestic, residential undergraduates: new first-degree students enrolled full-time in one of GW's five residential colleges, entering in fall 2026 or later. Part-time students, second-degree students, and students in the College of Professional Studies, the School of Nursing and the School of Medicine and Health Sciences are not eligible.
- The student must stay enrolled full-time, in good standing and meet the merit scholarship renewal standards. The program covers up to 12 fall and spring semesters, not summer, and the student lives on campus for the required residency years unless approved to commute. The college sets the amount from the documented household income and assets of the family.
- Household income counts adjusted gross income, all untaxed income and the income of both parents, custodial and noncustodial, and any stepparent. It is verified through the CSS Profile and the FAFSA.
“Similarly, new students entering in Fall 2026 from families with household incomes up to $150,000 will receive a financial aid package to cover at least 50 percent of the full cost of tuition.”
How we worked these out
The family
A family of four with $500 a month to put toward college, and the savings you pick. In state, the grants are what George Washington University reports families at that income got, on average. Your own will differ, and a family with no aid pays close to the full price.
What the order saves
The difference, over four years, between paying in the order that costs least and the usual way: savings first, then loans for the rest. It counts loan interest and the federal tax credit.
The prices by income
- They describe students who got aid.
- “Over $110,000” has no upper limit, so it averages families just over $110,000 with far wealthier ones. A family at $115,000 should expect to pay less than it shows.
- Each range is reported on its own, so the prices do not always rise with income.
Grants from the college
How many first-year students got a grant or scholarship from George Washington University, and the average, are the Department of Education's figures for full-time students who started college in 2023-24. They cover every income. The prices after grants already count these grants, so don't take them off again. The Department of Education's page for George Washington University →
Where the prices come from
Where the prices come from: George Washington University's own 2026-27 tuition, fees, housing and food, from its website, carried forward to 2027 at 4.0% a year. Books are the College Scorecard's. The grants are the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (2024-25 figures), carried forward the same way. Each price after grants is the cost less those grants. The average price after grants counts the students who get federal aid. Your own figure will be different.
George Washington University's own budget for 2026-27 is $95,155. It also counts costs the university doesn't bill for, such as travel and personal spending. We leave those out.
SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by George Washington University. Aid policies change; check current terms with the college's aid office.
Nearby at your income
- Trinity Washington University$17,996 a year
- Georgetown University$31,769 a year
- George Washington University$33,116 a year
- The Catholic University of America$34,802 a year
- American University$37,232 a year
What each college charges, less the average grant for your income. Every DC college →