The nation’s oldest Jesuit institution of higher learning welcomed 13% of applicants to the Class of 2030 onto its historical and notably beautiful Washington, DC, campus, admitting roughly 3,500 students from more than 26,900 applications to enroll a class of 1,650. Whenever you are applying to a school of Georgetown’s caliber, where the average admitted applicant has a 1470 SAT score and is at or near the top of their high school class, you need to find ways to set yourself apart from the pack. Toward that aim, prospective Hoyas need to take advantage of the Georgetown supplemental essays.
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That 13% figure deserves an asterisk this year, because it describes the last cycle under the old system. More on that below, but the short version is that Georgetown has just made itself dramatically easier to apply to, and the arithmetic of a larger applicant pool against a class size that is not growing points in one direction.
The biggest change: Georgetown has joined the Common App
For decades, Georgetown was the most prominent holdout from the Common Application, requiring every applicant to build a separate application in its own proprietary portal. That ends this cycle. Beginning August 1, 2026, applicants to the Class of 2031 can apply to Georgetown through the Common App, part of a three-year pilot program announced in March 2025.
The specifics that matter to you:
- Both applications remain available. Georgetown’s own application opened June 18; the Common App version went live August 1. The university states there is no preference in the admissions process based on which one you use.
- The essays and questions are the same on both platforms. Georgetown says it is aiming to keep the two applications as similar as possible.
- The application fee is $80 on both, with fee waivers available on both.
- The practical difference is data entry. On the Common App, you can reuse your activities list and recommendation letters across schools. On the Georgetown application, you enter everything from scratch.
- Deadlines are unchanged: November 1 for Restrictive Early Action, January 1 for Regular Decision.
For most applicants, the Common App is now the obvious choice, simply because it saves hours of retyping. The strategic consequence is less comfortable. Georgetown’s proprietary application functioned as a filter for years, deterring students who would not build a one-off application for a single school. Removing that friction should push application volume up substantially while the class size stays at roughly 1,650. Plan for a more competitive cycle than the 13% headline suggests.
Other Georgetown changes for 2026-27
The Common App move arrived alongside several other shifts, and a new admissions dean, Melissa Costanzi, who succeeded Charles Deacon after his decades-long tenure. A few things worth knowing:
- Standardized testing is still required. Georgetown did not go test-optional and has said it will continue requiring scores.
- You no longer have to send every score you have ever earned. Georgetown historically required applicants to submit results from all sittings. Now you may send a single full SAT or ACT, or as many sittings as you like. For students with one weak section score in their history, this is a meaningful change, and it is cheaper.
- Georgetown does not formally superscore, but the admissions office considers your highest section scores across whatever you submit.
- Eligibility for federal Pell Grants is now a factor in admissions decisions.
- Every applicant who submits on either platform is offered an alumni interview, unless geography makes it impossible to assign one.
- Page limits are gone. Georgetown’s prompts used to specify “approximately one page, single-spaced.” They now carry hard word counts, which removes a genuine source of applicant anxiety and also removes the wiggle room some students used to exploit.
2026-27 Georgetown Supplemental Essays
All applicants answer three essays, plus one that is specific to the school they apply to. Note that the “special talents or skills” prompt, a fixture of the Georgetown application for years, has been retired and replaced by a new question about differing viewpoints. If you drafted a talents essay, it no longer has a home here.
1) The activity essay
Briefly discuss the significance to you of the school or summer activity in which you have been most involved. (250 words maximum)
This prompt survives intact, but the old “approximately half a page, single-spaced” instruction is now a hard 250-word ceiling. That is tighter than most applicants assume, and it means the essay has room for one activity and one insight, not a tour of your resume.
Perhaps you are the captain of a team, the editor-in-chief of your school paper, or the president of a club. On the other hand, you may simply be a valuable contributing member. Regardless of whether you are a lead or a still-essential bit player, make sure that you use your writing ability to show the admissions officer what type of involved team member you are rather than merely telling them.
You can also discuss how you have engaged with your school or local community. Draw on past evidence of your commitment to being a positive force in the context of your activity. Also, be sure to speculate how that is likely to manifest on Georgetown’s campus. Research and cite Hoya student-run organizations, local nonprofit groups, or anything else you are drawn to. The admissions committee wants to understand precisely how you will contribute to their campus community of 7,000+ undergrads. Drawing the link between your past efforts and future aims is critical here. For example, if you’ve done work with Habitat for Humanity throughout your teens, it will be most impactful if you express your commitment to joining Georgetown’s chapter in the future.
2) Differing viewpoints (new this year)
In all our lives, we interact with people who hold different viewpoints than our own. Describe such an event you experienced. What did you learn from the experience? (250 words maximum)
This is the single biggest change to the Georgetown supplement, and it replaces the old talents prompt. Georgetown is far from alone here. Versions of this question now appear at Columbia, Dartmouth, Duke, and Emory, which tells you something about what admissions offices are worried about in an incoming class.
Read the wording carefully, because it is more forgiving than most of its cousins. Georgetown asks for an “event” involving someone who holds a different viewpoint. It does not require a confrontation, a debate you won, or a resolution. An overheard conversation that unsettled something you believed counts. So does a disagreement that ended with nobody changing their mind.
What Georgetown is testing is whether you can hold a position and remain genuinely curious about someone who does not share it. A few things that help:
- Name the actual disagreement. Essays that stay abstract about what was at stake read as evasive.
- You don’t have to be the hero. You may well be the one who was wrong, or who handled it poorly and learned from that.
- Resist the tidy ending. “We found common ground and became friends” is rarely true and always detectable. What did you actually take away?
- At 250 words, the event is the setup and the learning is the essay. Do not spend 200 words on scene-setting.
One additional note for Georgetown specifically. This is a Jesuit university whose stated mission involves educating reflective, ethical leaders, and whose campus houses students of many faiths and none. An answer that engages seriously with someone whose worldview differs from yours sits comfortably inside that tradition. An answer that treats the other person as an obstacle does not.
3) The personal or creative essay
As Georgetown is a diverse community, the Admissions Committee would like to know more about you in your own words. Please submit a brief personal or creative essay which you feel best describes you and reflects on your personal background and individual experiences, skills, and talents. (650 words maximum)
Note the word count. Six hundred and fifty words is exactly the Common App personal statement limit, which is almost certainly deliberate. For years, the standard advice was that most applicants simply reuse their Common App personal statement here. Now that Georgetown is on the Common App and has matched the word count precisely, that reuse is not just acceptable, it is the expected path.
Whether you decide to write about yourself in a way that is light, creative, humorous, personal, sincere, or vulnerable (any are perfectly fine), aim to reveal a picture of yourself that cannot be gleaned from elsewhere in your application materials.
Take note of the wide-open nature of this prompt. While there are no limits to the way in which you approach this essay, here are some angles to consider:
- A perspective you hold
- An experience you had
- A community you belong to
- Your cultural or family background
- Something you’ve had to overcome
The admissions officer looking at your essay is hoping to connect with you through your written words. So be open, humble, thoughtful, inquisitive, emotionally honest, mature, and insightful. No matter what type of story you tell, the goal is to have the reader come away saying, “I can definitely see this applicant as a contributing member of our talented and engaged student community.”
One caution now that the talents prompt is gone: this essay is the only place left in the Georgetown supplement to surface a skill or ability that does not fit anywhere else. If you were counting on the old prompt to carry your cello playing or your competitive coding, it needs a home here or in your activities list.
Georgetown’s School-Specific Supplemental Essays
Depending on the College or School that you are applying to at Georgetown, you’ll need to write a separate school-specific essay of about one page. Check the exact limit inside your application, since Georgetown converted its other prompts from page counts to word counts this year. At their core, all of them are “Why Us” essays. As you address each prompt, be sure to include Georgetown-specific offerings and opportunities that support your reasoning, interests, and future plans.
Elements of a great Georgetown “Why Us?” essay
- Cite school-specific academic programs, professors, research opportunities, internship and externship programs, and study abroad programs.
- Reference student-run organizations at Georgetown that align with your passions.
- Describe how you will take advantage of Georgetown’s immense resources both inside and outside of the classroom.
- Make sure to touch on both why Georgetown is the perfect fit for you and why you are the perfect fit for Georgetown. Covering both is essential.
Common mistakes in a Georgetown “Why Us?” essay
- Fawning over the picturesque Gothic-style Georgetown campus (it is quite beautiful, but they already know that).
- Noting that Georgetown is top-ranked, prestigious, and has a great reputation. Again, they know!
- Too many generic expressions of feeling (ex. It has been my dream since I was a toddler to be a Hoya…).
- Recycled statements from your other “Why Us?” essays that come across as stale, impersonal, or worst of all, irrelevant or inaccurate.
Georgetown College of Arts & Sciences
Founded in 1789, the Georgetown College of Arts & Sciences is committed to the Jesuit traditions of an integrated education and of productive research in the natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, and fine arts. Describe your interest in studying at the College of Arts & Sciences. Applicants interested in the sciences, mathematics, or languages are encouraged to make specific reference to their choice of major.
Out of all the attributes they could have chosen, Georgetown chose to reference “integrated education” and “productive research” within the prompt. Accordingly, you may want to do some research on the two aforementioned traditions and think about how they’ll shape your education at Georgetown. You can also write about any other offerings, programs, professors, or opportunities within the College of Arts and Sciences that are especially interesting to you and in line with your experiences and goals. Note that Georgetown encourages certain types of applicants to make specific reference to their prospective field of study.
Berkley School of Nursing
Georgetown University’s Berkley School of Nursing is committed to the formation of ethical, empathetic, and transformational nursing leaders. Describe the factors that have influenced your interest in studying Nursing at Georgetown University.
School of Health
Georgetown University’s School of Health was founded to advance the health and well-being of people locally, nationally, and globally through innovative research, the delivery of interdisciplinary education, and transformative engagement of communities. Describe the factors that influenced your interest in studying health care at Georgetown University, specifically addressing your intended related major: Global Health, Health Care Management & Policy, or Human Science.
Since these two prompts are similar, the advice below applies to both.
“A nurse is not what you do, it is who you are.”
This quote from an anonymous source captures the idea that becoming a nurse is a calling, not a profession you just stumble into. Healthcare is no different. Healthcare professionals are willing to work long shifts in the service of others, be on the frontlines of a pandemic, and deal with life’s toughest challenges on a regular basis. Many applicants share stories of caring for sick relatives, experiencing a tough medical episode themselves, or observing the challenges faced by a particular community as inspiration for studying nursing or healthcare.
In addition, you’ll want to include school-specific research that demonstrates your knowledge of the school’s opportunities and resources as well as the skills Georgetown will help you build (and why they are important to you). Overall, show the admissions committee that you are a passionate and mature healthcare or nursing candidate, that this field is genuinely “who you are,” and that attending Georgetown will be the right fit for you. Note that the School of Health prompt names three majors explicitly and asks you to address yours. Do not skip that instruction.
Walsh School of Foreign Service
Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service was founded more than a century ago to prepare generations of leaders with the foundational skills to address global issues. Describe your primary motivations for studying international affairs at Georgetown University and dedicating your undergraduate studies toward a future in global service.
International service is not something every 17 or 18-year-old in the country is dreaming about doing as a vocation. There is likely a very interesting story surrounding what motivated you to apply to the Walsh School of Foreign Service, and this essay invites you to share that narrative. You don’t need to look any deeper than today’s headlines to identify powerful and immensely challenging global problems. Regardless of your major, you likely have a highly specific set of academic and career goals taking shape in your mind.
If you can communicate these goals and the motivations behind them while sharing a vision for how you will contribute to the betterment of humankind in one or multiple regions of the world, then you are likely to end up with an excellent Walsh essay. Moreover, discuss why Walsh in particular will be a great fit for you. Aim for an origin story that traces to your high school years rather than to childhood, and ideally to an activity that already appears elsewhere in your application.
McDonough School of Business
Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business provides graduates with essential global, ethical, analytical, financial, and diverse perspectives on the economies of our nation and the world. Describe your primary motivations for studying business at Georgetown University.
Before you start writing, do some McDonough-specific research and think about why a business education from McDonough in particular will be a great fit for your interests and goals. Further, to stand out, applicants need to connect the resources they’ve chosen to experiences they’ve had, demonstrating that they have availed themselves of every opportunity to dive into the business world during their high school years. Of course, not everyone has parents who hand them money to invest in the stock market or land them an internship at Goldman Sachs in ninth grade.
Relevant experiences can include high school investing clubs, participation in activities like FBLA, summer programs or courses in business, finance, or economics, running your own local small business or e-business (Etsy, landscaping, and so on), or just a regular old retail job. The important thing to highlight is what you learned from your experiences. You should also note how you’ll bring that newly acquired knowledge to the classroom at Georgetown, and how your experiences have informed and influenced what you hope to continue learning in college. Note the word “ethical” in the prompt. This is a Jesuit business school, and an essay purely about maximizing returns misses what McDonough is asking.
How important are the Georgetown supplemental essays?
There are eight factors that Georgetown considers to be “very important” to the evaluation process. These are: rigor of secondary school record, character/personal qualities, class rank, GPA, standardized test scores, recommendations, extracurricular activities, and most relevant to this blog, the application essays. The essays undoubtedly play a significant role in the admissions process at Georgetown. They can help the committee decide who to admit when choosing between similarly credentialed applicants.
Two further pieces of context. Georgetown offers an alumni interview to essentially every applicant, which means the essays are not the only place your personality registers, but they are the only place you control entirely. And Georgetown has said there is no statistical advantage to applying Restrictive Early Action, since the EA and Regular Decision pools admit at broadly similar rates. That is unusual among selective schools and worth weighing before you commit to a restrictive early round.
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