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 ocated
just four blocks from the White
House, The George Washington University (GW) is
the largest institution of higher education in
the nation’s capital. Founded in 1821 by an Act
of Congress, GW is a private nonsectarian
coeducational institution. One of GW’s greatest
strengths is its broad range of multicultural
and international identities, activities, and
diversity.
The student population at GW consists of
approximately 9,700 undergraduates and 10,000
graduates. Undergraduates hail from all fifty
states, the
District of Columbia,
Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and 125
countries. The undergraduate student body is 10
percent Asian American, 6 percent African
American, 6 percent Hispanic American, and 4
percent international.
GW offers a wide range of undergraduate programs in
six undergraduate schools: the Columbian College
of Arts and Sciences, the Elliott School of
International Affairs, the
School of Media and Public Affairs, the School
of Business, the School of Engineering and
Applied Science, and the School of Public Health
and Health Services.
GW offers eighty-seven majors, more than 1,000
courses, and yet, the average class size is only
28. Students may earn an undergraduate degree in
a single field of study, or they may choose to
double major, major in one field and minor in
another, participate in an interdisciplinary
program, or create their own individualized
field of study.
Both the Foggy Bottom and
Mount Vernon campuses are located in historical
and prestigious D.C. neighborhoods. The Foggy
Bottom campus is situated in the heart of
downtown D.C., neighbored by the Kennedy Center,
the Watergate complex, the State Department, and
the White House. The 26-acre Mount Vernon campus
is home to athletic facilities and is surrounded
by embassy and diplomatic residences. Both
campus communities offer vibrant and distinctive
residential options to freshmen and continuing
students.
There are nearly 400 student-created and
student-run organizations at GW. These
organizations run the spectrum from academic to
cultural, spiritual to recreational, and
political to artistic. In addition to these
special-interest organizations, GW is home to
twenty-five national sororities and
fraternities, the Student Association, the
Program Board, the
Hatchet
(GW’s independent newspaper), and WRGW (the
campus radio station). The
Student Activities Center plans large-scale
events for students on campus, ranging from
Welcome Week to Excellence in Student Life
Awards to Fall Fest and Spring Fling.
GW’s commitment to a cultural education is made
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evident through numerous events, speakers, and
celebrations each year. Recent events have
included visits from Kweisi Mfume, former
President and CEO of the NAACP, and Nikki
Giovanni, world renowned author, activist and
poet, and our students have benefited in the
classroom from the experiences of Professor
Miguel Rodriguez, the former President of Costa
Rica.
The RISE mentorship program sponsored by the
Multicultural Student Services Office helps our
freshmen to get integrated to life on campus in
their first semester as well. GW’s Cultural
Heritage series also allows us to celebrate the
diversity within the GW community on a monthly
basis, and included one of the nation’s first
Multiracial Awareness Weeks in 2006.
The ability to finance a GW education is a priority,
so the Office of Student Financial Assistance
seeks to assist students and their families in
meeting the costs to attend the University. The
University budgets more than $85 million for
undergraduate financial assistance, which
includes scholarships and need-based assistance.
In addition, GW offers families the opportunity
to participate in a number of payment plans. By
applying for admission, students with
outstanding academic credentials are
automatically considered for Presidential
Academic Scholarships. Additionally, students
with artistic talent can audition for a
Presidential Arts Scholarship. Approximately 15
percent of freshmen receive merit-based
financial assistance. In addition, approximately
50 percent of GW’s entering class receives
need-based assistance totaling $22 million with
an average package of $21,454 in 2005–06.
Our motto: Something Happens Here is also true of GW’s
Multicultural Student Services Office and our
chapters of the NAACP, Organization of Latin
American Students, and Black Student Union.
These efforts as well as many others have led
Black Enterprise Magazine to name GW
one of the top 25 colleges for multicultural
students. |
