Georgetown Joins Common App This Fall

A Historic Change for a Historic Holdout

Georgetown University has long been one of the most prominent schools that did not participate in the Common Application. Every other highly selective university made the switch years ago. Georgetown held out, requiring students to complete a separate application through its own portal.

That changes this fall.

On March 27, 2025, Georgetown announced it would join the Common Application on a three-year pilot program, beginning with applications for the Class of 2031 — students who will enroll in fall 2027.¹ When the Common App opens on August 1, 2026, Georgetown will appear in the drop-down menu alongside more than 1,000 other schools.

For rising seniors, this is significant news — both practically and strategically.

What Exactly Changes

Starting August 2026, applicants have two options:

1. The Common App — Georgetown accepts all standard Common App sections plus a Georgetown-specific supplement.
2. Georgetown's own application — still available for students who prefer it.

Both routes are treated equally in review. Georgetown has been explicit: using one system over the other carries no admissions advantage.²

What stays the same: Georgetown's supplemental essays and short-answer questions. The university is not abandoning its Jesuit-rooted admissions philosophy — it's broadening access to the front door. Students still need to answer Georgetown-specific prompts about their academic interests and connection to the university's values.

If you're already using the Common App for other schools, adding Georgetown costs you no additional time for your core information. You will still need to complete Georgetown's supplement — but test scores, extracurriculars, and demographics only get entered once across all your schools.

Why Georgetown Made the Move

Georgetown's stated goal is reaching students who might not have applied otherwise — particularly first-generation and low-income applicants.

Georgetown's interim provost said the move would allow the university to reach more applicants, "particularly those who are low-income students," and ensure the applicant pool contains "a rich set of backgrounds and life experiences."¹ The Common App is used by more than 1 million students each year. For students applying to many schools, it has become the default portal. Schools not on Common App can quietly fall off students' lists simply because of friction. Georgetown's absence may have suppressed applications from students who built their entire list inside Common App and never thought to visit Georgetown's standalone portal.

This pilot runs for three years, after which Georgetown will assess whether to make the change permanent.

What This Means for Your Application Strategy

If you're applying to Georgetown and other schools: Use the Common App. You'll enter your core information once. Georgetown's supplement will appear as an additional section after you add the school to your list.

If Georgetown is your first choice: Georgetown has confirmed it will not distinguish between applications submitted via Common App or its own portal. There is no signal value to using the native application.

Understand the supplement before August 1: Georgetown's essays are known for being substantive and specific to its four undergraduate schools — Georgetown College, McDonough School of Business, Walsh School of Foreign Service, and School of Nursing. You need to know which school you're applying to before you can write the supplement. Review Common App essay prompts for 2026 alongside Georgetown's prompts to budget your time.

Georgetown restored its standardized testing requirement. You must submit SAT or ACT scores, or qualify for a test-flexible alternative. Confirm your testing plan well before application deadlines — submitting scores late can hurt your candidacy at schools that require them.

Testing, Deadlines, and Demonstrated Interest

Georgetown has not announced changes to its application deadlines. Early action and regular decision dates remain as previously published — check our college application deadlines guide for the latest confirmed dates.

On demonstrated interest: Georgetown is a school where this is worth thinking about. Visiting campus, attending information sessions, and engaging with admissions content all signal genuine interest. Read how demonstrated interest affects admissions at highly selective schools.

For more on what Georgetown and similar schools are actually evaluating, see what colleges look for in applicants and how to approach early decision vs. early action.

How to Prepare Before August 1

• Research Georgetown's four undergraduate schools and decide which program fits your goals — this drives your entire supplement
• Draft answers to the "Why Georgetown" and mission-alignment questions before the application opens, so you're not writing from scratch on August 1
• Review Common App activities section tips to make the most of the extracurricular section — Georgetown admissions readers look at this closely
• Set a calendar reminder for Common App opening on August 1 and add Georgetown to your list on day one
• Confirm your testing plan now

Next Steps

• Mark August 1, 2026, as the date to add Georgetown in Common App
• Choose which of Georgetown's four undergraduate schools you're targeting
• Draft supplemental essay responses before August — Georgetown's prompts don't change much year to year
• Confirm SAT/ACT score submission and timeline
• Review college application deadlines 2027 to lock in Georgetown's specific dates

Footnotes

1. Georgetown University. (2025). Georgetown Announces New Undergraduate Admissions Processes. Georgetown University. https://www.georgetown.edu/news/georgetown-announces-new-undergraduate-admissions-processes/ ↩ ↩²

2. The Hoya. (2025). GU to Join Common App on 3-Year Trial. The Hoya. https://thehoya.com/news/gu-to-join-common-app-on-3-year-trial/ ↩