Georgetown is a highly-respected Jesuit university in Washington D.C that is particularly well-known for opportunities in politics, policy, foreign service, and the humanities more broadly. Part of the loosely defined and very unofficial “Ivy Plus” club, Georgetown is difficult to get into as a first-year. Unfortunately for prospective transfers, it isn’t any easier as a transfer applicant.
The most recent Georgetown transfer admissions statistics, for the fall of 2024, 2,278 applications and 135 admissions, or just a smidge under 6%. The unique, and uncommunicated, twist is that transfer applicant aren’t just assessed on your own merits. Transfers serve to fill in gaps in the dorms, and in departments. While you can’t know which departments have more room in them than others as you craft your application, this is something to keep in mind as you need to help them see you as a more than a prospective, say, economics major. Even if room in the department you want to join is tight, you need to make the admissions officers look for ways to squeeze you in. That’s where we can help.
Georgetown accepts applications fall and spring transfer admission, and a B+ average grade as an unofficial minimum for consideration. In our experience, though, admissions to Georgetown as a transfer requires an average score that is closer to perfect, paired with a well-defined area of interest, clear trajectory, and impressive extracurriculars.
To get into Georgetown as a transfer, you really need to make your case not only for why and how you are qualified, but also for why you need Georgetown and how you would contribute back to the university once on campus. So, let’s get into the essays.
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Georgetown has their own application, and they require all transfer applicants to fill out before they can get access to the full application, which typically is given within 24 hours. Be sure to do the preliminary application basically immediately after reading this post so that you don’t find yourself in a time trap come deadline.
THE TRANSFER ESSAYS
Once you get to the supplements, there are two lengthy essays that are uploaded as individual documents. Each essay should be about one page single-spaced, and we do not advise ever going over one page, no matter how much you have to say.
FOR ALL APPLICANTS: 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 own background, identity, skills, and talents.
This is much more like the personal essay you wrote for your college applications as a high school senior than a typical “why do you want to transfer?” essay. In fact, the prompt doesn’t mention transferring at all. Hear this omission and run with it. They are not looking for you to turn this into an essay explaining your desire to transfer. If you do that, you have failed the prompt. They truly do want an essay about who you are, not what you are trying to accomplish.
So, let’s go into our college personal essay toolbox — but retooled for your additional life experience since high school.
A strong response to this prompt is narrative, full of imagery, and 500-600 words (because that is what will fit on one page). To pinpoint what to write about, try zooming in on who you are.
First, list two or three personal characteristics that you want to make sure come across in your application. Next, figure out the two things that you’ve spent the most time on outside of schoolwork since graduating from high school. From those two things, find two possible stories that you could write about that, one for each. You’re only going to focus on one story to be the guiding narrative in your essay, but we find that brainstorming a bit more widely can guide you to the strongest essay for you.
We’re really serious when we say to keep this out of the classroom, by the way. There is plenty of time to hype your academics in the second supplement. This is the place to show Georgetown how you think, what you prioritize, and who you are at your core.
The next essay is school specific, so you’ll need to be confident in which college within Georgetown you’ll be applying to before digging in.
APPLICANTS TO THE 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 College of Arts & Sciences. Applicants interested in the sciences, mathematics, or languages are encouraged to make specific reference to their choice of major.
This is a classic “why us” essay, but that doesn’t mean that you should start straight into what you want to do at Georgetown. First, start your supplement by bringing your academic passion to life for Georgetown. For example, if you were to want to major in history you might start this supplement with an experience digging into a historical event to seek out contextual understanding of a current national or global challenge. Then, you’ll map this passion over to Georgetown. What is it about the Georgetown College of Arts & Sciences that would let you dig deeper than ever before?
They haven’t asked you to explain why staying at your current school wouldn’t be ideal, so don’t spend time on that. Instead, focus on what is unique about Georgetown that is precisely what you are looking for. This should include specific courses, professors (and why!), and programs. We do not advise transfer applicants to write about study abroad, though, as most transfers are unable to do a study abroad program without also delaying their graduation.
You should also speak to the curriculum of the college more broadly, sharing how you’d balance academic excellence within your major with exploration of other departments. Again, be specific. Using specifics is the only way Georgetown really knows that you aren’t just copy and pasting from another application. The same goes for writing about Georgetown outside of the classroom. Mention two student groups, one academic and one relevant to your interests but also just plain fun, that you hope to join.
Finish the essay with another strong narrative moment, maybe envisioning yourself in a lab or library at Georgetown and continuing to build your passion within their community.
APPLICANTS TO THE SCHOOL OF NURSING: Georgetown University’s 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.
This essay is interesting because they want to know why you want to pursue nursing at Georgetown, but also why you want to study nursing at all. And, if you are already studying nursing, they really need to know why the switch to Georgetown is necessary.
First, let’s assume that you are already studying nursing. If that is the case, you should not talk bad about your current program, but you do need to pinpoint at least one thing about the Georgetown program that you don’t have access to right now. It has to be clear to Georgetown that you want to transfer for academic reasons that are more pressing than simply a desire to be at a more competitive college.
Now, if you are not studying nursing already you need to illuminate for them how, in the last year or two, your idea of what you want to do in life has fundamentally shifted. If you didn’t want to study nursing as a high school senior, why do you want to do it now?
Once you’ve set up why you want to be in the nursing field at all, you need to illuminate why Georgetown, specifically, is where you want to study. This needs to be super specific to the Georgetown program, and focus on things that are hard (or even impossible) to find anywhere else. Name specific areas of study, programs, professors, and in-the-field learning opportunities. Most importantly, include “why” you are attracted to those opportunities. Do not assume that simply naming something is enough. You need to draw clear lines between your goals in nursing and what Georgetown offers.
Finish the essay by emphasizing how you will contribute to the Georgetown nursing community as a student, and use that as a jumping off point towards a career driven by purpose.
APPLICANTS TO THE 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.
It's important to have a clear academic path regardless of which college at Georgetown you are applying to, but that is especially true for the School of Health. In this supplement, Georgetown wants to get a clear picture of your proposed academic trajectory, specifically tuned to the intended major you selected. Each of these majors has different nuances, so be sure to really dig into the curriculum, program priorities, and professors of each major before you write. Then, you’ll frame your response around drawing connections between what you want to achieve, your core character traits, and what the major at Georgetown offers.
When you are drafting, do not miss the fact that they pinpoint “transformative engagement of communities” as a core piece of the School of Health. They are deeply committed to boots-on-the-ground work that truly creates change. You need to show how you, also, prioritize improving the world around you — even if you don’t have a perfect health-themed example quite yet.
APPLICANTS TO THE 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.
The Walsh School of Foreign Service is one of the things that Georgetown is particularly known for. Future policy makers, foreign service workers, and political changemakers seek out Walsh because they are the best-of-the-best at identifying, training, and launched global leaders. As a transfer, though, they will be asking themselves: why Walsh now? In this supplement, you need to map a clear trajectory towards the future that Walsh prepares students for. You passion and drive should both be palpable. The best way to deliver this message is through specific examples shared through narrative storytelling.
In the supplement, show them your trajectory towards a desire to transfer to Walsh. Presumably, this is something that can be tracked back to before you first applied to college but that must have continued to deepen and crystallize since starting college. Show them that journey, ideally using vivid moments that are clear ‘pivot’ points.
Then, get super specific about Walsh. What is it about Walsh that makes it ideal for you? Give them details: courses, professors, programs. Remember, though, that some programs (especially those abroad) can be hard to fit into a transfer course schedule without delaying graduation.
APPLICANTS TO THE 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.
Everything we’ve said already about making a specific pitch for why you are a perfect fit for a Georgetown school also applies here, but we’ll repeat a little to make sure that it’s underlined and bolded before you start drafting.
Before you write this supplement, you need to be doing research. McDonough is awesome, but simply saying that it is a great school is not enough. You need to find specific classes, professors, and programs that you can use to chart your proposed trajectory through towards graduation.
Since the McDonough program is particularly focused on a global business education, make sure that what you focus on is framed within that global perspective. They want to know that you don’t just want a business school: you want McDonough.
APPLICANTS TO THE MCCOURT SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY: For nearly 50 years, Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy has equipped leaders and changemakers with the interdisciplinary skills to address local, national and global policy problems. Undergraduate public policy students at Georgetown will have the unique opportunity to live and study on two campuses, spending their first two years immersed on the Hilltop, before completing the second half of their time at Georgetown on the Capitol Campus, immersed in the policy world. Describe your primary motivations for studying public policy at Georgetown University and dedicating your undergraduate studies toward a future related to public service.
Transferring to McCourt is a bit more complicated than the other colleges, as it is a split experience geographically. McCourt students spend two years on the Hilltop campus, which offers a more intimate environment, and then two years on the Capitol Campus in the thick of the political and policy action. Since you’ll be joining midway, where you go will really depend on how Georgetown decides to process your existing college credits.
For the sake of this supplement, assume that you’ll be experiencing both the Hilltop and the Capitol. With that in mind, you’ll need to write about what each campus offers that you are particularly drawn to. Weave this together with examples from your educational journey so far, and remember that “public service” must be a strong thread. Georgetown is looking for transfers to McCourt who are already servicing others. Show them how you do this, and how it will influence your Georgetown experience and beyond.
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Georgetown does also a report from a Dean, a report/recommendation from a professor, information from your high school, , as well as your college transcripts, of course. They do not guarantee alumni interviews for transfer applicants, and will contact you by email if there is an opportunity for an interview. If you are contacted, take it. We are strong proponents of using every tool that you have access to as you work towards admission, and an alumni interview is a valuable aspect of a strong Georgetown transfer application.
Ultimately, though, the best place to make the case for your admission is in these two essays. It’s a big task, but achievable with strategy and determination.
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