Georgetown University will increase undergraduate tuition rates by 4.75% for the 2026-27 academic year, marking the fifth consecutive year the university has raised undergraduate tuition costs.

Undergraduate tuition will increase to $74,520, up from the 2025-26 academic year cost of $71,136, with total cost of attendance expected to increase approximately 4.6%. In the Feb. 9 email announcing the change, the university said it anticipates dedicating $278 million to financial aid for the 2026-27 academic year and expressed a commitment to affordability.

Interim Provost Soyica Diggs Colbert (COL ’01) and Executive Vice President for Health Sciences Norman J. Beauchamp Jr. said the tuition increase resulted from rising costs.

“The tuition rate reflects a balanced approach to managing rising costs, as well as providing the resources needed for academic and student priorities, efforts that expand the value and reach of a Georgetown education, and our commitment to minimizing additional fees,” Colbert and Beauchamp wrote in the email to students. 

Over the past three decades, higher education tuition has steadily increased and is the fastest growing household expense. Total federal student loan debt rose at an annual rate of 15.7% from 2006 to 2023.

Alazar Teffra (CAS ’27) — a student-athlete in the Georgetown Scholars Program (GSP), which supports first-generation and low-income students — said tuition increases are detrimental to first-generation students and the university needs to be transparent with students receiving financial aid.

“I expected this to happen, but it’s still difficult for students,” Teffra told The Hoya.

“I think they need to speak to first-generation and low-income students one-on-one and discuss their parents’ income,” Teffra added. “Aid is based on a year before, and a lot can change within that time frame.”

Evan Cornell (CAS ’27) — a senator in the Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA), Georgetown’s student government — said rising costs, compounded with previous delays in financial aid packages, may deter students from attending the university.

“I think when people are looking at Georgetown — and they’re excited about the possibility of coming to the Hilltop — when they see a price tag that’s nearing $100,000 a year, that’s rather concerning, especially without the promise of solid financial aid because of course, that might not come until the summer,” Cornell told The Hoya. “So there are going to be people who are really waiting until that financial aid package comes.”

The average tuition cost for a private nonprofit college is $45,000 per academic year, but many highly ranked private universities charge between $55,000 and $75,000 in tuition.

Mikenzie Hapworth-Eldridge (CAS ’28), a GSP student, said she is pleased with the amount of aid she currently receives but fears potential changes due to the tuition increase.

“I live below the poverty line at home, and coming to a university like Georgetown is a bit scary,” Hapworth-Eldridge told The Hoya. “I didn’t know if I’d be able to afford it when coming to campus, but I was honestly surprised in a positive way. When I was a first-year, Georgetown offered me the most financial aid out of any university that I applied to and got into.”

“But, as someone who does rely on that financial assistance, it can just be a touchy subject whenever it changes, because you just never know how it might impact you or other students on campus,” Hapworth-Eldridge added.

Roan Bedoian (CAS ’28) — a GUSA senator who chairs the Financial Accessibility & Equity Committee, which works with the university to improve financial aid — said the committee plans to collaborate with the Office of Financial Aid to assess the impacts and benefits of the rising tuition.

“I’m looking to meet with the financial aid office as soon as I can to talk to them about how these tuition increases are going to hit their budget, and see how this is actually going to impact their budget,” Bedoian told The Hoya. “Raising their budget is great, but if tuition is going up as well, we need to see that there’s actually going to be a net positive and how much they’re able to allocate.”

Grey Ni (CAS ’29), who relies on financial aid to attend Georgetown, said they question the university’s commitment to diversity in light of the cost increases.

“If you go back to what Georgetown always says about how they value diversity of thought and students from diverse backgrounds and everything, it makes you wonder how much they’re really dedicating themselves to that promise,” Ni told The Hoya. “Because if they keep increasing the tuition like they consistently have been, then it just gets harder for students to actually attend Georgetown and to think of it as a viable option.”

“When I came here, I had to promise my mom that if I didn’t get enough financial aid, I would transfer,” Ni added.

Caroline Bush (CAS ’28), GUSA’s director of labor and financial accessibility, said middle-class students who do not receive financial aid from the university could face the harshest impacts of the price increases.

“We talked about just now how this is going to primarily hit students who are not on financial aid, but cannot necessarily afford fully to attend Georgetown, the hardest,” Bush said. “We’re mostly concerned about just finding ways to support those students right now.”

Bedoian said her committee will also consider how to support students of different backgrounds affected by the tuition increase.

“There’s different ways in which students are going to be impacted by this, depending on their exact financial situation, and they need to be handled differently,” Bedoian said. “That’s what we’re trying to kind of brainstorm right now, is how can we support all of these different groups of students best, and how can we make sure that this isn’t placing an undue strain on any student to the best of our ability.”

Ni said the university should be more transparent with students about expenditures and budget deliberations before raising tuition.

“They should be transparent about where your tuition money really is going and let students know why exactly they increase the tuition every year, what they need it for, what their other options were and what the deliberation process was honestly like,” Ni said. “At least let the students know that maybe increasing tuition wasn’t the first option anytime they need more funding for anything.”