Colleges in Washington DC
The District of Columbia, or Washington, DC, is the seat of the United States federal government, the U.S. capitol, and home to 20 colleges and universities. While DC is considered only the 20th most populous city in the nation, hundreds of thousands of commuters flood in from both Virginia and Maryland for work each week to this world political capital. Headquartering 177 foreign embassies, DC hosts the Institute of World Politics, a graduate school of national security and international affairs.
The bulk of the city’s postsecondary institutions fall into two categories, public or private not-for-profit, and are distributed evenly amongst three types: research universities, master’s universities (like the aforementioned Institute of World Politics), or special-focus institutions. The oldest institution in Washington, DC, is Georgetown University, which was founded in 1789, and the same institution also claims the title of oldest Jesuit and Catholic university in the US. The largest public institution title goes to the University of the District of Columbia, while the largest by-enrollment is George Washington University. Four universities operate satellite programs in the capital, and those are Arizona State, Brown, New York, and Pepperdine. When it comes to special-focus institutions, Gallaudet University is one such and teaches classes in both English and American Sign Language (ASL).
With 25% of the city’s population employed by the government, it’s unsurprising that three of the universities in Washington, DC, are maintained by the US Government, including the National Intelligence University. To be close to the federal government, many organizations are headquartered in DC, including many law firms and lobbying firms; there are also six law schools accredited by the American Bar Association. DC is also known for medical research and is home to three medical schools, as well as research institutions, including the Washington Hospital Center.
