College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
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2024 Best Colleges in District of Columbia

8 Colleges
$61,724 Avg Salary*
51% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

With all of the options you have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its Top District of Columbia Colleges ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

We analyzed 8 colleges and universities across District of Columbia to determine which were the best in terms of overall quality. To come up with this ranking, we look at more than 20 factors that are all objective measurements. These factors include freshman retention, graduation rate, student-to-faculty ratio, and post graduate earnings, among other things.

Find out more about our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

We've developed a number of other tools and rankings to help you make your college decision. Start by filtering this list by location or field of study and then explore our other rankings that feature schools great for different groups of students such as veterans or returnings adults.

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We've created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you're torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another!

Top Colleges in District of Columbia

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

1
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, District of Columbia

Georgetown University tops this year’s ranking as the best school in District of Columbia for overall quality.Washington, District of Columbia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 7,126 students in 2020-2021.

The school boasts an average 4-year graduation rate of 91%, which is excellent when compared to the national rate of 33%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown go into careers with an average salary of $96,375 during the early years of their career.

Read More…

2
GWU crest
George Washington University
Washington, District of Columbia

Out of the 8 schools in District of Columbia that were part of this year’s ranking, George Washington University landed the #2 spot on the list. GWU is located in Washington, District of Columbia and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9,981 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.

The school boasts an average 4-year graduation rate of 76%, which is excellent when compared to the national rate of 33%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from GWU go into careers with an average salary of $80,606 during the early years of their career.

Full George Washington University Report

3
The American University crest
American University
Washington, District of Columbia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend American University. The school came in at #3 in District of Columbia on this year’s overall quality ranking. The American University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Washington, District of Columbia. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 4,631 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from The American University make an average of $71,933 per year during the early years of their career.

Full American University Report

4
Gallaudet crest
Gallaudet University
Washington, District of Columbia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Gallaudet University. The school came in at #4 in District of Columbia on this year’s overall quality ranking. Gallaudet is located in Washington, District of Columbia and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 378 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 6 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Gallaudet make an average of $33,841 per year during the early years of their career.

Read full report on Gallaudet University

5
CUA crest
Catholic University of America
Washington, District of Columbia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Catholic University of America. It ranked #5 on our 2024 Best Colleges in District of Columbia list.Washington, District of Columbia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,661 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. During the early years of their career, graduates from CUA make an average of $71,804 a year.

Full Catholic University of America Report

6
Howard crest
Howard University
Washington, District of Columbia

Howard University landed the #6 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in District of Columbia ranking. Howard is located in Washington, District of Columbia and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2,370 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Howard is $56,236 during the early years of their career.

Read full report on Howard University

7
University of the District of Columbia crest
University of the District of Columbia
Washington, District of Columbia

University of the District of Columbia did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in District of Columbia ranking, coming in at #7. University of the District of Columbia is a small public school located in Washington, District of Columbia that handed out 761 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

With a student-to-faculty rate of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from University of the District of Columbia make an average of $39,326 per year during the early years of their career.

Read More…

8
Trinity College crest
Trinity Washington University
Washington, District of Columbia

With a ranking of #8, Trinity Washington University did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges in District of Columbia list. Trinity College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Washington, District of Columbia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 384 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Trinity College make an average of $43,669 per year during the early years of their career.

Full Trinity Washington University Report

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 8 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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