Georgetown University Summer Programs American Politics Academy

Georgetown's sample schedule runs academic programming from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays. Mornings (9 a.m. to noon) and afternoons (1:30 to 5 p.m.) go to lectures, off-site visits or hands-on sessions, with guest speakers and group discussions in the mix, and after dinner there's a two-hour capstone project block from 7 to 9 p.m.

From 9 to 11 p.m. there are optional activities, free time and residential life events under staff supervision, and the wider summer program runs things like movies on the lawn, concerts, cookouts, lecture series and weekend outings.

You need to be a current 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th or 12th grader in the school year before the summer, in good academic standing with at least a 2.0 GPA. Georgetown then weighs your grades, the courses you've taken, your personal statement and a School Official Reviewer Form from a counselor (preferred), advisor, teacher or principal who can speak to your readiness and confirm your GPA. Homeschooled students can apply too, but their reviewer can't be a family member or a paid tutor.

Admission is rolling, and Georgetown encourages early applications. We couldn't find an acceptance rate or class size for the Academy. International students don't need a TOEFL score, though Georgetown recommends English strong enough to follow complex discussions and argue a point on a current issue.

Applications go through Georgetown's online application portal, which issues you the NetID you'll later use to register.

1. 1

   Check the Summer 2027 lineup Georgetown plans to post on 16 November 2026 to confirm this Academy's dates.

2. 2

   Submit the Academies application with your 300- to 500-word personal statement on why you want to attend, ideally by the 31 January 2027 Early Bird deadline.

3. 3

   Name your reviewer when you submit, and Georgetown emails them the School Official Reviewer Form automatically.

4. 4

   Expect a decision by email within three weeks of your application being complete, which means Georgetown has your statement, your reviewer's form and, after 31 January, the application fee. The final Academies deadline is 15 May 2027, and later applications are reviewed case by case.

5. 5

   Admission alone doesn't hold a seat, because places go first come, first served. Once you're admitted, log in to the MySCS portal, add the residential (section 01) or commuter (section 02) section to your cart and pay the full tuition by credit card.

In 2026 the week cost $3,725 if you lived on campus, which covered tuition, a residence hall room and 19 meals, or $3,095 if you commuted, which covered tuition only. Georgetown says its tuition and fees are subject to change, so check the 2027 price once the new sessions are posted. On top of tuition, there's a $50 application fee unless you apply by the Early Bird deadline, a $45 health insurance fee for international students, and an optional meal plan for commuters, bought directly from Georgetown Dining.

To commute, you have to stay with a parent, guardian or another adult they designate for the whole program. Georgetown can turn down a commuter request if there's no such adult or the address is more than 45 minutes from campus at any time of day, including rush hour, and its decision can't be appealed.

Georgetown offers a limited number of need-based scholarships to admitted students, and they cover tuition only. For Summer 2027, the Academy scholarship application is due to open in late December 2026 and closes on 2 March 2027. It asks for two essays, and decisions come by the last week of March.

Withdrawing three weeks or more before the start gets you a full refund of tuition and fees, and the refund shrinks from there. The $50 application fee isn't refundable.

Trained resident counselors live in every residence hall and supervise all students, with a counselor on duty throughout the day, and commuters are assigned one too. Floor curfew is 10:30 p.m. with bed checks at 11:30 p.m., though Georgetown says the times can shift with the day's programming. Georgetown students, faculty and staff who work with under-18s fall under its Protection of Minors Policy, which requires training and, for certain roles, criminal background checks.

Students can use the Student Health Center, campus police patrol the grounds, and any involvement with alcohol or drugs means immediate dismissal from the program and the residence halls. Georgetown also expects you to manage your own time, meals, sleep and laundry.

You leave with a Certificate of Participation if you complete the program, plus a Pass, Fail or Withdrawn grade on a Georgetown non-credit transcript, where a Pass means you met all the course and attendance requirements. Academy students also get access to The Edge, a soft-skills learning platform run by Ascend Now.

The evenings go to a capstone project, but we couldn't find a description of what it involves or whether you leave with a finished piece of work, so it's worth asking Georgetown before you commit.