About Us

Georgetown University is committed, through its Jesuit and Catholic traditions and values, to helping prepare for lives of service to others. Our engagement in the District of Columbia area, as well as other communities, nationally and internationally, is motivated by this commitment, and this commitment has called us to be a leader in the conversation around college access and success locally and nationally.

Locally, the University engages via the Institute for College Preparation program, the longevity and success of which make it our flagship educational outreach program. The University has been a regular participant, in collaborative efforts with others focused on the intersection of K-12 and higher education.  

For over three decades, the Institute for College Preparation has provided intensive, comprehensive, pre-college academic enrichment to middle and high school students from D.C. public schools who may have less exposure to college and/or are likely to be first in their families to pursue post-secondary education. Students begin the program in middle school as a cohort, and continue through their post-secondary options. During the program, students are exposed to rigorous course work via a carefully developed curriculum offered to students in Saturday Academy classes and Summer Institute on Georgetown University’s campus. This academic enrichment curriculum is enhanced by academic tutoring and mentorship in coordination with the students’ schools; a summer enrichment program that includes, in successive years, a study abroad experience and a residential college experience; college tours, assistance with test preparation and the college application process; facilitation of connections to other needed resources; and other academic and personal counseling for students and their families to inspire a college-going culture.

The Institute provides participants with rigorous academic course work through Saturday Academy and Summer Institute programming that prepares students to excel in coursework.