The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GW is the largest institution of higher education in Washington, D.C.

George Washington, the first president of the United States, advocated for the establishment of a national university in the U.S. capital in his first State of the Union address in 1790 and continued to promote this idea throughout his career and until his death in 1799. In his will, Washington left shares in the Potomac Company to endow the university. However, due to the company's financial difficulties, funds were raised independently by Baptist ministers. Among the founding patrons of the university were John Quincy Adams, John C. Calhoun, and James Monroe On February 9, 1821, the university was established by an Act of Congress first as Columbian College and then as Columbian University, making it one of only five universities in the United States with a congressional charter.

The university's undergraduate and graduate schools include the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, the Elliott School of International Affairs, the GW School of Business, the School of Media and Public Affairs, the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration, the GW Law School, and the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design. GW's main campus is located in the Foggy Bottom area of Washington, D.C. The International Monetary Fund and World Bank are located on the campus, and the White House and the U.S. Department of State are located within blocks of it. GW hosts numerous research centers and institutes, including the National Security Archive and the Institute for International Economic Policy. GW has two satellite campuses: the Mount Vernon campus, located in Washington, D.C.'s Foxhall neighborhood, and the Virginia Science and Technology Campus in Loudoun County, Virginia.

GW is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity." The university offers degree programs in seventy-one disciplines, enrolling around 11,000 undergraduate and 15,500 graduate students. GW is home to extensive student life programs, a strong Greek culture, and over 450 other student organizations. The school's athletic teams, the George Washington Colonials, play in the NCAA Division I Atlantic 10 Conference. GW also annually hosts numerous political events, including the World Bank and International Monetary Fund's Annual Meetings.

The university's alumni, faculty, and affiliates include 16 foreign heads of state or government, 28 United States senators, 27 United States governors, 18 U.S. Cabinet members, five Nobel laureates, two Olympic medalists, two Academy Award winners, and a Golden Globe winner. GW has over 1,100 active alumni in the U.S. Foreign Service and is one of the largest feeder schools for the diplomatic corps.