The George Washington University Columbian College of Arts & Sciences

What The George Washington University Columbian College of Arts & Sciences does

The George Washington University Columbian College of Arts & Sciences is the largest constituent college of The George Washington University, a private nonprofit research university founded in 1821 and headquartered in Washington, DC at 801 22nd St. NW, Phillips Hall. The college offers 67 undergraduate majors, 68 minors, 12 graduate certificates, 56 master's degrees, and 25 doctoral programs spanning the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, serving approximately 5,500 undergraduate and 2,188 graduate students with 490+ permanent full-time faculty, including Pulitzer, Guggenheim, NEH, and Fulbright recipients. Its core instructional and research assets include the Department of Biological Sciences (located in the Science and Engineering Hall), the Center for Economic Research and H.O. Stekler Research Program on Forecasting (Monroe Hall), the Wilbur V. Harlan Greenhouse, and structured undergraduate research pathways such as the Luther Rice Fellowship, Wilbur V. Harlan Research Fellowship, and CCAS 3001 research courses. The college's go-to-market is a traditional sales-led academic enrollment process routed through GW Undergraduate and Graduate Admissions, supplemented by information sessions, campus tours, and a Faculty Research Conversations video series featuring Dean Paul Wahlbeck. The business model operates on three revenue streams: tuition and fees (recurring per-student revenue across undergraduate and graduate programs), research grants from federal agencies including NSF, NEH, and NIH, and private philanthropic donations, including a major Cisneros family gift establishing the Hispanic Leadership Institute. Channel partnerships include a university consortium allowing cross-enrollment of up to 9 credit hours at Georgetown and the University of Maryland, plus strategic partnerships with the MITx MicroMasters program (pathway agreement saving up to 20% tuition), the World Bank Development Data Partnership, the National Association for Business Economics (CBE University Partner), and the Federal Forecasters Consortium.

Name

The George Washington University Columbian College of Arts & Sciences

Legal name

The George Washington University Columbian College of Arts & Sciences

Website

https://columbian.gwu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1821

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Columbian College of Arts & Sciences is GWU's largest constituent college, offering 67 undergraduate majors and 90+ graduate programs to approximately 7,700 students in Washington, DC, with notable research strengths in economics, forecasting, and biological sciences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Secular/Nonsectarian Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Selective/Highly Selective Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAJ), General Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAA)

Keywords

• Liberal arts education
• Graduate degree programs
• Undergraduate research fellowships
• Arts and sciences college
• Doctoral research programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue from undergraduate and graduate tuition and associated fees
2. Research Grants: Funding from world-renowned institutions like NSF, NEH, and NIH supporting faculty research activities
3. Private Donations: Philanthropic contributions including major gifts like the Cisneros donation supporting Hispanic Leadership Institute

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Columbian College of Arts & Sciences is the largest constituent college of The George Washington University, delivering undergraduate and graduate education across 67 undergraduate majors, 68 minors, 12 graduate certificates, 56 master's degrees, and 25 doctoral programs in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. It serves 5,500 undergraduate and 2,188 graduate students with 490+ permanent full-time faculty, supporting engaged learning, faculty-led research, fellowships, and specialized research centers in the heart of Washington, D.C.

Product overview

Columbian College of Arts & Sciences at The George Washington University is an academic institution offering undergraduate and graduate educational programs. The college provides 67 majors, 68 minors, 12 graduate certificates, 56 master's degrees, and 25 doctoral programs across sciences, social sciences, and humanities. The product portfolio includes research fellowship programs (Wilbur V. Harlan Research Fellowship, Luther Rice Undergraduate Research Fellowship), the H.O. Stekler Research Program on Forecasting, undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Economics and Biological Sciences, service learning and sustainability programs, and the GW Arts & Sciences Magazine publication. The college serves 5,500 undergraduate students and 2,188 graduate students with over 490 permanent full-time faculty.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GW Arts & Sciences Magazine: Columbian College's annual magazine showcasing stories of alumni, faculty and students who are making an impact in the classroom, in the lab and in their communities.

Products and services

• PhD in Economics Five to six year doctoral program with fields including development economics, international trade, urban/regional economics, labor economics, industrial organization, and environmental economics. Includes teaching assistantships with stipend, salary, tuition fellowship up to 18 credits per year, and health insurance supplement.
• MS in Applied Economics STEM-designated 30-credit master's program with 18 core credits covering mathematical methods, micro/macroeconomic theory, econometrics, and time series analysis, plus 12 elective credits. Partial tuition awards available; GW Grad2Grad program offers 10% tuition discount for recent graduates.
• Department of Biological Sciences Programs Offers BA and BS in Biology, BS in Neuroscience, combined BS/MS programs, minors, and research opportunities across the department, including the Wilbur V. Harlan Greenhouse for sustainability education.
• Wilbur V. Harlan Research Fellowship Merit-based scholarship for undergraduate biology majors supporting 14 weeks of independent research in biology department labs, including field trips to the Smithsonian and networking opportunities.
• Luther Rice Undergraduate Research Fellowship Competitive fellowship supporting approximately 15 students per semester with a $5,000 stipend and $1,000 for the faculty mentor, enabling structured undergraduate research opportunities.
• H.O. Stekler Research Program on Forecasting Housed in the Center for Economic Research, this program supports research, teaching and dissertation supervision in forecasting methodology and macroeconomic/microeconomic forecast preparation, with federal forecaster partnerships.
• Service Learning & Sustainability Program Service-based education connecting students with community through sustainability initiatives, including collaborations with GW ArtReach and THEARC Theatre, supported by the Wilbur V. Harlan Greenhouse.
• Undergraduate Biology Research Courses (BISC 4171, BISC 4171W, BISC 4172W) Standalone research courses for BS in Biology, BA in Biology, and BS in Neuroscience majors requiring students to find research internships, with options including Senior Honors Thesis and WID writing-intensive courses.

Quantifiable outcome

• 91,500 CCAS alumni in all 50 states and 120+ countries
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• MITx MicroMasters ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2022GW's MS in Applied Economics is a pathway program with MIT's Data, Economics, and Design of Policy (DEDP) MicroMasters. DEDP credential holders can receive credit for selected courses, saving up to 20% tuition and accelerating their degree timeline.
• World Bank Development Data PartnershipflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnique partnership allowing applied economics students to work directly with World Bank economists on real-world development projects. GW is the only university in the DC area and one of only two in the U.S. with this arrangement. Student teams earn academic credit while solving data challenges in developing economies.
• Federal Forecasters ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with organization of federal employees from all government agencies involved in forecasting. Jointly organizes Seminar Series on Forecasting with program members on the Governing Board.
• National Association for Business Economics (NABE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGW is a CBE University Partner, making students eligible for NABE scholarships and Certified Business Economist certification. Students can attend NABE policy conferences and access EconJobs.org, Business Economics journal, and Salary Survey data.
• National Economists Club (NEC)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerStudents may join NEC, which hosts weekly lunches with prominent economists. Graduates have served on NEC's Board of Directors.
• GW University ConsortiumcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGW is part of a consortium of Washington DC area universities allowing students to take up to 9 credit hours at nearby institutions including Georgetown and University of Maryland.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences: USC's largest college and a comparable urban, research-university-anchored liberal arts college with similar scale, program breadth, and selective admissions profile to CCAS.
• University of Maryland College of Arts and Humanities: The largest liberal arts college at UMD in College Park, part of the same DC-area university consortium as GW. Comparable in scope, faculty size, and breadth of humanities/social science programs serving the same regional student pool.
• Boston University College of Arts & Sciences: BU's largest undergraduate college with similar scale (~7,000+ undergrads), comprehensive liberal arts and sciences offerings, and research university affiliation. Comparable in program breadth, faculty size, and applicant profile.
• Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts & Sciences: JHU's foundational arts and sciences school, comparable as the liberal arts core of a private research university with similar scale, program breadth, and emphasis on research-active faculty.
• Georgetown University College of Arts & Sciences: The largest undergraduate college at Georgetown University, also located in Washington DC. Directly comparable to CCAS as a Jesuit secular liberal arts college within a private research university, sharing the same DC recruitment market and consortium partner relationship.
• American University College of Arts and Sciences: AU's flagship college in Washington DC, directly competing with CCAS for in-region liberal arts students, faculty, and DC-internship-driven applicants. Similar private, urban, mid-sized liberal arts scope.
• Emory College of Arts and Sciences: Emory's flagship undergraduate college within a private research university, comparable in selectivity, faculty credentials, and liberal arts program structure. A similar residential liberal arts college embedded in a research university context.
• Tufts University School of Arts & Sciences: Tufts' primary undergraduate college, comparable in size and selective liberal arts character with a strong research university affiliation. Similar faculty credentials, student selectivity, and program breadth profile.

Regional players

• George Mason University College of Humanities and Social Sciences: The largest college at George Mason in the DC metro area. Comparable scale and liberal-arts/social-science program mix, serving overlapping regional applicants but as a public institution with different cost structure.

Broad incumbents

• New York University College of Arts & Science: NYU's foundational liberal arts college in an urban setting, with similar comprehensive program breadth and large faculty. Comparable scale but operates within a much larger, more globally branded university.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gwucolumbian
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CCASGWU
• Facebookfacebook.com/gwucolumbian
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/gwucolumbian
• Instagraminstagram.com/gwucolumbian

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The George Washington University Columbian College of Arts & Sciences