District of Columbia ranking · Clery-reported enrollment 2024

The Largest Universities in District of Columbia

Every District of Columbia college and university that reports an enrolment to the U.S. Department of Education, ranked biggest first. Total enrolment counts online and distance students, so an institution with a large virtual programme can outrank a bigger physical campus.

25,374
Largest in District of Columbia
19
Institutions reporting
564
Median District of Columbia institution
#41
of 51 states by enrolment

George Washington University is the largest institution in District of Columbia with 25,374 students

According to U.S. Department of Education campus-safety enrollment filings for 2024, George Washington University leads District of Columbia at 25,374 students, and the five largest hold 88% of state enrollment. This list covers all 19 reporting institutions. Totals include online learners, so a large virtual programme can outrank a bigger physical campus.

Data source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey

Largest in District of Columbia
25,374
Institutions reporting
19
State students in top 5
88%
Median District of Columbia institution
564

District of Columbia in one line

George Washington University is the largest institution in District of Columbia with 25,374 students, about 45x the 564 of the median institution in the state. 88% of every student in the state is enrolled at just these five institutions, so District of Columbia's higher education is concentrated at the top.

25,374
students at George Washington University
88%
of state students, in the top 5
88,468
students enrolled across District of Columbia
16
the #19 cutoff

Enrollment is total students reported in the OPE campus-safety disclosure for 2024, including online and distance learners. IPEDS supplies institution location and sector. The incident column is reported on-campus Clery Act incidents per 1,000 enrolled students.

Size joined to safety

Among the 6 mid-to-large campuses on this District of Columbia size list, 1 report below the 1.58 national median incident rate per 1,000, 0 also rank in the national safest-50, and the list averages 2.62 against that 1.58 median (George Washington University itself reports 3.23).

6
mid-to-large campuses on this list
1
below 1.58 national median /1k
0
also in national safest-50
3.23
George Washington University rate /1k

Incident rates are on-campus Clery Criminal Offenses and VAWA reports per 1,000 enrolled students for campuses with enrollment ≥ 2,000 and a national safety rank. A lower rate is not a personal safety verdict, reporting culture and online enrollment dilute raw counts. See /rankings/safest-campuses for the size-fair national list.

What this ranking shows about District of Columbia

District of Columbia ranks 41st by total enrolment among the states and DC, so even its largest institutions are modest against national leaders. Only 1 of the 19 institutions reporting enrolment here are public; District of Columbia educates an unusually large share of its students in private institutions.

Ranking by total enrolment puts institutions with large online programmes above institutions with larger physical campuses, because a virtual student body is not limited by classrooms or housing. A list of the biggest campuses by students physically present would order differently, and neither list is more correct, because they answer different questions. Enrolment here is the total headcount an institution reported to the federal OPE reporting cohort, which counts undergraduate and graduate students together and makes no distinction between full-time and part-time study. A university with a very large part-time or continuing-education population can therefore outrank one with more students on campus on any given weekday.

The incident-rate column is here because institution size changes how a raw incident count should be read, not because a larger university is more or less safe. Two institutions with the same number of reported incidents are not comparable if one enrols five times as many students, so the column expresses incidents per thousand enrolled. A rate still reflects reporting practice as much as underlying risk: an institution that encourages reporting and investigates thoroughly can record more incidents than one that does neither, and that is the opposite of what a naive reading suggests. Institutions where most students study online show diluted rates, because the denominator counts students who never set foot on a campus. Read the column as context for the size ranking, never as a safety verdict, and see our methodology for how both figures are assembled. For the same institutions ranked by cost rather than size, see the cheapest colleges rankings, or browse every institution we hold a record for.

Comparing states? See the 50 largest universities in the US, or this state's campus safety profile.

Every reporting institution in District of Columbia is listed below. Here is how their enrollments spread:

District of Columbia enrollment distribution

Clery-reported enrollment · 19 District of Columbia institutions · 2024

16 Top 100% higher than 0% of 19 District of Columbia institutions

Show national distribution 0–3,000: 13 District of Columbia institutions (68%). This entry sits in this band. 3,000–6,000: 2 District of Columbia institutions (11%). Above this entry. 6,000–9,000: 0 District of Columbia institutions (0%). Above this entry. 9,000–12,000: 0 District of Columbia institutions (0%). Above this entry. 12,000–15,000: 2 District of Columbia institutions (11%). Above this entry. 15,000–18,000: 0 District of Columbia institutions (0%). Above this entry. 18,000–21,000: 1 District of Columbia institutions (5%). Above this entry. 21,000–24,000: 0 District of Columbia institutions (0%). Above this entry. 24,000–27,000: 1 District of Columbia institutions (5%). Above this entry. Smallest on list 0 27,000 every District of Columbia institution, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more District of Columbia institutions. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey · 2024

All 19 ranked institutions in District of Columbia

3
Howard University Washington, DC · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
14,890
Incidents /1k
2.22
4
American University Washington, DC · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
12,321
Incidents /1k
2.19
# Institution EnrollmentIncidents /1k
1 George Washington University Washington, DC · Private nonprofit 25,374 100% of the leader · rank #1 3.23
2 Georgetown University Washington, DC · Private nonprofit 20,031 79% of the leader · rank #2 3.94
3 Howard University Washington, DC · Private nonprofit 14,890 59% of the leader · rank #3 2.22
4 American University Washington, DC · Private nonprofit 12,321 49% of the leader · rank #4 2.19
5 The Catholic University of America Washington, DC · Private nonprofit 5,243 21% of the leader · rank #5 0.57
6 University of the District of Columbia Washington, DC · Public 4,202 17% of the leader · rank #6 3.57
7 Trinity Washington University Washington, DC · Private nonprofit 1,948 8% of the leader · rank #7 0.00
8 Gallaudet University Washington, DC · Private nonprofit 1,335 5% of the leader · rank #8 100.37
9 University of the Potomac-Washington DC Campus Washington, DC · Private for-profit 1,241 5% of the leader · rank #9 0.00
10 The Chicago School at Washington DC Washington, DC · Private nonprofit 564 4% of the leader · rank #10 0.00
11 Wesley Theological Seminary Washington, DC · Private nonprofit 374 4% of the leader · rank #11 0.00
12 Strayer University-District of Columbia Washington, DC · Private for-profit 188 4% of the leader · rank #12 0.00
13 Bennett Career Institute Washington, DC · Private for-profit 176 4% of the leader · rank #13 0.00
14 Institute of World Politics Washington, DC · Private nonprofit 173 4% of the leader · rank #14 0.00
15 Saint Michael College of Allied Health Washington, DC · Private for-profit 136 4% of the leader · rank #15 0.00
16 The Salon Professional Academy-Washington DC Washington, DC · Private for-profit 117 4% of the leader · rank #16 0.00
17 Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies Washington, DC · Private nonprofit 74 4% of the leader · rank #17 0.00
18 Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family Washington, DC · Private nonprofit 65 4% of the leader · rank #18 46.15
19 National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts Washington, DC · Private nonprofit 16 4% of the leader · rank #19 0.00

What to do with this

Size is a starting filter for District of Columbia, not a verdict on any institution.

Institutions below the reporting floor, or without enrolment in the Campus Safety and Security Survey cohort for 2024, do not appear on this list. IPEDS supplies classification and location.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education Campus Safety and Security Survey (enrollment and Clery disclosures), joined to the IPEDS institutional directory (location and classification)

Every figure on PlainCampus is rendered directly from federal Clery Act source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Every figure on this page is computed at request time from the federal source tables; no ranking position or count is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-10-26.

PlainCampus is for informational purposes only and does not constitute safety, security, legal, or enrollment advice; the data describes reported on-campus activity, it is not a complete picture of safety at any campus and cannot predict any individual student's experience. See our appropriate use guidance.