Colleges Near Washington, DC

DC's own most selective option, Georgetown, admits 13% of applicants, but the state flagship that would normally anchor a capital's college scene, the University of Maryland, actually sits just outside the District line in College Park -- a reminder that DC proper is a federal city first, not a public-university town. Howard University, one of the country's most influential HBCUs, and George Washington University both sit within the District itself, with George Mason and Marymount a short Metro or drive into Northern Virginia for students who'd rather commute from the suburbs.