Yes. It is.
Georgetown University is a proud member of NCAA Division I. If you’re asking is Georgetown University D1 because you’re looking at their football record versus their basketball prestige, you’ve stumbled onto one of the most interesting setups in college athletics. Most people just assume D1 means the same thing for every sport. It doesn't. Not at all.
Georgetown sits in the Big East Conference for basically everything that matters to their brand. Think basketball, soccer, and lacrosse. But when it comes to the gridiron, they play in the Patriot League. This creates a weirdly specific identity where the school is a national powerhouse in some rooms and a quiet, academic-focused underdog in others.
The Big East Identity and the Basketball Shadow
Let’s be real. When people ask about Georgetown’s division status, they are usually thinking about the "Hoya Saxa" chants and the ghost of Patrick Ewing. Georgetown isn't just D1; they were a founding member of the Big East in 1979. This was a massive move. It cemented them as a "basketball school" in a way that few other institutions can claim.
Basketball is the heartbeat of the Hilltop. The program has a national championship (1984) and has reached the Final Four five times. They play their home games at Capital One Arena, the same place the Washington Wizards play. That’s a D1 environment if I've ever seen one.
But here is where it gets nuanced. The Big East doesn’t sponsor football.
Because of that, Georgetown’s athletic department is split. While the basketball team is flying across the country to play Villanova or UConn, other teams are keeping it much more regional. It’s a balancing act. They have to maintain the high-octane recruiting required for elite basketball while staying true to the rigorous academic standards of a top-tier private Jesuit university.
Honestly, it’s a miracle they make it work as well as they do. The pressure to win in the Big East is soul-crushing. Just look at the recent coaching transitions from Patrick Ewing to Ed Cooley. That is high-stakes, multi-million dollar D1 business.
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The Football Exception: Why the Patriot League Matters
If you walk over to Cooper Field on a Saturday, you might get confused. You’ll see a stadium that feels... small.
Georgetown football plays in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). This is still Division I. However, it is a different world from the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) where teams like Alabama or Michigan live.
For a long time, Georgetown didn’t even offer football scholarships. They played a non-scholarship model even while being D1. They eventually started offering "need-based" aid that looked a lot like scholarships, but it wasn't until relatively recently that the Patriot League allowed traditional athletic scholarships.
- Conference: Patriot League
- Level: NCAA Division I FCS
- The Vibe: High academics, smaller crowds, genuine "student-athlete" focus.
Why does this matter? Because it proves that is Georgetown University D1 isn't a simple yes-or-no question about quality. It’s about philosophy. The school wants to compete at the highest level where it makes sense (basketball) but keep a tighter leash on sports that could potentially drain the budget or compromise admissions standards (football).
Soccer and Lacrosse: The Hidden D1 Giants
You can't talk about Georgetown D1 sports without mentioning soccer. In 2019, the men’s soccer team won the NCAA National Championship. They are a legitimate factory for MLS talent.
If you're a recruit, Georgetown is a dream. You get the D1 exposure, the pro scouts, and a degree that actually means something if your ACL gives out. The same goes for their lacrosse programs. Both the men’s and women’s teams are consistently ranked in the Top 20.
They aren't just "participating" in Division I. They are winning it.
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The variety in their success is wild. You have the men's soccer coach, Brian Wiese, building a dynasty on a field that overlooks the Potomac. Meanwhile, the track and field program has produced Olympians. It’s a broad, deep athletic culture that goes way beyond the hardwood of a basketball court.
The Cost of Being D1 in Washington D.C.
Running a D1 program in the middle of a major city is a logistical nightmare. Georgetown’s campus is historic, beautiful, and incredibly cramped. They don’t have the sprawling 100-acre athletic complexes you see at a place like Clemson or Ohio State.
Every square inch of turf is fought for.
This physical limitation actually dictates a lot of their D1 strategy. They focus on sports that don't require massive footprints. Basketball is played off-campus. Soccer and lacrosse share fields. It’s a "boutique" D1 experience. It’s high-end, selective, and expensive.
The athletic budget at Georgetown is significant, but it’s not subsidized by a 100,000-seat football stadium. Instead, it relies on TV contracts from the Big East and a very wealthy alumni base. When you ask is Georgetown University D1, you’re also asking if they can afford to stay there. In the current era of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) and the transfer portal, Georgetown is fighting to keep up. They have to. If they dropped to D3, the brand would take a massive hit.
Debunking the "Ivy League" Myth
A lot of people think Georgetown is in the Ivy League. I get it. The bricks, the sweaters, the prestige—it fits the mold.
But the Ivy League is its own D1 conference with very specific rules (like no athletic scholarships). Georgetown is not an Ivy. They are a Jesuit school. This distinction is huge for their D1 status.
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Being in the Big East allows Georgetown to be more aggressive in recruiting than an Ivy League school might be. They can offer the full D1 scholarship package without the same restrictive academic index that the Ivies use. This is why they can consistently beat Ivy League teams in head-to-head matchups across most sports. They are "Ivy-plus"—the academics of an elite school with the athletic fire of a power conference.
What D1 Status Means for Students and Fans
If you’re a student at Georgetown, D1 status means your weekends are booked. You’re taking the bus down to the Verizon Center (now Capital One) to watch the Hoyas play Marquette. You’re standing on the hill at Kehoe Field watching soccer.
For athletes, it means a grueling schedule. We’re talking 5:00 AM lifts and flying to Omaha on a Tuesday. It’s not a hobby. It’s a job.
For the average fan or prospective student, the D1 label is a seal of quality. It tells you that the school is willing to invest in its public image. It tells you that the competition will be fierce. Whether it’s the intense rivalry with Villanova or the local "Beltway Battle" vibes with Maryland, the D1 status is the engine behind the school's social life.
Key Takeaways on Georgetown's Division 1 Status
To wrap your head around how this school operates, you have to look at the three pillars of their athletic identity. It isn't a monolith.
- The Elite Tier: Basketball. This is D1 at its most commercial and most intense. The Big East is a "Power Six" basketball conference.
- The Competitive Tier: Soccer, Lacrosse, and Track. These programs are national title contenders. They represent the "Gold Standard" of the student-athlete balance.
- The Pragmatic Tier: Football. D1 by technicality (FCS), but operated with a focus on regional rivalries and academic integration rather than national TV ratings.
The Future: Can Georgetown Stay D1?
The landscape of college sports is shifting. With the potential for "Super Conferences" and the professionalization of the NCAA, smaller private schools like Georgetown are in a weird spot.
However, their D1 status is safe. Why? Because the Big East brand is too valuable. The conference just signed major TV deals that keep the lights on and the scholarships flowing. Georgetown knows who they are. They aren't trying to be an SEC football school. They are trying to be the best version of an academic-athletic powerhouse in the country.
So, if you were wondering is Georgetown University D1, the answer is a resounding yes. They are D1 in name, D1 in talent, and D1 in the way they've shaped the history of college basketball.
Next Steps for Researching Georgetown Athletics:
- Check the Big East Standings: If you want to see how they stack up right now, look at the current Big East basketball or soccer tables. It changes weekly.
- Visit the Hilltop: If you’re ever in D.C., walk through the gates. Seeing the trophy cases in the McDonough Arena will give you a much better sense of their D1 pedigree than any website could.
- Look into NIL: If you're interested in the business side, search for the "Hoyas Rising" collective. It’s the group funding the D1 dreams of modern Georgetown athletes and shows exactly how the school is staying competitive in 2026.