Georgian Court (GCU) believes college is more than earning a degree. It’s a time of discovery. Finding what you’re great at. What you’re passionate about. How to live with purpose. By expanding possibility, you become your best professionally and personally.
As a Roman Catholic university, GCU welcomes students from all religious, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Every student can benefit from a GCU education with its core values of respect, integrity, justice, compassion, and service. These values, an extension of beliefs established by the Sisters of Mercy, GCU’s founding order, mean that you’ll leave your mark, live your best life, and help others do that, too.
Plus, it’s a fact: GCU grads do good and they do well, earning above average salaries ($57,250 was the average starting salary in 2020), in their first decade after college.
Georgian Court University sits on a breathtaking156-acre campus just minutes from the Jersey Shore. And because the university is only an hour from Philadelphia and New York, students often take advantage of both cities for internships, career exploration, high-profile arts and culture events, and more. In total, more than 2,100 GCU students pursue 35+ undergraduate majors and 10+ graduate programs. GCU’s programs reflect what employers want and new degrees that lead directly to jobs. A few examples are accelerated nursing, health professions, health science, political science and the relatively new Psy.D. doctoral program.
At GCU, students embrace learning that lasts a lifetime, even outside the classroom. One example: a 2022 trip to Ghana where GCU nursing students conducted clinics, conducted malaria testing, and even helped deliver two babies!
The soul of GCU is its faculty. Professors choose GCU because they love to teach and are committed to student success. Thanks to small classes, faculty know you well enough to become mentors and guides; they’ll also support you in service learning, internships, and faculty–student research.
And whether you explore classics like history, English, biology, or psychology or in-demand majors like nursing, health sciences, or business, you’ll have a career that delivers purpose, not just a job.
GCU students know how to have fun, too. The GCU Lions field 14 teams that compete in eight NCAA Division II sports — softball, soccer, lacrosse, basketball, cross country, track & field and volleyball. Georgian Court athletes are repeat champions in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC). There are more than 60 clubs and organizations on campus, including WILD, L.E.A.D., and the Mercy Collegiate Society. Across campus and beyond, GCU students give back to their communities as they work to become strong leaders and advocates for social justice.
For recent graduate and high school history teacher Danny Ginchereau, class of 2020, two life-altering trips to Washington, D.C., stand out.
“With my classmates from GCU, I peacefully protested, learned to lobby, and became part of the real world and history,” says Danny who also served as SGA president and did a study abroad stint in London. “The University offered those opportunities to drive real change.”
“Georgian Court not only gave me the tools to succeed but showed me how to use them,” he says. “The community — faculty, staff, student body — help you expand your horizons and alter your perceptions. You become the person you were meant to be.”
Founded in 1908 and sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, Georgian Court University is Central and South Jersey’s only Catholic university. GCU is a comprehensive, coeducational university with a strong liberal arts core and a historic special concern for women. As a forward-thinking university that supports diversity and academic excellence, GCU is known for expanding possibility for more than 2,200 students of all faiths and backgrounds in 35+ undergraduate majors and 10+ graduate programs. The GCU Lions compete in 14 NCAA Division II sports in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC). In 2020, GCU was named a Best Value College by Money.com and a Best Bang for the Buck (Northeast) by Washington Monthly. High student retention and graduation rates also make GCU a Top Performer on Social Mobility on U.S. News & World Report’s rankings.
The main campus is located in Lakewood, New Jersey, on the picturesque former George Jay Gould estate, a National Historic Landmark. Georgian Court, which is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, also serves students at other locations, such as GCU at Hazlet, GCU at Rowan College of South Jersey – Cumberland Campus, and through multiple online certificate and degree programs.