---
title: "Georgetown Invited Into Top Research Group in Washington"
url: https://www.herewashingtondc.com/2026/10/30/georgetown-joins-association-of-american-universities/
date: 2026-10-30T05:50:27-04:00
modified: 2026-10-30T05:50:27-04:00
author: "Victoria Curry"
categories: ["Education"]
site: "HERE Washington DC"
attribution: "HERE Washington DC"
---

# Georgetown Invited Into Top Research Group in Washington

*Source: [HERE Washington DC](https://www.herewashingtondc.com/2026/10/30/georgetown-joins-association-of-american-universities/) — October 30, 2026 by Victoria Curry*

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., has been asked to join the Association of American Universities, the invitation-only club of the country’s top research campuses.

The group dates to 1900 and decides who gets in by weighing how broad and how strong a school’s research and teaching are. This week it extended invitations to two schools, Georgetown and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the first new additions since 2023.

Georgetown leaders framed the move as recognition of work across the sciences, social sciences and humanities. President Eduardo M. Peñalver tied the school’s research to its Jesuit and Catholic roots, and Interim Provost Soyica Colbert credited faculty and researchers.

Members of the association pull in most of the competitive federal research money awarded in the country, which can matter for labs and graduate programs on the Hilltop campus.