Admitted PhD Student Visit Day

Friday, February 27, 2026

Welcome to GW Engineering! We are thrilled that you will be joining us for our Admitted PhD Student Visit Day. You are one of a select few admitted PhD students who will be visiting our main campus in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, DC. During this visit you will have the opportunity to meet with faculty, speak with current students, and tour our labs and facilities. 

The agenda for the visit day is listed below. A staff member from the Office of Graduate Admissions & Student Services will follow up with you via email to arrange your transportation to and from Washington, DC, if applicable. We will provide you with finalized location information for the hotel and events in advance of the visit day. If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to reach out to our office any time at engineeringgwu [dot] edu (engineering[at]gwu[dot]edu). 

We look forward to meeting you on Friday, February 27 and welcoming you to the GW Engineering community!

Sincerely,

Brittany G Wright
Executive Director, Graduate Studies & International Programs

Please note that this event is by invitation only.

AGENDA: 

Thursday, February 26, 2026

Afternoon/evening: Check in at Hotel AKA Washington Circle (1 Washington Circle NW, Washington, DC 20037)

Please use your free time on this day to go out and explore DC! Enjoy dinner at one of the many restaurants nearby or use Metro to check out different parts of the city. GW is just under a mile away from the Lincoln Memorial and the National Mall directly down 23rd Street NW or Virginia Avenue NW and the White House is located about 3 blocks east of campus.

Friday, February 27, 2026

Free evening to explore DC!

LOGISTICS INFORMATION

Hotel: Hotel AKA Washington Circle
1 Washington Circle NW, Washington, DC 20037
(202) 591-1500

Checking In:
All out-of-town admitted students will have reservations for up to two nights at Hotel AKA starting Thursday, February 26, 2026 and concluding on Saturday, February 28, 2026. 

Checking Out: 
All students will need to check out of the hotel by 11:00 a.m. on Saturday morning. If you are departing on Friday evening, you may leave any personal belongings in your hotel room until you are ready to depart Friday evening and check out at that time. If you need to store any personal belongings on Friday afternoon, you may store them in the Office of Graduate Admissions & Student Services office, but all items must be picked up no later than 4:00 p.m.

Science & Engineering Hall (SEH)
800 22nd Street, NW, Washington, DC 20052

The Office of Graduate Admissions & Student Services is located on the 2nd floor of the SEH. Please note that access to the SEH is restricted to GW students, staff, and faculty. If you need help entering the building at any point, please call a member of our staff. Space will be available in our office if you need to store any items during the tours or during lunch, but you may keep items in your hotel room until ready to depart, even if you are departing Friday evening.

ARRIVAL INFORMATION

Arrival on Thursday, February 26:

VIA AIR: For those students flying into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) or Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), both airports are served by the DC Metro. From DCA, take the Blue Line toward Downtown Largo or New Carrollton to Foggy Bottom-GWU. From IAD, take the Silver Line toward Downtown Largo to Foggy Bottom-GWU. The hotel is a short walk from the Foggy Bottom metro station. The metro ride should be approximately 15-20 minutes from DCA or 45-50 minutes from IAD. Ride share is also available from both airports.

VIA TRAIN: For those students arriving by train at Union Station, take the Red Line from Union Station toward Shady Grove and transfer to a westbound Orange, Blue, or Silver line (toward Vienna, Franconia-Springfield, Huntington, or Ashburn respectively) at Metro Center and exit at Foggy Bottom-GWU. Ride-share is also available from Union Station.

SmarTrip® cards are available for purchase in all metro stations. Contactless cards may also be used directly at Metro faregates to pay metro fares.

WHAT TO WEAR

For the visit day on Friday, the dress is business casual. We encourage you to wear comfortable shoes, as there will be some walking involved during the tours and to the restaurant where the luncheon will take place. Please also take note of the weather in Washington, DC and plan on bringing a jacket, as temperatures this time of year can be cold!

DEPARTURE INFORMATION

Transportation to Airport or Train Station

TO DCA: Take the Blue Line toward Huntington or Franconia-Springfield from Foggy Bottom to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

TO IAD: Take the Silver Line toward Ashburn from Foggy Bottom to Dulles International Airport.

TO UNION STATION: Take an eastbound train (any line) from Foggy Bottom to Metro Center and transfer to a Red Line train toward Glenmont.

CONTACT INFORMATION OF OGA STAFF

Austin Reading
Associate Director, Graduate Admissions
phone: 202-994-2387
email: amreadinggwu [dot] edu

Brittany Wright 
Executive Director, Graduate Studies & International Programs
email: bgwgwu [dot] edu

If you have any issues with your flights or trains, please contact ALTOUR via the phone number listed on your ticket confirmation for assistance and alert Austin or Brittany.

For any general questions, please email engineeringgwu [dot] edu (engineering[at]gwu[dot]edu).