About • Georgian Court
118 Years of Educating the Whole Person
Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1908, Georgian Court is a small, comprehensive Catholic university where students are known by name, not by number — on a campus most people mistake for a movie set.
1908
founded by the Sisters of Mercy
1,971
total students, Fall 2026
12:1
student-faculty ratio
96%
of full-time faculty hold a doctorate or terminal degree
Our History
Rooted in Mercy, Built for the Whole Person
Founded by the Sisters of Mercy
Established as Mount Saint Mary's College by the Sisters of Mercy of New Jersey, with an inaugural class of seven women.
A Move to the Gould Estate
The college relocates to the former George Jay Gould estate in Lakewood and is renamed Georgian Court.
Coeducation Begins
Georgian Court admits male students for the first time after more than a century as a women's college.
University Status
The New Jersey Commission on Higher Education grants university status; the school becomes Georgian Court University.
Full Coeducation
Coeducation is completed across every academic program, undergraduate and graduate alike.
A Comprehensive Catholic University
1,971 students across two schools, sponsored since 2007 by the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas.
Mission & Values
What We're Here to Do
Georgian Court University, founded by the Sisters of Mercy of New Jersey in 1908 and sponsored by the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas since January 2007, provides a comprehensive liberal arts education in the Roman Catholic tradition. The university has a special concern for women and is a dynamic community committed to the core values of justice, respect, integrity, service, and compassion, locally and globally.
Justice
Advocating for structures that protect the vulnerable.
Respect
We reverence the dignity of all persons and all life.
Integrity
Fidelity to moral principles, honesty, and sincerity in every encounter.
Service
Translating concern for social justice into action.
Compassion
Meeting suffering with mercy, not judgment.
By the numbers
A snapshot of Fall 2026
Who we are
1,557
undergraduate students
414
graduate students
79%
of freshmen are New Jersey residents
32%
of freshmen are first-generation college students
Investing in Students
100%
of full-time freshmen receive financial aid
$34,582
average freshman financial aid award
46%
freshman tuition discount rate
$36M
in financial aid awarded to full-time undergraduates annually
Outcomes
89%
first-semester freshman retention (4-yr avg)
57%
six-year graduation rate (4-yr avg)
464
degrees and certificates awarded
401
faculty, administrators, and staff
Source: 2025–2026 Fact Book
Academics
Two Schools. One Community.
School of Business, Education, Liberal Arts, & Sciences
Spanning the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, business, education, and the arts.
Hackensack Meridian Health School of Nursing & Wellness
Home to GCU's nationally respected health programs, in partnership with Hackensack Meridian Health.
Together, these two schools offer 35+ undergraduate degree programs, 20+ graduate degrees, and 15+ certificates and endorsements — taught by a faculty where 96% hold a doctorate or terminal degree.
GCU Athletics
16 Varsity Sports. One Pride.
The GCU Lions compete in NCAA Division II as members of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC).
Women's Sports
Acrobatics & Tumbling, Basketball, Cross Country, Lacrosse, Soccer, Softball, Track & Field, Volleyball
Men's Sports
Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Lacrosse, Soccer, Track & Field
Our Campus
A National Historic Landmark You Get to Call Home
GCU's main campus sits on the former George Jay Gould estate — 114 acres in Lakewood, NJ, listed as a National Historic Landmark. Between the Sister Mary Grace Burns Arboretum, the Casino Building’s original ballroom, tennis court, and bowling alley, and the Mansion at the heart of it all, this isn’t a campus that looks like every other campus.
- 21 buildings, 575,924 gross square feet
- 501-bed residential capacity across four residence halls
- Minutes from the Jersey Shore, about 60 miles from both Philadelphia and New York City
Our Campus
The Best Way to Understand Georgian Court Is to Walk It
Come see the campus, meet your future professors, and picture yourself here.
