D.C. Universities Are Helping Fired Federal Workers Find Their Footing
By • April 14, 2025 One Comment 323
According to the latest data from CNN, over 120,000 federal employees have been fired since President Donald Trump returned to the White House on Jan. 20. In light of these sweeping layoffs, Georgetown University and the George Washington University (GW) are offering a variety of opportunities to help impacted individuals map out their next steps.
President Trump created the Department of Government Efficiency—DOGE, for short—in one of the 26 executive orders he signed on inauguration day. Currently spearheaded by billionaire Elon Musk (though Trump recently informed his Cabinet that Musk will be taking a step back from the organization in the coming months), DOGE aims to “moderniz[e] Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.” In practice, this pursuit of increased productivity has entailed a shocking return to Trump’s days on ‘The Apprentice,’ complete with mass firings across a variety of government entities.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), once 10,000 employees strong, has been all but eradicated. The Department of Education has been cut in half. More than 70,000 employees have been fired from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have experienced significant layoffs as well, with an additional 10,000 firings still to come according to an announcement from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) at the end of March.
On Mar. 17, Georgetown’s Interim President Robert M. Groves sent an email to the Georgetown community which outlined a number of new initiatives designed to help recently fired government employees adjust to this period of rapid federal flux.
“Facing this, deans and program leaders have asked themselves, ‘How should we live Georgetown’s mission at this moment?,’” Groves said. “‘How could we support public servants who have lost their jobs? How can we support our students who face new challenges to being people for others?’ Our university response: we expand opportunities for education.”
Recently fired federal employees are eligible for a 10% tuition reduction towards nearly all of Georgetown’s master’s programs for the 2025-2026 academic year. Georgetown is also waiving their application fees and extending their application deadlines to May 1 for most of their master’s programs. Government workers fired in 2025 are also eligible for a 30% discount towards any professional certifications at Georgetown. Lastly, Graduate Career Center Director Annie Rao will host a free webinar called “From Federal to Private: Tips and Tools to Transition your Resume” from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. ET on Wed., Apr. 23.
“Georgetown’s mission calls upon us to educate women and men to be reflective lifelong learners, to be responsible and active participants in civic life and to live generously in service to others,” Alexander Sens, dean of Georgetown’s Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, told The Georgetowner. “These new programs for current and recent federal employees are designed to meet that call in our present moment.”
GW’s College of Professional Studies (CPS) is also offering a variety of benefits for fired federal workers for the 2025-2026 school year. Most notably, individuals impacted by recent government layoffs are eligible for a 20% tuition discount towards master’s degrees in fields such as Cybersecurity, Political Management, Public Relations, and more.
“This initiative reinforces CPS’s commitment to empowering professionals as they explore new opportunities in the private sector, nonprofit work, and other industries,” GW said on their website.
To learn more about Georgetown and GW’s current offerings, contact federalsupport@georgetown.edu and applycps@gwu.edu, respectively.
Meaningful gesture in these times. It sends the right kind of message to the community.