George Washington University is the largest private co-educational institution in Washington, D.C. It was chartered as Columbian College by President James Monroe and Congress in 1821. It is an urban facility, without a separate campus, in the Foggy Bottom area of Washington. It is a member of the Metropolitan Washington Consortium of Universities.
The university has a wide range of majors, and also a number of policy research institutes dealing with national and international issues, such as the National Security Archive and Campaign Finance Institute, George Washington University Medical Center includes a large hospital and medical school, and is a Class I trauma center known for caring for President Ronald Reagan after he was shot in an assassination attempt.