Between shopping for cute comforters or stressing about how to choose your first roommate, one of the last things on your mind is probably how you should bank during your time at Georgetown. People sometimes forget to ask, but it’s a small task you can take care of before you worry about the fun stuff!
PNC
Georgetown University is officially partnered with PNC, and there are ATMs all around around campus in the Healey Family Student Center, beneath Village C West, and in the Leavey Center, where a fully operating PNC branch is conveniently located. PNC offers a debit card specifically designed for Georgetown, which is a popular choice among students. The bank also provides convenient services online, such as Virtual Wallet, to help you keep track of and manage your finances while at school. If you’re out and about shopping on M Street, there is a PNC bank on Wisconsin Ave, which gives you super easy access to banking services. PNC is the way to go if you’re looking to set up an account before you arrive on campus. To learn more about the details, you can read a PNC review here.
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Georgetown University Alumni & Student Federal Credit Union (GUASFCU)
Hoyas love their acronyms, and GUASFCU (pronounced “guaf-scu”) is one of them! The credit union is another option among Georgetown students to fulfill their banking needs. There is a fully operational branch located in the Leavey Center, near Vital Vittles and the bookstore, with ATMs scattered throughout campus in the Healey Family Student Center, Hoya Snaxa, and Walsh. GUASFCU is run by students, and it’s another organization you can join on campus if you want to gain some banking and finance experience. Some on campus organizations also open accounts with GUASFCU for convenience purposes.
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Banks in the Georgetown Area
If you don’t feel like switching to PNC or GUASFCU, there are plenty of other banks in the Georgetown area within a 10 to 20 minute walk outside the front gates. M&T Bank, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Capital One, BB&T, SunTrust Bank, TD Bank, and the Bank of Georgetown all have branches in Georgetown. Within the greater DC area, you’ll find you have plenty of other choices as well if you don’t want to change your bank account. If you’re feeling up for a change, read up and compare on the benefits of each bank. Student checking accounts sometimes get different perks!
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Other Banking Options & Venmo
Sticking with the bank you’ve trusted your whole life is also an option in college. Why change what has always worked for you when you don’t need to? Even if there are no local branches nearby, this shouldn’t pose too much of an issue. If you need to withdraw cash, you can always go to other ATM machines, but be wary of the ATM fees that can add up! You can also download and use Venmo, which is a must-have in college. This is a free mobile app that you can choose to connect to your bank account. When you don’t have cash or want to split a bill or expense with a friend who also has Venmo, you can send them money through the app.
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No matter what you choose to use in college, if you stick to a budget and watch your spending, your wallet will thank you!
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