Public · University
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia · Large suburb
- 87.5%
- Admit rate
- $17,915
- Avg net price
- 68%
- Graduation rate
- $76,343
- Median earnings
George Mason University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Fairfax, Virginia (large suburb setting), enrolling 27,752 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against George Mason University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 87.5%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1160–1360
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.56
Enter a test score to see where you land against George Mason University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and George Mason University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Fairfax, Virginia
Fairfax is an independent city in Virginia and the county seat of Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. In the 18th century, Lord Fairfax held the Northern Neck Proprietary, a vast land grant of more than five million acres between the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers. The former Fairfax County Courthouse is the oldest historic building in Fairfax. The first Fairfax courthouse was established in 1742 near present-day Tysons, and is the namesake for Old Courthouse Road. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 15 miles to Washington, DC
- To the ocean
- 12 miles
- Nearest airport
- 11 miles to Washington Dulles (IAD) · major hub
How George Mason University compares
More selective than 30% · #26 most selective of 43 in Virginia
Higher than 75%
Higher than 74% · #12 of 49 in Virginia
Higher than 79%
Higher than 89% · #8 of 51 in Virginia
Cheaper than 60% · #12 cheapest of 47 in Virginia
Lower than 78%
Lower than 28%
Larger than 97%
Percentiles compare George Mason University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Virginia.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate27,75271%
- Graduate11,43229%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women15,46356%
- Men12,28944%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White32%
- Black13%
- Hispanic18%
- Asian23%
- Other or multiracial14%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 27,752
- Graduate enrollment
- 11,432
- Student–faculty ratio
- 16 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 30%
- First-generation students
- 30%
- Students over 25
- 17%
- Median family income
- $44,254
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $130,374
- Endowment
- $206,791,506
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 4,450 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Virginia77%
- Other U.S. states20%
- International3.3%
Most first-years stay in state — George Mason University draws overwhelmingly from Virginia.
3% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 87.5%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1160–1360
- SAT average
- 1274
- SAT reading
- 580–680
- SAT math
- 580–680
- ACT composite
- 25–30
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.56
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $14,220
- Out-of-state tuition
- $38,688
- Room & board
- $15,725
- Books & supplies
- $1,288
- Total cost of attendance
- $28,604
- Average net price
- $17,915
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 68%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 46%
- First-year retention
- 86%
- Transferred to another college
- 17%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $60,536
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $76,343
- Median debt at graduation
- $19,500
- Students with federal loans
- 31%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 68%
About 21% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 6,251
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 23%
- Housing charge (year)
- $7,970
- Meal plan (year)
- $5,550
- Application fee
- $70
- Athletics
- NCAA Division I without football
- Varsity athletes
- 646 (324 men · 322 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (12)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.9 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 64
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 40
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 6 campuses (39,766 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$15,224/year × about 4.5 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Modest institutional aid: 59% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $7,603. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 4,007 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $76,343
- Typical debt at graduation
- $19,500
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 26%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 75%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $15,772 (22%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 84°F
- Winter low
- 23°F
- Annual rain
- 43.6″
- Annual snow
- 18.5″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Vienna, VA US station (4.3 mi from campus).
What George Mason University graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to George Mason University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare George Mason University side by side →
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah · Midsize city · 2 mi to Salt Lake City
- Students
- 27,264
- Admission
- 86%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1257
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $67k
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan · Small city · 4 mi to Lansing
- Students
- 40,922
- Admission
- 85%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1269
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $67k
University at Buffalo
Buffalo, New York · Large suburb · 9 mi to Buffalo
- Students
- 20,112
- Admission
- 74%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- 1295
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $71k
Oregon State University
Corvallis, Oregon · Small city · 37 mi to Eugene
- Students
- 30,743
- Admission
- 77%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1290
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $64k
University of Massachusetts-Lowell
Lowell, Massachusetts · Large suburb · 24 mi to Boston
- Students
- 11,434
- Admission
- 83%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1285
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $65k
University of Missouri-Columbia
Columbia, Missouri · Midsize city · 1 mi to Columbia
- Students
- 23,929
- Admission
- 78%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1247
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $63k
Colleges near George Mason University
Northern Virginia Community College
Annandale, VA · Public · Associate · 33,048 students
Arizona College of Nursing-Falls Church
Falls Church, VA · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 348 students
The Esthetic Institute
Vienna, VA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 66 students
Virginia University of Integrative Medicine
Vienna, VA · Private nonprofit · Graduate
University of the Potomac-VA Campus
FALLS CHURCH, VA · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 157 students
Chamberlain University-Virginia
Vienna, VA · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 557 students
Columbia College
Vienna, VA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 151 students
Standard Healthcare Services-College of Nursing
Falls Church, VA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 730 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.













