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.

PublicLarge · 27,752 undergradsLarge suburbAccessible · 87% admitNCAA Division I without footballCold wintersNear the coast

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
To the ocean
12 miles
Nearest airport
11 miles to Washington Dulles (IAD) · major hub

How George Mason University compares

Selectivity87.5%

More selective than 30% · #26 most selective of 43 in Virginia

SAT average1274

Higher than 75%

Graduation rate68%

Higher than 74% · #12 of 49 in Virginia

First-year retention86%

Higher than 79%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$76,343

Higher than 89% · #8 of 51 in Virginia

Average net price$17,915

Cheaper than 60% · #12 cheapest of 47 in Virginia

Median debt at graduation$19,500

Lower than 78%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 28%

Undergraduate enrollment27,752

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

39,184students
  • Undergraduate27,75271%
  • Graduate11,43229%

Undergraduates by gender

27,752undergrads
  • 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)

All students
46%
Low-income (Pell)
66%
First-generation
66%

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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)264
Soccer64
Swimming and Diving (combined)56
Rowing46
Volleyball42
Baseball40
Basketball30
Wrestling26
Lacrosse25
Softball23
Tennis21
Golf9

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.

35reported offenses a year
21 violent a year13 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
11
Fondling
10
Rape
8.0
Aggravated assault
2.3
Burglary
1.7
Robbery
0.7
Arson
0.3

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.

< $30k
$11,942
$30–48k
$12,093
$48–75k
$15,224
$75–110k
$19,430
$110k+
$25,894

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.

Est. total to a degree
$68,120

$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.

59%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$7,603
average award, among those who get one

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.

Strong value

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.

Women
$70,153
Men
$85,925

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

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.14.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Vienna, VA US station (4.3 mi from campus).

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 →

Colleges near George Mason University

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.