George Mason University Overview
George Mason University is a public institution situated in Fairfax, Virginia. The suburban atmosphere of Fairfax makes it a great place for students who want the amenities of city life without actually living in the middle of a constant hustle and bustle.
What Is George Mason University Known For?
- The student loan default rate at GMU is 3%, which is significantly lower than the national rate of 10.1%. That's great news for students who are worrying about paying off their student loans.
- Although it may not be available for every major, the doctor's degree is the highest award a student can attain at GMU.
- For the 2017-2018 academic year, 52% of the faculty were full-time.
- After graduation, GMU bachelor's degree recipients go on to jobs where they make $59,900 a year. That's about 47% more than their peers at other schools.
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George Mason University Rankings
According to our 2022 analysis, GMU is ranked #308 out of 2,587 schools in the nation that were analyzed for overall quality. This puts it in the top 15% of all schools in the nation. Out of the 73 colleges in Virginia, it is ranked at #11.
These rankings may look different from those published by other outlets, because we use an outcomes-based approach rather than a subjective one. We get our data from a number of places, including the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the College Scorecard. For more information, check out our rankings and methodology page.
GMU has also been awarded the following overall awards by our latest rankings.
Rank | Ranking Name | Share |
---|---|---|
#106 | Best Graduate Certificate Schools | Tweet It - Post It |
Program Level Awards
These are highlights of some of the most noteworthy awards granted to specific programs at GMU.
Awards From Around the Web
The following table lists some notable awards GMU has earned from around the web.
Rank | Ranking Name | Source |
---|---|---|
#9 | Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools | College Factual |
#12 | Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools | College Factual |
#18 | Best Special Education Schools | College Factual |
#75 | Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools | College Factual |
#82 | Best Computer Science Schools | Computer Science Degree |
#86 | Best Education Schools | College Factual |
Where Is George Mason University?

Contact details for GMU are given below.
Contact Details | |
---|---|
Address: | 4400 University Dr, Fairfax, VA 22030-4444 |
Phone: | 703-993-1000 |
Facebook: | https://www.facebook.com/georgemason |
Twitter: | https://twitter.com/georgemasonu |
How Do I Get Into GMU?
You can apply to GMU online at: https://www2.gmu.edu/admissions-aid/apply-now
Admission Requirements for GMU
Submission | Required? |
---|---|
High School GPA | required |
High School Rank | considered but not required |
High School Transcript | required |
College Prep Program | required |
Recommendations | considered but not required |
SAT or ACT Scores | considered but not required |
TOEFL | required |
How Hard Is It To Get Into GMU?
Approximately 43% of accepted students are men and 57% are women. The acceptance rate for men is 87%, and the acceptance rate for women is 91%.
Average Test Scores
About 68% of students accepted to GMU submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 560 and 650. Math scores were between 540 and 650.
Can I Afford George Mason University?
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid.
Student Loan Debt
While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At GMU, approximately 47% of students took out student loans averaging $7,950 a year. That adds up to $31,800 over four years for those students.
The student loan default rate at GMU is 2.6%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you'll be able to pay back your student loans.
George Mason University Undergraduate Student Diversity

There are also 11,437 graduate students at the school.
Gender Diversity
Of the 21,603 full-time undergraduates at GMU, 50% are male and 50% are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity
The racial-ethnic breakdown of George Mason University students is as follows.

Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 4,734 |
Black or African American | 2,490 |
Hispanic or Latino | 3,288 |
White | 7,970 |
International Students | 1,245 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 1,876 |
Geographic Diversity
Virginia students aren't the only ones who study at George Mason University. At this time, 44 states are represented by the student population at the school.
Over 126 countries are represented at GMU. The most popular countries sending students to the school are China, India, and Saudi Arabia.
Online Learning at George Mason University
The following chart shows how the online learning population at GMU has changed over the last few years.

This school is the 4th most popular in Virginia for online learning according to the online graduations recorded by the Department of Education for the academic year 2019-2020.
Online Affordability Rankings of GMU
The following table shows how GMU is ranked for affordability for both in-state and out-of-state students among colleges and universities that are not mostly online.
Major | Tuition for In-State Students | Tuition for Out-of-State Students |
---|---|---|
Biomathematics & Bioinformatics | #1 | #4 |
Microbiological Sciences & Immunology | #4 | #4 |
Peace Studies & Conflict Resolution | #4 | #7 |
Communications Technologies & Support | #4 | #16 |
Other Public Administration | #9 | #12 |
Computer Systems Networking | #16 | #22 |
Systems Engineering | #19 | #22 |
Medical Illustration & Informatics | #31 | #52 |
Accounting | #57 | #127 |
Computer Information Systems | #63 | #109 |
Online Affordability Rankings of GMU Rankings
The following table shows how GMU is ranked for affordability for both in-state and out-of-state students among colleges and universities that are mostly online.
Major | Tuition for In-State Students | Tuition for Out-of-State Students |
---|---|---|
Computer Systems Networking | #1 | #7 |
Peace Studies & Conflict Resolution | #1 | #1 |
Mathematics & Computer Science | #1 | #1 |
Music | #4 | #4 |
Microbiological Sciences & Immunology | #4 | #4 |
Computer Software & Applications | #5 | #5 |
Communications Technologies & Support | #7 | #13 |
Graphic Communications | #7 | #16 |
Economics | #7 | #7 |
Biomathematics & Bioinformatics | #7 | #7 |
Systems Engineering | #12 | #15 |
Engineering | #13 | #22 |
Medical Illustration & Informatics | #14 | #21 |
Other Health Professions | #15 | #18 |
Visual & Performing Arts | #16 | #19 |
Geography & Cartography | #19 | #19 |
Teacher Education Subject Specific | #24 | #30 |
Social Sciences | #28 | #46 |
Social Work | #31 | #35 |
Public Administration & Social Service | #52 | #129 |
Public Health | #55 | #76 |
Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies | #55 | #68 |
Special Education | #59 | #94 |
Curriculum & Instruction | #72 | #96 |
Accounting | #73 | #166 |
Online Growth Rankings of GMU
The average growth rate over the last four years of online students at George Mason University was 254.6%. This is the #241 largest growth rate of all schools that are mostly online. This refers to all students at GMU regardless of major.
The following table shows the 1-year growth rate of GMU majors that offer at least one online course. This table only includes majors with positive growth.
The table below shows how the average growth rate over 4 years at GMU ranks compared to all other mostly online schools that offer a specific major. Note that the majors may or may not be offered online at GMU.
When we speak of partially online, we are referring to schools whose online population is less than 50% of its total student body. Mostly online refers to those with online populations greater than or equal to 50%.
George Mason University Undergraduate Concentrations
The table below shows the number of awards for each concentration.
References
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
- College Factual
- National Center for Education Statistics
- Image Credit: By Lucien Dalarun under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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