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George Mason University Comprehensive Profile

588 awards Ranking Badges
Fair Price Value for Your Money
88% Acceptance Rate

Get the facts about George Mason University. Learn how it ranks, what majors it offers, how diverse it is, and much more.

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* Rankings

How Does George Mason University Stack Up?

#86 Best Colleges in Nation
#7 Best Colleges in VA
George Mason University ranking badge

2026 College Rankings

College Factual recognizes the best colleges and universities in its annual rankings. These rankings include categories for best overall colleges, best colleges for each major, best value schools, and much more.

George Mason University was awarded 588 badges in the 2026 rankings.

Overall Ranking

According to College Factual’s 2026 analysis, George Mason is ranked #86 out of 3,449 schools in the nation that were analyzed for overall quality. This puts it in the top 5% of all schools in the nation.

Within the state, George Mason holds the #7 spot on the Best Colleges in Virginia ranking.

See all of the rankings for George Mason University.

How Difficult Is Admission to George Mason University?

88% Acceptance Rate
90% Of Accepted Are Women
19% Submit SAT Scores

Getting Accepted

George Mason University has an acceptance rate of 88%, so it is easier to gain admission to this school than some others. Still, the admissions staff will examine your application closely to make sure you’re a good fit for George Mason.

Standardized Test Scores

About 19% of students accepted to George Mason submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 580 and 680. Math scores were between 580 and 680.

SAT Reading and Writing Scores for George Mason University  ( 580 to 680 )
200
800
SAT Math Scores for George Mason University  ( 580 to 680 )
200
800

George Mason received ACT scores from 2% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 25 and 30.

ACT Composite Scores for George Mason University  ( 25 to 30 )
1
36

Learn more about George Mason University admissions.

Teaching Staff at George Mason University

16 to 1 Student to Faculty
53% Full Time Teachers

Student to Faculty Ratio

The student to faculty ratio at George Mason University is about average at 16 to 1. This ratio is often used to gauge how many students might be in an average class and how much time professors will have to spend with their students on an individual level. The national average for this metric is 15 to 1.

Full-Time Faculty Share

In addition to the student to faculty ratio, some people look at what percentage of faculty members are full-time as a sign of how much time professors will be able to spend with their students. This is because part-time teachers may not be on campus as much as their full-time counterparts.

The full-time faculty percentage at George Mason University is 53%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.

Full-Time Faculty Percent  53 out of 100
0
100

Student Success Metrics for George Mason University

87% Freshmen Retention
69% On-Time Graduation Rate

Freshmen Retention Rate

The freshmen retention rate of 87% tells us that most first-year, full-time students like George Mason University enough to come back for another year. This is a fair bit higher than the national average of 68%. That’s certainly something to check off in the good column about the school.

Freshmen Retention Rate  87 out of 100
0
100

Graduation Rate

The on-time graduation rate for someone pursuing a bachelor’s degree is typically four years. This rate at George Mason for first-time, full-time students is 69%, which is better than the national average of 33.3%.

On-Time Graduation Rate  69 out of 100
0
100

Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at George Mason University.

Diversity Profile of George Mason University

27,083 Undergraduate Students
59.4% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
50.0% Percent Women

In the current academic year, there are 27,083 undergraduates at George Mason.

Get more detailed information on the diversity at George Mason University.

How Much Does George Mason University Cost?

$16,772 Net Price
31% Take Out Loans
$26,008 Total Student Loans

The average net price of George Mason is $16,772. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.### Net Price by Income Group for George Mason

$0-30 K $30K-48K $48-75 $75-110K $110K +
$12,197 $13,383 $16,296 $20,394 $25,247

The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of George Mason, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.

Student 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 George Mason, approximately 31% of students took out student loans averaging $6,502 a year. That adds up to $26,008 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 1.3%. 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. Get more details about paying for George Mason University.

How Much Money Do George Mason University Graduates Make?

$76,343 Avg Salary of Grads
High Earnings Boost

The pay for some majors is higher than others, but on average, students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree from George Mason University make about $76,343 a year during their first few years of employment after graduation. That’s great news for George Mason University students since it is 55% more than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year.

See which majors at George Mason University make the most money.

Location of George Mason University

Virginia State
27,083 Undergraduate Students
Suburb Campus Setting

George Mason University is a public institution found in Fairfax, Virginia. Fairfax is a good match for students who enjoy the safety and convenience of the suburbs. Get more details about the location of George Mason University.

Location of George Mason University

Contact information for George Mason University are listed below.

Contact Details
Address: 4400 University Dr, Fairfax, VA 22030-4444
Phone: 7039931000
Website: www2.gmu.edu/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/georgemason
Twitter: twitter.com/georgemasonu

George Mason University Majors

27 Majors With Completions
21,508 Undergraduate Degrees

During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 27 majors graduated from George Mason University. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.

Most Popular Majors Completions Average Salary of Graduates
Multi-Disciplinary Studies 10,754 NA
Computer Information Systems 1,304 $82,455
Business & Commerce 1,005 NA
General Psychology 409 $37,947
Liberal Arts General Studies 390 $34,587
General Biology 374 $33,150
Criminal Justice & Corrections 368 $41,913
Computer Software Applications 346 $97,471
Special Education 313 $58,341
Nursing 297 $73,086

Learn more about the majors offered at George Mason University along with which ones have the highest average starting salaries.

Online Study Options at George Mason

78% Take At Least One Class Online
15% Take All Classes Online

Online learning is becoming popular at even the oldest colleges and universities in the United States. Not only are online classes great for returning adults with busy schedules, they are also frequented by a growing number of traditional students.

21,080 students took at least one online class at George Mason University.

Learn more about online learning at George Mason University.

Comparable CollegesCurious how schools stack up against George Mason? Compare them side by side using College Combat, our free tool for head-to-head college comparisons.

Notes and References

Footnotes

*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.

References

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