Bridgewater College vs George Mason University (GMU)

Bridgewater College and George Mason University, two distinct institutions of higher learning in Virginia, offer unique educational experiences for prospective students. Bridgewater College, a private liberal arts college, boasts a tight-knit community with a focus on undergraduate education, while George Mason University, a public research university, offers a wider range of academic programs and opportunities for graduate studies. With different acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates, these universities cater to diverse student populations and aspirations. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which institution aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences, ensuring an informed decision for your higher education journey.

	Bridgewater College	George Mason University
Overview
Location	Bridgewater, Virginia	Fairfax, Virginia
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	68.0%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Anabaptists

Admission
Acceptance rate	75.1%	91.3%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1065 - 1250	1140 - 1350
ACT range	22 - 28	25 - 30
Students submitting SAT score	17.0%	37.0%
Students submitting ACT score	3.0%	3.0%
Total number of applicants	3,388	20,527
Total number of admissions given out	2,544	18,741
Admitted students who chose to enroll	398	3,986
Yield rate	15.6%	21.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$52,750	In state: $35,263 Out of state: $58,723
Average net price	$19,592	$18,841
Tuition	$37,500	In state: $9,510 Out of state: $32,970
Room & board	$13,360	Room/dormitory: $7,620 Meal plan: $5,010
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $32,545	70.0% Average amount $10,110
Students receiving federal student loan	66.0% Average amount $5,510	43.0% Average amount $5,006
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $14,207	6.0% Average amount $18,474

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,427 Men 46.3% Women 53.7%	26,882 Men 50.4% Women 49.6%
Graduate students	36 Men 36.1% Women 63.9%	11,746 Men 40.7% Women 59.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	18.9%
International students	1.8%	8.0%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,380	6,513
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Virginia Maryland District of Columbia Pennsylvania New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences Psychology Communication and Journalism Liberal Arts	Education Health Professions Business Computer and Information Science Engineering
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.1%	70.1%
Dropout rate	37.7%	9.6%
Transferred out	N/A	16.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,588 Year 2: $38,559 Year 3: $45,603 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,293 Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $42,550 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,003 Year 2: $31,042 Year 3: $40,629 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,642 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $40,434 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,400 Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $40,402 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $36,416 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,542 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $35,072 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,753 Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: $34,515 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,038 Year 2: $32,467 Year 3: $33,797 Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $23,649 Year 3: $26,916	Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $96,837 Year 2: $109,763 Year 3: $127,586 Homeland Security (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,476 Year 2: $127,993 Year 3: $120,573 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,886 Year 2: $99,709 Year 3: $117,377 Computer Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $112,424 Year 2: $101,072 Year 3: $115,693 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $98,841 Year 2: $105,585 Year 3: $113,896 Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $121,226 Year 2: $92,632 Year 3: $105,664 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $101,843 Year 2: $100,690 Year 3: $101,702 Medical Illustration and Informatics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,386 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $101,604 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,911 Year 2: $91,448 Year 3: $99,722 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,065 Year 2: $92,277 Year 3: $94,785

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Bridgewater College vs George Mason University (GMU)

Bridgewater College

George Mason University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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