Centenary University vs George Mason University (GMU)

Centenary University and George Mason University, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Centenary, a private university in Hackettstown, New Jersey, boasts a close-knit community with a focus on personalized attention and a liberal arts curriculum. In contrast, George Mason, a public research university in Fairfax, Virginia, is known for its diverse student body, extensive research opportunities, and strong programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). While both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, they differ in their acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Centenary University	George Mason University
Overview
Location	Hackettstown, New Jersey	Fairfax, Virginia
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	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	75.0%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	97.6%	91.3%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $75
SAT range	990 - 1170	1140 - 1350
ACT range	15 - 22	25 - 30
Students submitting SAT score	6.0%	37.0%
Students submitting ACT score	1.0%	3.0%
Total number of applicants	1,346	20,527
Total number of admissions given out	1,314	18,741
Admitted students who chose to enroll	235	3,986
Yield rate	17.9%	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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$52,092	In state: $35,263 Out of state: $58,723
Average net price	$24,476	$18,841
Tuition	$33,550	In state: $9,510 Out of state: $32,970
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,028 Meal plan: $4,284	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 $24,470	70.0% Average amount $10,110
Students receiving federal student loan	88.0% Average amount $3,369	43.0% Average amount $5,006
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $14,405	6.0% Average amount $18,474

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,128 Men 36.3% Women 63.7%	26,882 Men 50.4% Women 49.6%
Graduate students	423 Men 24.6% Women 75.4%	11,746 Men 40.7% Women 59.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	17.5%	18.9%
International students	0.4%	8.0%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	722	6,513
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New Jersey Pennsylvania New York Maryland Connecticut	Virginia Maryland District of Columbia Pennsylvania New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Visual & Performing Arts Agriculture Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Education Health Professions Business Computer and Information Science Engineering
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	68.4%	70.1%
Dropout rate	28.4%	9.6%
Transferred out	N/A	16.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $83,319 Year 2: $79,755 Year 3: $88,021 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $72,341 Year 2: $69,593 Year 3: $63,399 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,895 Year 2: $42,979 Year 3: $50,051 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,952 Year 2: $50,375 Year 3: $48,252 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,600 Year 3: $44,457 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,867 Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: $42,279 Agricultural Production Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $36,561 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,145 Year 2: $24,730 Year 3: $33,877 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,324 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: N/A	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

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Centenary University vs George Mason University (GMU)

Centenary University

George Mason University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

Compare Similar Colleges

Find Colleges By State

Resources

About