George Mason University (GMU) vs Cal State Fullerton

George Mason University (GMU) and California State University-Fullerton (CSUF) are two distinct universities with unique offerings. GMU, located in Fairfax, Virginia, boasts a higher acceptance rate (73%) compared to CSUF's 42%. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with GMU excelling in fields like engineering, business, and computer science, while CSUF shines in areas such as business, communications, and health professions. GMU's student body is more diverse, with a higher percentage of international students, while CSUF has a slightly higher graduation rate (63% vs. 61%). Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more distinctions between these two esteemed institutions and make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	California State University-Fullerton	George Mason University
Overview
Location	Fullerton, California	Fairfax, Virginia
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	87.0%	84.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	59.4%	91.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $75
SAT range	N/A	1140 - 1350
ACT range	N/A	25 - 30
Students submitting SAT score		37.0%
Students submitting ACT score		3.0%
Total number of applicants	45,140	20,527
Total number of admissions given out	26,827	18,741
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,219	3,986
Yield rate	15.7%	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	In state: $30,282 Out of state: $42,162	In state: $35,263 Out of state: $58,723
Average net price	$4,939	$18,841
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	In state: $9,510 Out of state: $32,970
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $12,918 Meal plan: $4,374	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)	74.0% Average amount $9,215	70.0% Average amount $10,110
Students receiving federal student loan	17.0% Average amount $4,700	43.0% Average amount $5,006
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $11,380	6.0% Average amount $18,474

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	35,600 Men 41.2% Women 58.8%	26,882 Men 50.4% Women 49.6%
Graduate students	5,138 Men 36.8% Women 63.2%	11,746 Men 40.7% Women 59.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	0.9%	18.9%
International students	4.9%	8.0%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,045	6,513
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Texas Hawaii Illinois Arizona	Virginia Maryland District of Columbia Pennsylvania New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Education Engineering Business	Education Health Professions Business Computer and Information Science Engineering
Students to faculty ratio	25:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	71.5%	70.1%
Dropout rate	21.3%	9.6%
Transferred out	1.8%	16.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $145,938 Year 2: $157,680 Year 3: $165,916 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $138,162 Year 2: $114,595 Year 3: $130,592 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $113,642 Year 2: $110,241 Year 3: $114,173 Computer Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $88,293 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $97,266 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $86,611 Year 2: $86,042 Year 3: $94,651 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,934 Year 2: $80,779 Year 3: $90,936 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,382 Year 2: $78,971 Year 3: $89,837 Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,840 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $81,048 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,980 Year 2: $76,325 Year 3: $79,512 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,145 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $78,803	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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