George Mason University (GMU) vs Liberty University

When it comes to higher education, George Mason University and Liberty University stand out as two distinct institutions with unique offerings. George Mason, a public research university, boasts a diverse student body and a wide range of academic programs, while Liberty, a private Christian university, emphasizes faith-based education and offers a strong foundation in the liberal arts. With acceptance rates of 73% and 58%, respectively, both universities provide accessible pathways to higher education. Explore the comparison table to delve into further details, including popular majors, student demographics, graduation rates, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	George Mason University	Liberty University
Overview
Location	Fairfax, Virginia	Lynchburg, Virginia
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	79.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation		Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.3%	99.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1140 - 1350	N/A
ACT range	25 - 30	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	37.0%
Students submitting ACT score	3.0%
Total number of applicants	20,527	28,448
Total number of admissions given out	18,741	28,244
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,986	5,461
Yield rate	21.3%	19.3%
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	In state: $35,263 Out of state: $58,723	$42,620
Average net price	$18,841	$27,891
Tuition	In state: $9,510 Out of state: $32,970	$21,663
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,620 Meal plan: $5,010	Room/dormitory: $6,150 Meal plan: $4,560
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	70.0% Average amount $10,110	89.0% Average amount $12,431
Students receiving federal student loan	43.0% Average amount $5,006	52.0% Average amount $5,619
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $18,474	9.0% Average amount $17,351

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	26,882 Men 50.4% Women 49.6%	47,696 Men 43.0% Women 57.0%
Graduate students	11,746 Men 40.7% Women 59.3%	47,013 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	18.9%	76.0%
International students	8.0%	0.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	6,513	8,222
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Virginia Maryland District of Columbia Pennsylvania New York	Virginia North Carolina Pennsylvania Texas Florida

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Computer and Information Science Engineering	Education Business Health Professions Psychology Theology
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	70.1%	62.1%
Dropout rate	9.6%	30.2%
Transferred out	16.5%	5.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Intelligence, Command Control and Information Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $84,316 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $91,964 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,385 Year 2: $80,964 Year 3: $87,831 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,657 Year 2: $68,219 Year 3: $77,205 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,410 Year 2: $72,022 Year 3: $73,900 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,556 Year 2: $51,106 Year 3: $65,313 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,731 Year 2: $62,936 Year 3: $64,580 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,576 Year 2: $57,705 Year 3: $62,807 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,423 Year 2: $57,714 Year 3: $62,225 Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $40,885 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $62,169 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $58,240 Year 2: $59,895 Year 3: $61,052

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