George Mason University (GMU) vs Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU)

George Mason University and Middle Tennessee State University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. George Mason, located in Fairfax, Virginia, boasts a higher acceptance rate, attracting a diverse student body from various backgrounds. Its academic strengths lie in engineering, business, and computer science, while Middle Tennessee State University, nestled in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, excels in music, education, and nursing. With a lower acceptance rate, MTSU fosters a close-knit community, providing personalized attention to its students. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these universities' unique offerings, including graduation rates, tuition fees, and campus life, to make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	George Mason University	Middle Tennessee State University
Overview
Location	Fairfax, Virginia	Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
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	84.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.3%	68.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $35
SAT range	1140 - 1350	1010 - 1210
ACT range	25 - 30	19 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	37.0%	7.0%
Students submitting ACT score	3.0%	92.0%
Total number of applicants	20,527	11,244
Total number of admissions given out	18,741	7,691
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,986	2,752
Yield rate	21.3%	35.8%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $35,263 Out of state: $58,723	In state: $24,554 Out of state: $43,586
Average net price	$18,841	$12,617
Tuition	In state: $9,510 Out of state: $32,970	In state: $7,344 Out of state: $26,376
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,620 Meal plan: $5,010	$9,576
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	70.0% Average amount $10,110	97.0% Average amount $8,747
Students receiving federal student loan	43.0% Average amount $5,006	36.0% Average amount $4,835
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $18,474	3.0% Average amount $12,638

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	26,882 Men 50.4% Women 49.6%	18,603 Men 45.2% Women 54.8%
Graduate students	11,746 Men 40.7% Women 59.3%	2,965 Men 36.1% Women 63.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	18.9%	N/A
International students	8.0%	2.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	6,513	2,518
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	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Computer and Information Science Engineering	Business Visual & Performing Arts Multidisciplinary Studies Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	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	70.1%	53.7%
Dropout rate	9.6%	14.7%
Transferred out	16.5%	28.5%
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $88,408 Year 2: $85,760 Year 3: $90,571 Psychology, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,120 Year 2: $59,485 Year 3: $88,221 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,903 Year 2: $66,104 Year 3: $78,609 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,709 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $72,118 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,220 Year 2: $66,541 Year 3: $69,654 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $57,896 Year 2: $57,860 Year 3: $67,093 Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,963 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $66,752 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,662 Year 2: $54,192 Year 3: $66,144 Engineering-Related Fields (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,628 Year 2: $58,943 Year 3: $61,839 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,209 Year 2: $55,061 Year 3: $58,677

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