George Mason University (GMU) vs San Diego State University (SDSU)

George Mason University (GMU) and San Diego State University (SDSU) stand as two distinct academic institutions, each offering unique opportunities and experiences to their students. GMU, located in Fairfax, Virginia, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on research, while SDSU, situated in San Diego, California, is known for its vibrant campus life and its commitment to sustainability. With acceptance rates of 73% and 32%, respectively, these universities cater to different levels of academic competitiveness. While GMU excels in majors like computer science and engineering, SDSU shines in fields such as business and health sciences. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these universities, including their graduation rates, student demographics, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	George Mason University	San Diego State University
Overview
Location	Fairfax, Virginia	San Diego, California
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: 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	84.0%	90.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.3%	37.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70
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	67,660
Total number of admissions given out	18,741	25,646
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,986	5,269
Yield rate	21.3%	20.5%
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: $28,256 Out of state: $40,136
Average net price	$18,841	$6,867
Tuition	In state: $9,510 Out of state: $32,970	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,620 Meal plan: $5,010	Room/dormitory: $12,824 Meal plan: $6,344
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	70.0% Average amount $10,110	47.0% Average amount $9,026
Students receiving federal student loan	43.0% Average amount $5,006	18.0% Average amount $5,015
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $18,474	2.0% Average amount $21,638

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	26,882 Men 50.4% Women 49.6%	31,321 Men 43.1% Women 56.9%
Graduate students	11,746 Men 40.7% Women 59.3%	5,163 Men 35.9% Women 64.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	18.9%	24.2%
International students	8.0%	5.5%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	6,513	6,514
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	California Washington Colorado Texas New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Computer and Information Science Engineering	Health Professions Engineering Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	26:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	70.1%	76.2%
Dropout rate	9.6%	20.5%
Transferred out	16.5%	1.4%
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	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $84,200 Year 2: $68,499 Year 3: $87,104 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $89,225 Year 2: $87,377 Year 3: $85,451 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,870 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $80,004 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,965 Year 2: $65,089 Year 3: $79,350 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,385 Year 2: $69,757 Year 3: $78,880 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,997 Year 2: $66,318 Year 3: $76,755 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $74,008 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: $75,680 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,000 Year 2: $70,456 Year 3: $75,014 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,495 Year 2: $62,317 Year 3: $73,021 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,099 Year 2: $67,995 Year 3: $72,884

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George Mason University (GMU) vs San Diego State University (SDSU)

George Mason University

San Diego State University

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Outcome

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