George Mason University (GMU) vs University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)

George Mason University (GMU) and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) are two distinct academic institutions with unique offerings and characteristics. GMU, located in Fairfax, Virginia, is known for its strong programs in public policy, engineering, and business, while UIUC, situated in Urbana, Illinois, excels in engineering, computer science, and agriculture. With acceptance rates of 73% and 63%, respectively, both universities offer a competitive admissions process. GMU's student body is more diverse, with 43% of undergraduates identifying as non-white compared to UIUC's 28%. In terms of graduation rates, GMU has a slightly higher rate at 79% compared to UIUC's 77%. To help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these aspects and more, providing valuable insights into the distinct features of each university.

	George Mason University	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Overview
Location	Fairfax, Virginia	Champaign, Illinois
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
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%	93.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.3%	59.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $70
SAT range	1140 - 1350	1320 - 1510
ACT range	25 - 30	29 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	37.0%	43.0%
Students submitting ACT score	3.0%	24.0%
Total number of applicants	20,527	47,593
Total number of admissions given out	18,741	28,395
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,986	8,297
Yield rate	21.3%	29.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not 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	In state: $31,636 Out of state: $49,086
Average net price	$18,841	$14,272
Tuition	In state: $9,510 Out of state: $32,970	In state: $12,254 Out of state: $29,704
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,620 Meal plan: $5,010	$12,494
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	70.0% Average amount $10,110	82.0% Average amount $11,212
Students receiving federal student loan	43.0% Average amount $5,006	33.0% Average amount $4,889
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $18,474	8.0% Average amount $7,014

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	26,882 Men 50.4% Women 49.6%	34,779 Men 54.1% Women 45.9%
Graduate students	11,746 Men 40.7% Women 59.3%	21,828 Men 55.8% Women 44.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	18.9%	19.1%
International students	8.0%	20.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	6,513	16,111
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Virginia Maryland District of Columbia Pennsylvania New York	Illinois California New Jersey Texas New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Computer and Information Science Engineering	Engineering Business Computer and Information Science Agriculture Education
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	21:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	70.1%	84.9%
Dropout rate	9.6%	14.2%
Transferred out	16.5%	N/A
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	Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $144,200 Year 2: $138,932 Year 3: $205,343 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $101,262 Year 2: $101,592 Year 3: $118,452 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $96,177 Year 2: $95,930 Year 3: $115,158 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $88,455 Year 2: $84,100 Year 3: $103,246 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $87,923 Year 2: $93,033 Year 3: $99,026 Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $96,057 Year 2: $99,404 Year 3: $96,431 Veterinary Medicine (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $83,448 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $93,057 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $87,643 Year 2: $87,604 Year 3: $92,498 Law (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $67,633 Year 2: $74,200 Year 3: $92,189 Engineering Physics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,606 Year 2: $74,845 Year 3: $90,556

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