George Mason University (GMU) vs University of Massachusetts-Amherst (UMass)

George Mason University and University of Massachusetts-Amherst, both esteemed public research universities, offer distinct educational experiences. George Mason, located in Fairfax, Virginia, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on interdisciplinary studies, while UMass-Amherst, situated in the vibrant college town of Amherst, Massachusetts, excels in the sciences and agriculture. With acceptance rates of 73% and 68%, respectively, both universities welcome a substantial number of applicants. Explore the comparison table to delve into further details, including popular majors, student demographics, graduation rates, and more, to determine which institution best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	George Mason University	University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Overview
Location	Fairfax, Virginia	Amherst, Massachusetts
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	84.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.3%	65.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $85
SAT range	1140 - 1350	1250 - 1460
ACT range	25 - 30	28 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	37.0%	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	3.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	20,527	42,540
Total number of admissions given out	18,741	27,877
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,986	4,872
Yield rate	21.3%	17.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	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: $32,434 Out of state: $52,959
Average net price	$18,841	$17,291
Tuition	In state: $9,510 Out of state: $32,970	In state: $15,791 Out of state: $36,316
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,620 Meal plan: $5,010	Room/dormitory: $7,611 Meal plan: $5,984
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	70.0% Average amount $10,110	86.0% Average amount $10,662
Students receiving federal student loan	43.0% Average amount $5,006	39.0% Average amount $5,123
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $18,474	7.0% Average amount $15,924

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	26,882 Men 50.4% Women 49.6%	24,231 Men 48.8% Women 51.2%
Graduate students	11,746 Men 40.7% Women 59.3%	7,814 Men 47.9% Women 52.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	18.9%	N/A
International students	8.0%	11.1%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	6,513	13,582
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	New York New Jersey Connecticut California New Hampshire

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Computer and Information Science Engineering	Business Engineering Health Professions Multidisciplinary Studies Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	70.1%	83.7%
Dropout rate	9.6%	5.1%
Transferred out	16.5%	10.5%
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	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $112,236 Year 2: $99,741 Year 3: $118,959 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $97,497 Year 2: $97,071 Year 3: $105,578 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $79,216 Year 2: $78,232 Year 3: $95,030 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,683 Year 2: $75,518 Year 3: $94,055 Education, General (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $71,391 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $79,970 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,906 Year 2: $67,202 Year 3: $79,007 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,222 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $76,636 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,607 Year 2: $68,647 Year 3: $74,913 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,719 Year 2: $65,594 Year 3: $74,578 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,571 Year 2: $63,646 Year 3: $73,746

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