George Mason University (GMU) vs Walden

When it comes to higher education, George Mason University and Walden University stand out as two distinct institutions with unique offerings. George Mason, a public research university located in Fairfax, Virginia, boasts a diverse student body and a wide range of academic programs, while Walden, an online university based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, specializes in flexible, online learning. With acceptance rates of 73% and 100% respectively, these universities cater to different admission criteria. While George Mason's popular majors include business, engineering, and social sciences, Walden's focus on health sciences, psychology, and education attracts a large population of working professionals seeking career advancement. Explore the comparison table below to delve into further details about these universities, including student demographics, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your decision in choosing the best fit for your academic journey.

	George Mason University	Walden University
Overview
Location	Fairfax, Virginia	Minneapolis, Minnesota
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (For Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	25.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.3%	Open Admission
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $75
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
Total number of admissions given out	18,741
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,986
Yield rate	21.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	Not required
High school GPA	Required	N/A
Recommendation letters	Not required	N/A
High school transcript	Not required	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $35,263 Out of state: $58,723	$24,240
Average net price	$18,841	$18,772
Tuition	In state: $9,510 Out of state: $32,970	$11,700
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,620 Meal plan: $5,010
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	70.0% Average amount $10,110	100.0% Average amount $5,468
Students receiving federal student loan	43.0% Average amount $5,006
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $18,474

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	26,882 Men 50.4% Women 49.6%	7,119 Men 16.1% Women 83.9%
Graduate students	11,746 Men 40.7% Women 59.3%	39,336 Men 18.6% Women 81.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	18.9%	N/A
International students	8.0%	1.6%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	6,513	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Virginia Maryland District of Columbia Pennsylvania New York	North Carolina Maryland Texas Georgia Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Computer and Information Science Engineering	Health Professions Education Public Administration and Social Service Business Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	70.1%	N/A
Dropout rate	9.6%	N/A
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $114,492 Year 2: $108,649 Year 3: $123,708 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,694 Year 2: $94,227 Year 3: $98,267 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $76,573 Year 2: $88,588 Year 3: $91,407 Public Administration (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $77,767 Year 2: $90,412 Year 3: $83,405 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,141 Year 2: $77,487 Year 3: $81,477 Education, General (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $71,994 Year 2: $80,219 Year 3: $80,275 Public Health (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $75,638 Year 2: $72,546 Year 3: $71,950 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,766 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $69,892 Management Information Systems and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,969 Year 2: $67,660 Year 3: $69,365 Medical Illustration and Informatics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,492 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $68,414

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

George Mason University (GMU) vs Walden

George Mason University

Walden University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

Compare Similar Colleges

Find Colleges By State

Resources

About