Longwood University vs George Mason University (GMU)

Longwood University and George Mason University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in Virginia, offer distinct educational experiences. Longwood, nestled in the historic town of Farmville, boasts a tight-knit community with a focus on liberal arts and sciences. George Mason, located in the vibrant city of Fairfax, is renowned for its research opportunities and diverse academic programs. With varying acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation outcomes, these universities cater to different aspirations and learning styles. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	George Mason University	Longwood University
Overview
Location	Fairfax, Virginia	Farmville, Virginia
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Remote
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%	73.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.3%	90.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $40
SAT range	1140 - 1350	1030 - 1170
ACT range	25 - 30	16 - 24
Students submitting SAT score	37.0%	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	3.0%	1.0%
Total number of applicants	20,527	5,977
Total number of admissions given out	18,741	5,378
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,986	718
Yield rate	21.3%	13.4%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $35,263 Out of state: $58,723	In state: $32,318 Out of state: $43,714
Average net price	$18,841	$21,166
Tuition	In state: $9,510 Out of state: $32,970	In state: $8,670 Out of state: $20,250
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,620 Meal plan: $5,010	Room/dormitory: $8,194 Meal plan: $5,100
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	70.0% Average amount $10,110	95.0% Average amount $8,406
Students receiving federal student loan	43.0% Average amount $5,006	55.0% Average amount $5,394
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $18,474	8.0% Average amount $14,063

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	26,882 Men 50.4% Women 49.6%	3,486 Men 30.6% Women 69.4%
Graduate students	11,746 Men 40.7% Women 59.3%	1,126 Men 30.2% Women 69.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	18.9%	5.8%
International students	8.0%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	6,513	2,273
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	Virginia North Carolina Maryland Pennsylvania California

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Computer and Information Science Engineering	Education Business Liberal Arts Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	13:1
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%	65.2%
Dropout rate	9.6%	10.4%
Transferred out	16.5%	24.1%
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 (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $59,350 Year 3: $61,306 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,436 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $58,712 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $45,417 Year 3: $51,451 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $43,030 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $47,090 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $45,902 Year 3: $45,544 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $34,633 Year 3: $42,180 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $41,119 Year 3: $41,437 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,668 Year 3: $41,202 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $34,321 Year 3: $41,181 Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $38,094

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.