Mary Baldwin University vs George Mason University (GMU)

Mary Baldwin University and George Mason University, two distinct institutions of higher learning in Virginia, offer unique educational experiences for prospective students. Mary Baldwin, a private liberal arts university, boasts a tight-knit community with a focus on personalized attention and undergraduate research opportunities. In contrast, George Mason, a public research university, is known for its diverse student body, extensive academic programs, and strong connections to the Washington, D.C. area. While both universities offer a range of undergraduate and graduate programs, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	George Mason University	Mary Baldwin University
Overview
Location	Fairfax, Virginia	Staunton, Virginia
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	64.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation		Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.3%	87.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $75	$45
SAT range	1140 - 1350	940 - 1120
ACT range	25 - 30	18 - 24
Students submitting SAT score	37.0%	63.0%
Students submitting ACT score	3.0%	18.0%
Total number of applicants	20,527	7,188
Total number of admissions given out	18,741	6,261
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,986	358
Yield rate	21.3%	5.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A
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	$46,150
Average net price	$18,841	$17,525
Tuition	In state: $9,510 Out of state: $32,970	$30,690
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,620 Meal plan: $5,010	$9,730
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 $25,086
Students receiving federal student loan	43.0% Average amount $5,006	79.0% Average amount $5,597
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $18,474	5.0% Average amount $10,189

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	26,882 Men 50.4% Women 49.6%	1,489 Men 20.9% Women 79.1%
Graduate students	11,746 Men 40.7% Women 59.3%	653 Men 19.0% Women 81.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	18.9%	N/A
International students	8.0%	0.5%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	6,513	790
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	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Computer and Information Science Engineering	Health Professions Business Education Visual & Performing Arts Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	11:1
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%	47.9%
Dropout rate	9.6%	21.3%
Transferred out	16.5%	30.3%
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	Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $44,305 Year 2: $43,739 Year 3: $45,663 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,211 Year 2: $35,274 Year 3: $39,684 Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,555 Year 2: $26,715 Year 3: $36,688 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $33,293 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,446 Year 2: $28,055 Year 3: $32,752 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,055 Year 3: N/A Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,891 Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: N/A Criminology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: N/A Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $34,420 Year 3: N/A

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.

Mary Baldwin University vs George Mason University (GMU)

George Mason University

Mary Baldwin University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

Compare Similar Colleges

Find Colleges By State

Resources

About