Pace University vs George Mason University (GMU)

Pace University and George Mason University, both located in vibrant metropolitan areas, offer distinct educational experiences. Pace, with its campuses in New York City and Westchester County, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on business and professional studies. George Mason, situated in Fairfax, Virginia, is known for its research opportunities, strong engineering and computer science programs, and a large international student population. While both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	George Mason University	Pace University
Overview
Location	Fairfax, Virginia	New York, New York
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.3%	87.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $70
SAT range	1140 - 1350	1120 - 1310
ACT range	25 - 30	23 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	37.0%	20.0%
Students submitting ACT score	3.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	20,527	24,795
Total number of admissions given out	18,741	21,726
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,986	2,203
Yield rate	21.3%	10.1%
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	$73,810
Average net price	$18,841	$30,632
Tuition	In state: $9,510 Out of state: $32,970	$46,978
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,620 Meal plan: $5,010	$19,682
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	70.0% Average amount $10,110	98.0% Average amount $32,068
Students receiving federal student loan	43.0% Average amount $5,006	55.0% Average amount $5,670
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $18,474	8.0% Average amount $23,331

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	26,882 Men 50.4% Women 49.6%	8,260 Men 34.3% Women 65.7%
Graduate students	11,746 Men 40.7% Women 59.3%	5,219 Men 34.9% Women 65.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	18.9%	N/A
International students	8.0%	12.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	6,513	3,558
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 Computer and Information Science Communication and Journalism Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	70.1%	59.1%
Dropout rate	9.6%	13.5%
Transferred out	16.5%	26.8%
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: N/A Year 2: $124,271 Year 3: $152,201 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $117,088 Year 2: $113,139 Year 3: $118,654 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $118,294 Year 2: $107,614 Year 3: $117,301 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,760 Year 2: $88,639 Year 3: $99,483 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $93,622 Year 2: $90,727 Year 3: $95,275 Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,358 Year 2: $74,200 Year 3: $87,407 Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $74,698 Year 2: $77,536 Year 3: $86,310 Computer Software and Media Applications (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,512 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $86,085 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,963 Year 2: $72,828 Year 3: $82,231 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,452 Year 2: $67,593 Year 3: $79,100

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