Syracuse University vs George Mason University (GMU)

Syracuse University and George Mason University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Syracuse, a private research university in New York, boasts a lower acceptance rate and a higher graduation rate compared to George Mason, a public research university in Virginia. While both universities offer a diverse range of academic programs, Syracuse is known for its strengths in the arts, humanities, and social sciences, while George Mason excels in engineering, information technology, and business. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further differences, including student body demographics, popular majors, and financial aid opportunities, to determine which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	George Mason University	Syracuse University
Overview
Location	Fairfax, Virginia	Syracuse, New York
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
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%	90.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.3%	59.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1140 - 1350	1220 - 1400
ACT range	25 - 30	27 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	37.0%	25.0%
Students submitting ACT score	3.0%	13.0%
Total number of applicants	20,527	39,682
Total number of admissions given out	18,741	23,489
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,986	3,765
Yield rate	21.3%	16.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not 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	$77,896
Average net price	$18,841	$43,545
Tuition	In state: $9,510 Out of state: $32,970	$55,920
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,620 Meal plan: $5,010	Room/dormitory: $9,075 Meal plan: $7,820
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	70.0% Average amount $10,110	86.0% Average amount $31,590
Students receiving federal student loan	43.0% Average amount $5,006	37.0% Average amount $5,350
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $18,474	7.0% Average amount $26,377

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	26,882 Men 50.4% Women 49.6%	14,778 Men 45.4% Women 54.6%
Graduate students	11,746 Men 40.7% Women 59.3%	6,994 Men 48.0% Women 52.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	18.9%	67.2%
International students	8.0%	16.9%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	6,513	8,291
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 Mississippi California Pennsylvania

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	70.1%	82.4%
Dropout rate	9.6%	17.0%
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	Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,789 Year 2: $88,195 Year 3: $94,942 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $98,396 Year 2: $77,966 Year 3: $88,763 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,925 Year 2: $66,989 Year 3: $82,179 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,264 Year 2: $64,087 Year 3: $79,186 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,439 Year 2: $66,653 Year 3: $79,132 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,871 Year 2: $62,343 Year 3: $77,924 Business/Managerial Economics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $62,674 Year 3: $77,843 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,673 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $76,227 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $59,689 Year 2: $56,776 Year 3: $74,295 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,229 Year 2: $61,303 Year 3: $73,883

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