University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) vs George Mason University (GMU)

Nestled in the heartland of America, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and George Mason University (GMU) stand as beacons of higher education, each offering a unique tapestry of academic opportunities. UNL, rooted in tradition and Big Ten athletics, boasts a sprawling campus and a rich history spanning over 150 years. In contrast, GMU, a vibrant and dynamic institution located just outside Washington, D.C., is known for its cutting-edge research and strong connections to the federal government. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your aspirations and goals.

	George Mason University	University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Overview
Location	Fairfax, Virginia	Lincoln, Nebraska
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
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%	80.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.3%	81.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1140 - 1350	1090 - 1320
ACT range	25 - 30	22 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	37.0%	8.0%
Students submitting ACT score	3.0%	85.0%
Total number of applicants	20,527	17,775
Total number of admissions given out	18,741	14,411
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,986	4,736
Yield rate	21.3%	32.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $35,263 Out of state: $58,723	In state: $26,316 Out of state: $43,446
Average net price	$18,841	$18,403
Tuition	In state: $9,510 Out of state: $32,970	In state: $7,770 Out of state: $24,900
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,620 Meal plan: $5,010	Room/dormitory: $7,485 Meal plan: $4,653
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	70.0% Average amount $10,110	96.0% Average amount $8,608
Students receiving federal student loan	43.0% Average amount $5,006	34.0% Average amount $4,691
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $18,474	5.0% Average amount $13,909

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	26,882 Men 50.4% Women 49.6%	19,552 Men 50.5% Women 49.5%
Graduate students	11,746 Men 40.7% Women 59.3%	4,879 Men 49.2% Women 50.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Very Low
Out-of-state students	18.9%	25.7%
International students	8.0%	7.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	6,513	6,936
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	Nebraska Illinois Minnesota Kansas Iowa

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Computer and Information Science Engineering	Engineering Agriculture Education Business Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	70.1%	66.4%
Dropout rate	9.6%	10.7%
Transferred out	16.5%	21.4%
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	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $91,695 Year 2: $91,017 Year 3: $102,607 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $74,888 Year 2: $78,134 Year 3: $86,893 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,533 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $86,584 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,494 Year 2: $68,918 Year 3: $78,265 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,969 Year 2: $70,680 Year 3: $75,873 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,040 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $74,823 Education, Other (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $72,325 Year 3: $73,798 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $61,124 Year 2: $58,402 Year 3: $73,111 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,572 Year 2: $66,168 Year 3: $72,183 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,299 Year 2: $66,821 Year 3: $71,063

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.