University of Southern California (USC) vs George Mason University (GMU)

Envision yourself as a student, standing at the crossroads of two esteemed universities: the University of Southern California (USC) and George Mason University (GMU). While both institutions offer exceptional academic opportunities, they possess distinct characteristics that may influence your educational journey. USC, nestled in the heart of Los Angeles, boasts a highly selective admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 11%, while GMU, located in Fairfax, Virginia, offers a more accessible pathway, with an acceptance rate of 73%. Explore the nuances of these universities further by delving into our comprehensive comparison table, where you'll uncover details about popular majors, student body demographics, graduation rates, and more. Discover which university aligns best with your aspirations and pave the way for a fulfilling academic experience.

	George Mason University	University of Southern California
Overview
Location	Fairfax, Virginia	Los Angeles, California
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%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.3%	12.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $90
SAT range	1140 - 1350	1410 - 1540
ACT range	25 - 30	32 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	37.0%	31.0%
Students submitting ACT score	3.0%	19.0%
Total number of applicants	20,527	71,031
Total number of admissions given out	18,741	8,884
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,986	3,668
Yield rate	21.3%	41.3%
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	$81,659
Average net price	$18,841	$26,021
Tuition	In state: $9,510 Out of state: $32,970	$60,446
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,620 Meal plan: $5,010	Room/dormitory: $10,098 Meal plan: $6,634
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	72.0% Average amount $40,690
Students receiving federal student loan	43.0% Average amount $5,006	22.0% Average amount $4,215
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $18,474	2.0% Average amount $29,056

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	26,882 Men 50.4% Women 49.6%	20,790 Men 48.5% Women 51.5%
Graduate students	11,746 Men 40.7% Women 59.3%	28,528 Men 44.3% Women 55.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	18.9%	49.9%
International students	8.0%	23.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	6,513	8,700
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	California Texas New York Illinois Florida

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Computer and Information Science Engineering	Business Health Professions Engineering Computer and Information Science Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	70.1%	92.0%
Dropout rate	9.6%	7.2%
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	Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $104,166 Year 2: $187,234 Year 3: $221,418 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $167,228 Year 2: $163,225 Year 3: $161,094 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $106,344 Year 2: $126,683 Year 3: $148,434 Marketing (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $113,473 Year 2: $117,572 Year 3: $147,381 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $110,796 Year 2: $116,083 Year 3: $146,357 Legal Professions and Studies, Other (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $79,420 Year 2: $88,198 Year 3: $140,330 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $127,841 Year 2: $131,090 Year 3: $140,129 Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $135,775 Year 2: $135,393 Year 3: $136,848 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $121,676 Year 2: $101,072 Year 3: $134,632 Real Estate Development (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $119,991 Year 2: $122,038 Year 3: $125,784

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.

University of Southern California (USC) vs George Mason University (GMU)

George Mason University

University of Southern California

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

Compare Similar Colleges

Find Colleges By State

Resources

About