Address: 4400 University Drive, 22030 Fairfax, Virginia, United States
Law, Public Policy, Business, Economics, Information Technology, Humanities and Social Sciences
George Mason University was founded in 1949 as a northern extension centre of the University of Virginia, serving working professionals in Northern Virginia. It became University College in 1956 and George Mason College in 1958, and in 1966 it became a four-year degree-granting institution. It separated from the University of Virginia and received its present name in 1972. It is named after George Mason, a Founding Father of the United States.
The flagship campus is at Fairfax, just south of the city of Fairfax and about 20 miles from Washington, D.C. The campus in Arlington, called Mason Square, opened in 1979 with the acquisition of a law school and is home to the Antonin Scalia Law School and the Schar School of Policy and Government. The Science and Technology campus in Manassas opened in 1997 on 134 acres and took its present name in 2015. The Front Royal campus, run with the Smithsonian Institution, trains conservation specialists, and an international campus at Incheon, South Korea, opened in 2014.
In the autumn of 2025 the university had 39,638 students, of whom 28,364 were undergraduates and 10,742 postgraduates, and 2,128 academic staff. The schools and colleges include the Antonin Scalia Law School, the Schar School of Policy and Government, the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, the School of Business and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Two faculty members received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences: James Buchanan in 1986 and Vernon Smith in 2002. The faculty has also included the Supreme Court justices Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh as teachers of law, the former CIA and NSA director Michael Hayden and the former acting FBI director Andrew McCabe.
Alumni include Karl Rove, senior adviser to President George W. Bush, Charniele Herring, Majority Leader of the Virginia House of Delegates, Steve Ricchetti, a former counselor to President Joe Biden, and the members of Congress Riley Moore and David Jolly. Tuition is lower for residents of Virginia. Check the current tariff. Teaching is in English.
Domains taught:
Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Engineering, Finance, Life Sciences, Software Engineering, Statistics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Antonin Scalia Law School in Arlington, Schar School of Policy and Government, Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation in Front Royal, and Mason Korea in Incheon.
Research:
Economics and public choice, law, public policy, peace and conflict resolution, science and technology, conservation.
Famous Alumnis:
James M. Buchanan, Vernon L. Smith, Neil Gorsuch, Michael Hayden, Karl Rove
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
2128
Current students***:
39638
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Large public university close to Washington, D.C., two Nobel laureates in economics on the faculty, law and policy schools in Arlington.
Cons
Largely a commuter university, traffic around Fairfax, campuses spread across northern Virginia.
Best For
Students who want a large public research university near Washington, D.C., with strong economics, law and policy programmes.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
Another national school that puts finance, statistics and life sciences at the centre is George Washington University, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and is smaller, enrolling about 24,500 students against roughly 39,638 here.
Indiana University Indianapolis takes a similar route through finance, life sciences and data analytics, and it runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes, and covers bioinformatics as well.
Another national school that puts finance, life sciences and data analytics at the centre is University of Central Florida, and it runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes, and covers simulation and aerospace as well.
Anyone who wants a second school in the same country with a similar spread of finance, life sciences and data analytics can consider University of Alabama at Birmingham, and it is smaller, enrolling about 20,905 students against roughly 39,638 here, and is also a public institution.
Where this university leans on finance, statistics and life sciences, Georgetown University does the same, and it is private, whereas this university is public, and runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
A foreign alternative with a similar emphasis on statistics, ecology and sustainability and life sciences is Western Sydney University in Australia, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes.
Seen from abroad, Griffith University (Australia) is a close relative on subject matter, since finance, ecology and sustainability and life sciences are central to both, and it does not run the mba programmes found here, and is slightly larger, at about 44,427 students against roughly 39,638 here.
In New Zealand, Victoria University of Wellington teaches much the same core subjects, finance, ecology and sustainability and life sciences, and it is smaller, enrolling about 20,939 students against roughly 39,638 here, and is also a public institution.
Laval University, in Canada, takes a similar route through finance, ecology and sustainability and life sciences; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and covers agriculture and optics as well.
In Saudi Arabia, King Khalid University teaches much the same core subjects, finance, life sciences and data analytics, and it is larger, enrolling about 61,708 students against roughly 39,638 here, and is also a public institution.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is George Mason University?
The flagship campus is at Fairfax, Virginia, about 20 miles from Washington, D.C.
When was it founded?
In 1949, as a northern extension centre of the University of Virginia.
When did it receive its present name?
In 1972, when it separated from the University of Virginia.
Who is it named after?
George Mason, a Founding Father of the United States.
How many students does it have?
39,638 in the autumn of 2025, including 28,364 undergraduates.
What is at the Arlington campus?
The Antonin Scalia Law School and the Schar School of Policy and Government.
What is the Front Royal campus?
A campus run with the Smithsonian Institution for conservation training.
Does it have a campus abroad?
Yes, in Incheon, South Korea, opened in 2014.
Which Nobel laureates were on its faculty?
James Buchanan in 1986 and Vernon Smith in 2002, both in Economic Sciences.
What does it cost?
Tuition is lower for residents of Virginia. Check the current tariff.
Artificial Intelligence (AI), Biology, Engineering, Innovation, Research and Development
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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