George Mason vs Michigan State
What each college publishes, side by side. Cost, admission, graduation, earnings and debt come from federal data.
A-Compass Score: Excellent (grade A-): the top 20% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank among rated colleges.George Mason UniversityFairfax, VACompass Score: Excellent · Top 19%A-Compass Score: Excellent (grade A-): the top 20% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank among rated colleges.Michigan State UniversityEast Lansing, MICompass Score: Excellent · Top 14%
At a glance
- Michigan State has the higher graduation rate: 81% against 68% at George Mason.
- For families earning up to $30,000, Michigan State has the lower price after aid: $7,068 a year, against $11,942 at George Mason.
- Median earnings ten years after entry are higher at George Mason: $76,343, against $67,253 at Michigan State.
Scores
Compass Score
A-Compass Score: Excellent (grade A-): the top 20% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank among rated colleges. Top 19%
A-Compass Score: Excellent (grade A-): the top 20% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank among rated colleges. Top 14%
Academic Excellence
A-Academic Excellence: Excellent (grade A-): the top 20% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank among rated colleges. Top 20%
A-Academic Excellence: Excellent (grade A-): the top 20% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank among rated colleges. Top 12%
Value
AValue: Exceptional (grade A): the top 10% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank among rated colleges. Top 6%
B+Value: Very good (grade B+): the top 35% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank among rated colleges. Top 26%
The college
Category
National universities
National universities
Location
Fairfax, VA
East Lansing, MI
Setting
Suburb
City
Students
39,527
51,316
Sports
NCAA Division I · Atlantic 10 Conference
NCAA Division I · Big Ten Conference
Admission
Admission rate
87%
85%
Average SAT
1274
1269
ACT middle 50%
25–30
25–31
Outcomes
Graduation rate
68%
81%
First-year retention
86%
90%
Median earnings 10 years after entry
$76,343
$67,253
Median debt
$19,500
$23,250
Cost
Average price after aid
$17,915
$19,680
Price after aid, by family income
Up to $30,000
$11,942
$7,068
$30,001–$48,000
$12,093
$10,830
$48,001–$75,000
$15,224
$16,521
$75,001–$110,000
$19,430
$22,703
Over $110,000
$25,894
$28,546
Top majors by graduate earnings
Bachelor's majors
- Homeland Security $143,972
- Computer engineering $117,942
- Systems Engineering $114,815
- Computing and information science $110,754
- Electrical engineering $103,074
- Computing and information science $116,905
- Computer engineering $104,627
- Engineering (general) $102,301
- Chemical Engineering $102,223
- Finance $102,017
Compare with another college
The Compass Score and grades are College Compass Guide’s own ratings. Cost, admission, graduation, earnings and debt are federal data. This comparison doesn’t rank the two colleges; the figures are shown as published.