Quad

Head-to-head

U. Arizona
George Mason

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    George Mason grads earn $16.4K more ten years out than U. Arizona's ($76,343 vs. $59,979)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  2. 2

    George Mason graduates 13 pts more of its students than U. Arizona (76% vs. 63%)

    Graduation rate
  3. 3

    George Mason is more diverse (index 0.79 vs. 0.70)

    Diversity index
  4. 4

    U. Arizona has 1.5× as many undergrads as George Mason

    Undergrads
  5. 5

    U. Arizona's grants cover 29% of its full price on average, vs. 24% at George Mason

    Aid generosity
  6. 6

    George Mason has 4 pts more Pell recipients than U. Arizona (30% vs. 26%)

    Pell Grant recipients

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

U. Arizona admits 86%, George Mason 87%; George Mason's yield is higher, at 20%.

Acceptance rate
U. Arizona86%
George Mason87%
Quad's selectivity
  • U. ArizonaAccessible
  • George MasonAccessible
SAT middle 50%Axis 1000–1600
U. Arizona
1150–1420
George Mason
1160–1360
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • U. ArizonaGPA and school record required
  • George MasonGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

U. Arizona has 1.5× as many undergrads as George Mason; George Mason has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
U. Arizona42.5K
George Mason27.8K
Pell Grant share
U. Arizona26%
George Mason30%

Majors and faculty

Psychology leads at U. Arizona, and Business/Commerce at George Mason; George Mason has 16 students per faculty member to U. Arizona's 20.

Students per faculty member
U. Arizona20 to 1
George Mason16 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • U. ArizonaPsychology, General7%
  • George MasonBusiness/Commerce, General18%

What each costs

George Mason costs about $2.6K less a year than U. Arizona on average; U. Arizona's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
U. Arizona$32.4K
George Mason$29.7K
Aid generosity
U. Arizona29%
George Mason24%

What each pays off

George Mason's former students earn more, a median $76.3K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 60% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
U. Arizona$60K
George Mason$76.3K
Graduation rate
U. Arizona63%
George Mason76%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • U. ArizonaGrowing+78%
  • George MasonGrowing+12%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why