Admissions & selectivity
George Mason University Acceptance Rate & Admissions
What is the acceptance rate at GMU?
GMU’s reported acceptance rate is 87.5%.
- Acceptance rate · Fall 2024
- 87.5%
Source: College Scorecard · Fall 2024 admissions. Acceptance rates can change from year to year; this figure does not predict the current or next admission cycle.
How to interpret the acceptance rate
George Mason University admits 87.5% of applicants. The median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size) sits below Mason's figure.
What SAT and ACT scores do enrolled GMU students report?
George Mason University's 2024-25 Common Data Set shows a 3.69 reported average high-school GPA among enrolled first-year students, drawn from the 99.4% who submitted one. That is an average, not a minimum for admission.
19% of the entering class submitted SAT scores and 2% submitted ACT scores. The middle half of SAT submitters scored from 1170 to 1350; for ACT submitters the comparable range was 25 to 30.
33% of enrolled first-year students reported a class rank; among them 14% were in the upper tenth and 36% in the upper quarter. Applicants should compare their scores to the university's enrolled SAT range of 1170 to 1350 and ACT range of 25 to 30.
The ranges below describe enrolled students who submitted test scores at GMU. Use them as academic context, then check the university’s current testing policy for your application cycle.
19% of entering students submitted SAT scores
- 25th percentile
- 1170
- Median
- 1260
- 75th percentile
- 1350
CDS 2024-25 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
2% of entering students submitted ACT scores
- 25th percentile
- 25
- Median
- 28
- 75th percentile
- 30
CDS 2024-25 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
Source: George Mason University Common Data Set 2024-25, C9 · Enrolled first-time, first-year score submitters.
Who enrolls at GMU?
- Pell Grant recipients
- 30.1%
- Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group
- 40.9%
- First-year retention
- 86.0%
Retention source: College Scorecard; full-time first-year retention.
About these student measures
The entering-student group includes part-time entrants as well as other attendance patterns.
George Mason University enrolls 27,752 undergraduates, with an estimated 40.9% entering as transfers or part-time students and 30.1% receiving Pell Grants. That composition makes the campus a destination for students who begin elsewhere and for those who rely on federal need-based aid.
In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported 5,092 degree-seeking transfer applicants, 4,294 admitted, and 2,892 enrolled. Applicants who are Pell-eligible or considering a transfer path should review the university's articulation agreements and financial aid timelines early, as both populations are well represented on campus.
Among first-time full-time students, 86.0% return for a second year, above the peer median of 83.1%. The six-year graduation rate for that cohort is 67.8%, also above the peer median of 65.0%.
Pell Grant recipients complete at a rate of 75.0%, which is above the overall six-year rate by 7.2 percentage points. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported a six-year graduation rate of 68.0% for the first-time, full-time fall 2018 entering class.
Pell Grant recipients in that cohort completed at a rate of 64.0%, below the overall rate. Enrolled students can expect a university where first-year persistence and six-year completion both exceed the peer median, and where Pell Grant recipients graduate at a rate above the institutional average.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Admission rates describe past applicants, not an individual’s chance of admission; confirm requirements and deadlines with the institution.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.