Cost & financial aid brief
George Mason University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does GMU cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 37% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The spread between the lowest and highest income bands is $13,952, with lower-income families seeing lower average net prices.
In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that for the 2024-25 academic year, first-year students with need received an average need-based grant of $11,226. Their average aid package was $20,474.
Aid met 70% of need on average for those recipients. Of the 2,381 first-year students with need, 172 had their need fully met.
The university awarded merit aid for the 2024-25 academic year to 980 students, averaging $8,892. These are averages, not promises for any particular family, and published charges remain the starting point.
The published cost of attendance is $28,604. Azimuth ranks George Mason University #447 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $11,942, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $15,224, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $25,894. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $13,952.
Aid covers about 37% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $17,915, which is $2,281 above the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $19,500 in federal student loans, $576 below the peer median of $20,076. About 83.6% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.
Parents who borrow through the separate Parent PLUS program hold a median of $25,142. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $222 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
For completers who used federal loans, the median balance at graduation is $19,500. The university's median falls below the comparable-institution median of $20,076 by $576.
Roughly 83.6% of federal aid recipients borrow through the federal program. Parent borrowers represent a separate population; their median Parent PLUS balance is $25,142.
In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 47% of graduates borrowed from any source, averaging $29,366 per borrower. This included 46% with federal loans averaging $19,537 and 11% with private loans averaging $45,078.
Graduates of George Mason University earn about $13,320 more than expects for similar students, placing the university in the 89th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The median earnings four years after completion stand at $78,425, which falls in the 87th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings scenarios, anchored on the university's program mix, show a typical outcome of $78,425. The downside earnings scenario sits at $57,368, while the upside scenario reaches $108,251.
For borrowers who complete a degree, the median federal student debt is $19,500, which is below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment is $222.
Parent borrowers at the university took on a median of $25,142 in Parent PLUS loans, a separate federal borrowing population. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $222.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $25,142
- Estimated parent payment
- $319/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Caution |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $19,500
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $25,142
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $222/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $319/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $541/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $78,425, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
4.8% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
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.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.