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Cost & financial aid brief

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# George Mason University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/george-mason-university/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/george-mason-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/george-mason-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/george-mason-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/george-mason-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does GMU cost after financial aid?

George Mason University lists a published cost of attendance of $28,604. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $14,220 and required fees of $3,828 for the 2025-26 academic year, with on-campus food and housing at $15,725.

Out-of-state students face tuition of $38,688. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $17,915, which is $2,281 above the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Financial aid reduces the published cost by an average of $10,689. Azimuth ranks the university #447 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Azimuth places the affordability pillar for George Mason University in the 68th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. For first-time full-time Title IV aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $17,915, which runs $2,281 above the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Median federal student debt among federal-loan borrowers who completed is $19,500, $576 below the peer median of $20,076. Average net prices span a $13,952 spread, from $11,942 for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 to $25,894 for those from families earning over $110,000.

The lowest income band, under $30,000, carries an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $11,942. The corresponding figures are $12,093 for $30,001–$48,000, $15,224 for $48,001–$75,000, $19,430 for $75,001–$110,000, and $25,894 for families earning over $110,000.

The gap from the lowest to the highest band is $13,952. 30.1% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, a share that reflects the population in the lowest band.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$11,942

**$30–48K**
$12,093

**$48–75K**
$15,224

**$75–110K**
$19,430

**$110K+**
$25,894

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$17,915**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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 price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s.

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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 the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loans, a separate federal borrowing population. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $222.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$25,142

**Estimated parent payment**
$319/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](#cost-data-notes).

## 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

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  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.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

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.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=george-mason-university#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).

**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](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

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.