George Mason University vs James Madison University
James Madison University is harder to get into (72% vs 88% admitted), but students with aid paid less there on average (in-state): $14,697 vs $23,550 a year.
Highlighted = the better number: lower price or debt, higher rate or pay.
Sticker price per year (in-state at public colleges)
$26,910
$33,276
Average paid after grants (in-state at public colleges)
$14,697
$23,550
Average paid from out of state, estimated
$39,693
$41,160
What in-state families with aid paid, by income
Measure
George Mason University
James Madison University
Under $30,000
$9,594
$14,379
$30,000–$48,000
$9,467
$14,452
$48,000–$75,000
$11,341
$16,960
$75,000–$110,000
$16,147
$22,031
Over $110,000
$23,862
$31,907
After you start
Measure
George Mason University
James Madison University
Undergrads
27,752
20,888
Graduate within 6 years
69%
81%
Come back for year two
86%
92%
Median earnings 10 years after starting
$79,923
$75,482
Median debt at graduation
$18,500
$19,500
Highlighted only when the gap is at least 5%. "Average paid" is what students who got federal aid paid per year after grants, not a price quote; at public colleges the income rows are in-state students. The out-of-state estimate adds a public college's extra out-of-state tuition to its in-state average; out-of-state students usually get less aid, so many pay more. How we get our numbers