James Madison University vs George Mason 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)
$33,276
$26,910
Average paid after grants (in-state at public colleges)
$23,550
$14,697
Average paid from out of state, estimated
$41,160
$39,693
What in-state families with aid paid, by income
Measure
James Madison University
George Mason University
Under $30,000
$14,379
$9,594
$30,000–$48,000
$14,452
$9,467
$48,000–$75,000
$16,960
$11,341
$75,000–$110,000
$22,031
$16,147
Over $110,000
$31,907
$23,862
After you start
Measure
James Madison University
George Mason University
Undergrads
20,888
27,752
Graduate within 6 years
81%
69%
Come back for year two
92%
86%
Median earnings 10 years after starting
$75,482
$79,923
Median debt at graduation
$19,500
$18,500
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