| Located in Fairfax, Virginia, 15 miles from Washington, D.C. |
| Largest public research university in Virginia, with more than 38,000 students |
| President: Gregory Washington |
| Independent since 1972, after serving as a branch college of University of Virginia from 1957-72 |
| One of 131 U.S. universities to receive highest research designation from Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education |
| Two Nobel Prizes in Economics (James Buchanan in 1986, Vernon Smith in 2002) |
| One of four Virginia institutions ranked among top 100 universities in U.S., and top 300 universities in world, by ShanghaiRanking Consultancy’s Academic Ranking of World Universities |
| More than half of Mason’s undergraduates are students of color, and Mason exceeds national graduation rates regardless of race, ethnicity or wealth status |
| Ranked most diverse university in Virginia, and 35th-most diverse in the country, by U.S. News & World Report |
| 34 percent of undergraduates are first in family to earn four-year degree |
| Mason in top three public universities in state for highest starting salaries |
| Student loan default rate of 2.3% less than one-third of national average |
| Motto: Freedom and Learning |
| 82 undergraduate programs, 89 master’s, 39 doctoral, law |
| Students from 130 countries, 50 states |
| Campuses in Arlington, Virginia and Manassas, Virginia |
| 200,000 alumni |
| Information: www.gmu.edu, 703-993-1000 |
