NCUK University Partner
George Mason University
George Mason University is a top-ranked public university with its main campus in Fairfax County, Virginia, about 24 km from Washington, DC. It emphasises proximity to DC policy and government, the Northern Virginia tech corridor, and internship access with large companies, alongside a multicultural, inclusive environment that the university sums up as “At George Mason, we are all together different.”
Beyond the main Fairfax campus, George Mason has a Mason Square campus in Arlington, a Science and Technology Campus in Prince William County, and Mason Korea in Incheon, South Korea. The wider Northern Virginia region is home to around 15,600 tech firms and 11 Fortune 500 companies, and the university has committed $250 million to the expansion of Mason Square, which includes a new School of Computing and partnerships with companies such as Google and AWS.
Student life includes more than 500 clubs and student organisations, among them 30+ club sports with over 900 members and a full programme of intramural leagues, plus more than 145 lounges across the residence halls.
4th
Most Ethnically Diverse Public University (U.S. News & World Report 2024)
Tier 1
Research University (Carnegie Classification)
Gold
sustainability rating, third consecutive year (AASHE, January 2021); the first Virginia institution to earn Gold, in 2014
Careers and facilities
George Mason highlights internships and partnerships across DC and Northern Virginia, including Google and AWS infrastructure investment in the region. Mason Square’s $250 million expansion includes a new School of Computing and the Institute for Digital Innovation (IDIA), plus an AWS-partnered Renewable Energy Lab and the Mason Innovation Exchange, which brings together a Makerspace, a Media Lab and an Incubator.
City life
Fairfax is described as safe and quiet, with easy access to DC museums, Smithsonian sites and international neighbourhoods.
Student support and accommodation
INTO George Mason staff based in the Ángel Cabrera Global Center (ACGC) offer tutoring, academic advice and internship help, and the Learning Resource Centre provides one-on-one help and laptop loans. The ACGC itself has 135 en-suite double rooms across six floors, 22 classrooms and a dining hall, while other halls (including Eastern Shore, Sandbridge and Piedmont) offer shared bathrooms and kitchens.
Sport, clubs and sustainability
More than 30 club sports with over 900 members run alongside intramural leagues and more than 350 student organisations. George Mason’s sustainability office launched in 2007 after the university signed the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, with a target of carbon neutrality by 2050; the university was the first in Virginia to earn a Gold rating from AASHE, in 2014, and held a third consecutive Gold rating as of January 2021.
Veritas Pathways students on the International Foundation Year may progress to George Mason University, subject to meeting its academic, English language, attendance and non-academic entry requirements.