Published award termsNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.
Start with the award’s published eligibility.
RenewableCheck the conditions
Open award details for Mason Merit Scholarship (Incoming First-Time Freshman)
Who qualifies
All freshman applicants who apply by November 1 (Early Action deadline) are automatically considered; awarded for academic talent, special talents, and personal characteristics without regard to financial need
How to keep it
Most George Mason scholarships require a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75 (4.00 scale) to renew (refer to scholarship letter for specifics). Most require full-time enrollment and are not pro-rated for reduced loads. Students completing the degree in fewer than eight semesters forfeit the remainder.
Worth knowing
No separate application. Tier dollar amounts are NOT published on the scholarships page (a separate Mason Merit Scholarship Policy page was not opened). Applied directly to tuition and mandatory charges only.
University Scholars AwardFull tuitionNot automaticRenewable
Published awardOther selection criteria
University Scholars Award
Full tuition
Published coverage or packageNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.
Start with the award’s published eligibility.
RenewableCheck the conditions
Open award details for University Scholars Award
Who qualifies
Selected from Honors College applicants who apply by the priority deadline, November 1; no other application necessary
How to keep it
Covers the full cost of tuition over four years. (Standard merit renewal terms apply; refer to the Mason Merit Scholarship Policy.)
Worth knowing
George Mason's highest academic distinction. Covers TUITION, not full cost of attendance.
Free Merit Check
Check the rules that could cut this.
The free Merit Check shows which George Mason award your student's numbers reach, and the rules that could change it. About 30 seconds.
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“it told me what to ask and what the renewal GPA looked like, which I was not going to find on my own”Melissa
The fine print
Renewal ruleMason Merit Scholarship (Incoming First-Time Freshman): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Most George Mason scholarships require a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75 (4.00 scale) to renew (refer to scholarship letter for specifics). Most require full-time enrollment and are not pro-rated for reduced loads. Students completing the degree in fewer than eight semesters forfeit the remainder. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.
Johnson Center Aerial Dawn at George Mason University
What makes George Mason different
George Mason automatically considers every freshman who applies by the November 1 Early Action deadline for merit scholarships (no separate application), tops out with the full-tuition University Scholars Award, but applies all merit to tuition and mandatory charges only and can cut it if your residency changes.
Merit tiers2See who qualifies
First-year students with school awards23%First-year students, CDS 2023-2024
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team
Selection beyond grades and scores
Start with the selection process.
These awards are not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read each award's selection rules, application steps and dates. Meeting a minimum is not an award offer.
Read the selection rules
Look for the school's stated criteria and whether an additional application is needed.
Check the application dates
Confirm the current admission and scholarship deadlines directly with the school.
Know what happens next year
Check renewal, credit requirements and how other aid affects the award.
The fine print / Three questions to carry forward
Before you count on it.
Does it apply to us? Confirm the entering year, residency and every eligibility condition.
Can we keep it? Check renewal GPA, credits and how long the award lasts.
Can we combine it? Ask how outside scholarships and other school awards change the offer.
A printable research summary, source links and room for your questions.
See what could change an award+
Straight from the aid office
What George Mason's aid office says
Per the Office of Admissions, George Mason University, August 2026. How we verify
Test scores and merit scholarships
Do standardized test scores affect merit scholarship consideration?
Standardized test scores are not considered for merit scholarships; only high school GPA is used.
“we do not consider standardized test scores with regards to our merit scholarships; we only consider high school GPA.”
Superscoring
Does the school superscore SAT/ACT results?
The school does super-score SAT and ACT scores, but these scores do not factor into merit scholarship decisions.
“While we do super-score SAT and ACT scores, they will not factor into merit scholarship consideration.”
Combining merit and department scholarships
Can a merit scholarship combine with a department-specific scholarship?
Merit scholarships can combine with department-specific scholarships.
“Merit scholarships can absolutely combine with department-specific scholarships”
Ceiling on combined scholarships
Is there a cap on how much scholarship money can stack together?
The email does not state whether a ceiling exists and defers this question to the Financial Aid office.
“I'm cc'ing our partners in Financial Aid here to provide clarity on if any ceiling exists.”
GPA to maintain merit scholarship
What GPA is needed to keep the merit scholarship each year?
Students must maintain at least a 2.75 GPA to keep their merit scholarship.
“Once awarded, students need to maintain a GPA of at least 2.75 to maintain their merit scholarships”
Appeal after losing scholarship
Is there a way to get the scholarship back after a bad semester?
A student who has a bad semester can submit an appeal to have their funding reinstated.
“A student who has a bad semester can submit an appeal to have their funding reinstated.”
Outside scholarships' effect on merit aid/loans
Do outside scholarships reduce merit scholarships or loan availability?
Outside scholarships have no bearing on the awarding of merit scholarships or loan availability.
“outside scholarships have no bearing on the awarding of merit scholarships or loan availability!”
What families often miss
Automatic merit consideration (and University Scholars selection) is tied to the November 1 Early Action / Honors priority deadline; later applicants are not automatically considered.
Admission merit scholarships are applied directly to tuition and mandatory charges only and are not applied to other educational costs.
Because merit is tuition-only, a merit award may be cancelled or adjusted if other aid, a scholarship, benefit, or resource pays partial or full tuition.
Certain awards are residency-based; merit awards may be reduced or cancelled if a student's residency (domicile) status changes at any point. Failing to file the in-state application at apply time defaults you to out-of-state.
Students who complete their undergraduate program in fewer than eight semesters forfeit the remainder of their scholarship.
Most George Mason scholarships require a cumulative 2.75 GPA to renew; below that you receive a loss-of-scholarship notice and must petition for reinstatement.
See costs and school data+
Who this school may work for
Strong freshman applicants who hit the November 1 Early Action deadline; Honors College admits competing for the full-tuition University Scholars Award are the top winners.
Published yearly cost: Approximately $35,462 for 2025-2026. Source
Cost and graduation facts
Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at George Mason, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.
Average annual net price by family income at George Mason, academic year 2021-22 — in-state, Title-IV aid recipients only
Family income
Average net price paid
$0–$30,000
$11,942
$30,001–$48,000
$12,093
$48,001–$75,000
$15,224
$75,001–$110,000
$19,430
$110,001+
$25,894
All income levels (average)
$17,915
Sticker price vs. what students actually pay
Published tuition & fees (in-state), AY 2022-23
$14,220
Published tuition & fees (out-of-state), AY 2022-23
$38,688
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$17,915
That works out to roughly a 37% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $28,604 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).
George Mason is a public school; Scorecard's net price figure covers in-state, Title-IV-aid-recipient payers only — there is no comparable federal figure for out-of-state students.
Outcomes for students who enrolled here
Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
68%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
86%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$19,500 (~$207/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$76,343
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
29%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
36%
See other scholarships and cost examples+
If your student brings another scholarship
Most merit awards can combine with other scholarships and aid, but because merit applies only to tuition and mandatory charges, a merit award may be cancelled or adjusted if other aid/scholarship/benefit pays partial or full tuition. Outside (private) scholarships are treated as resources: if they exceed a student's need or cost of attendance, the OSFA first reduces student loans or Federal Work-Study.
Tuition-cap behavior for merit; loan-first reduction for outside scholarships that exceed need/COA.
Merit penetrationHow likely is merit aid here?From George Mason’s Common Data Set: the share of first-year students who receive institutional merit and the average dollar amount when they do.
23%of admitsget merit
Average award$8,892Covers ~25% of $35,462 cost of attendance
At George Mason, roughly 1 in 4 first-year admits receive institutional merit aid. The average award is $8,892 — about 25% of total cost.
As filed in George Mason's CDS Section H2A: of 4,276 first-time, full-time degree-seeking freshmen, 980 had no financial need and received institutional merit (non-need) scholarship or grant aid, averaging $8,892. Across all full-time degree-seeking undergraduates: 3,348 of 21,984, averaging $6,944. Athletic awards are excluded per the CDS definition.
Receive institutional merit23%First-year students, Common Data Set 2023-2024
Average merit award$8,892Across recipients, Common Data Set 2023-2024
Do I need a separate application for admission merit scholarships?
No. All freshman applicants who apply by November 1 (Early Action) are automatically considered through the Office of Admissions; the Scholarship Committee notifies recipients no later than February.
How do I get a full-tuition scholarship?
The University Scholars Award covers full tuition over four years and is selected from Honors College applicants who apply by the November 1 priority deadline — no separate application is necessary.
What GPA do I need to keep my scholarship?
Most George Mason scholarships require a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75; check your scholarship letter for any specific requirements.
See sources and other schools+
How George Mason compares
145 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use loan-first displacement.
George Mason is in a recognizable cluster (145 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
665 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
George Mason is one of them. The cohort minority (84 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.
Sources used on this page
Every claim is checked against George Mason’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
