Future Freshman FAQs

Admissions is offering on-campus and virtual information sessions and tours. We also have a virtual campus tour that is accessible online at any time. Please check our Visit Mason page often as more opportunities will continue to be added. Registration is first come, first served.

Virtual meeting appointments are available now for propsective and admitted freshman students seeking advice or information about the application process, next steps for admitted students, academic and experiential learning opportunities, or student and community life at Mason.  Locate and contact your admission counselor via email using our Meet Your Counselor directory.  

If your family has been financially impacted by COVID-19, once you have filed your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and have been admitted to Mason in the fall or spring of your senior year in high school, please reach out to the Financial Aid Office at George Mason University for assistance.

Our financial aid counselors would be happy to talk with you regarding your situation and to see what might be possible to assist you.

 In the meantime, in order to receive an early estimate on what your cost of attendance might be to attend George Mason University, please visit the net price calculator. We recommend never removing a college or university from your list because the cost appears too high at this stage of the college search process. There are many options available to help you finance your Mason education. 

Contact the Financial Aid Office

Phone: 703-993-2000

Or send us an email

Our office hours are Monday-Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

We know many students were not able to take standardized testing due to test cancellations throughout the United States and abroad.

We understand the stress that this causes and want to reassure you that this will not negatively impact your admission to George Mason University.

Our institution has offered a Score Optional policy for many years because we believe that a student’s ability to be successful in college is not necessarily reflected in their performance on standardized tests. Score Optional provides an opportunity for you to be considered for admission without submitting standardized test scores.

We understand you may not wish to submit standardized test scores or you may be unable to submit them due to COVID-19 as a component of the application process. That’s ok! We take a holistic approach to review each application with great care.

If you have questions about our Score Optional policy or if it is right for you, please contact your Admissions Counselor.  

For those students whose testing was affected by COVID-19, George Mason University will accept AP, IB, and A-level examinations taken at home, or in accordance with the testing agency’s guidance, as official 

The change in testing format does not change how credits are awarded by subject. Please send official copies of your score reports to Mason when they are available. For additional information and a course concordance list, please view our policy located here. Should you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out to your Admissions Counselor.

We know that many students will have grades that are designated pass/fail on the high school transcript due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

We will view passing grades positively, and these will not have a negative impact on a student’s admission to George Mason University.

If we have a question about a grade that we are seeing, we would reach out to the student’s school counselor. Despite the change in grading scale, we encourage you to continue to do well in your academic coursework. 

If you are having difficulty completing your admission application, please contact your Mason Admission Counselor for assistance.   

Yes!  George Mason University will accept TOEFL, IELTS, SAT/ACT, and Duolingo English Test examinations taken at-home due to COVID-19, or in accordance with the testing agency’s guidance, as official.

The change in testing format does not change the score requirements, which are listed on our English proficiency website. 

If you have taken college-level credit either as credit by exam (ex. AP, IB) or as High School Dual Enrollment, your transfer credit will be evaluated should you be admitted and once you submit your intent to enroll at Mason.

Information regarding transfer credit can be found on our Transfer Credit Policy page.

Please refer to our Safe Return to Campus page, where you can find the latest COVID-19 and campus health updates.