George Mason University received high marks from Money magazine for accessibility and transformational learning in its just-released 2018 rankings.
Mason ranked No. 30 nationally among institutions that admit more than 50 percent of applicants and No. 34 as a “transformative college”—defined as an institution that helps students do far better than would be expected given their academic and economic backgrounds, according to Money’s website.
Mason also tied for No. 97 nationally as a best value college out of the 727 institutions evaluated.
The rankings affirm three of Mason’s most important initiatives: innovative learning, accessible pathways and return on investment.
“A high ranking in transformational learning and accessibility shows that we are fulfilling our mission of inclusive excellence at the largest and most diverse public university in Virginia,” Mason Vice President for Enrollment Management David Burge said. “Mason is joining a small group of institutions proving that you can be one of the top research universities in the country while at the same time providing opportunities to talented students of all backgrounds.”
According to Money’s website, institutions were ranked on 26 factors in three categories: quality of education, using data from the U.S. Department of Education; affordability, using data from the U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard and the Student Loan Default Risk Index; and outcomes, using data from PayScale.com and the Equality of Opportunity Project.