Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for George Mason University, University of Houston, University of South Florida. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | George MasonFairfax, VA | HoustonHouston, TX | South FloridaTampa, FL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 87.5% | 73.9% | 43.2% |
| SAT middle 50% | 1160–1360 | 1160–1340 | 1130–1320 |
| Average net price | $17,91530.1% on Pell grants | $14,27641.6% on Pell grants | $9,81229.4% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $14,220 in-state · $38,688 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $9,717 in-state · $22,547 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $6,410 in-state · $17,324 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 67.8% | 64.6% | 76.8% |
| First-year retention | 86.0% | 87.0% | 91.3% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 30.1% | 41.6% | 29.4% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $76,343 | $62,377 | $57,743 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $19,500 | $18,194 | $17,988 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 16:1 | 21:1 | 22:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 27,752 | 38,380 | 37,207 |
| Consensus percentile | 25Lower is better | 26Lower is better | 25Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 55 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 46 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 47 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | George Mason | Houston | South Florida |
|---|---|---|---|
| US News | #117 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #132 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #88 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 |
| Forbes | #114 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #107 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #112 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 |
| Washington Monthly | #135 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #169 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #119 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 |
| WSJ | #76 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #254 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #250 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 |
| Niche | #351 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #123 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #71 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| Princeton Review | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| QS | #964 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #558 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #659 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 |
Students comparing George Mason University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing University of Houston on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing University of South Florida on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
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