Study abroad at Fairfax

Fairfax is the vibrant, affluent university city in Northern Virginia situated just 15 miles southwest of Downtown Washington, D.C., celebrated as the heart of America's Defense, Cybersecurity, Intelligence, and Cloud Computing corridor ('Dulles Tech Corridor' / 'Netplex' handling 70% of the world's internet traffic, home to Amazon HQ2, Capital One, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, and Booz Allen Hamilton). Fairfax is the flagship home of George Mason University (GMU - founded in 1957, largest public research university in Virginia, prestigious Carnegie R1 Tier One research university with over 40,000 students and two Nobel laureates in Economics: James M. Buchanan and Vernon L. Smith). GMU is internationally renowned for the College of Engineering and Computing (world top 50 in Cybersecurity, Systems Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, and Computer Science), Antonin Scalia Law School (ranked top 30 in the US for Law and #1 for Law & Economics), Donald G. Costello College of Business (AACSB-accredited), and Schar School of Policy and Government (top 15 in the US for Homeland Security and Public Policy), alongside nearby Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA - ADVANCE 2+2 pathway to Mason). Degrees are taught 100% in English with prestigious US accreditations. International students benefit from direct access to the Washington D.C. federal and corporate internship ecosystem, Metro connectivity (Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Orange Line station), generous Mason merit scholarships, and direct US F-1 / I-20 Student Visa support with 3-year STEM OPT work extensions.

Tuition fees in Fairfax for international undergraduate students at George Mason University (GMU - Carnegie R1) range between $37,500 and $39,800 per academic year for Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Data Analytics, Engineering, and Costello Business (with GMU offering the competitive #YouAreWelcomeHere and Mason Vision Merit Scholarships awarding $5,000 to $15,000/year to qualified international applicants). At NOVA Community College, tuition is approx. $11,800/year via the ADVANCE pathway. Postgraduate Master's programs range between $18,500 and $36,000 per year (with extensive funded graduate research and teaching assistantships). On-campus university residence halls (Mason Taylor Hall, Hampton Roads, Rogers Hall, Northern Neck) cost between $850 and $1,450 per month (inclusive of meal plans and utilities), while off-campus student apartments in Fairfax City, Vienna, and Old Town Fairfax range from $750 to $1,400 per month. General monthly living expenses range between $950 and $1,650.

International students require a US F-1 Student Visa. Upon academic admission and verification of financial documentation (bank statement certifying first-year tuition and living expenses minus scholarship awards), the Office of International Programs and Services (GMU OIPS) issues the official Form I-20. The student pays the SEVIS I-901 fee, completes the DS-160 online visa application, and attends the F-1 visa interview at the US Embassy or Consulate. STEM graduates qualify for a 24-month OPT extension (total 36 months of US employment authorization).