Mason is a distributed university, with regional campuses in Fairfax, Arlington, and Prince William counties, an international branch campus in Songdo, South Korea, and instructional sites in Woodbridge and Front Royal. Each Mason campus has a distinctive academic focus that plays a critical role in the economy of its surrounding region. At each campus, students and faculty have access to all the university's resources, while the duplication of programs and support services is minimized through the use of technology.

Fairfax Campus

Mason's primary location is located in the City of Fairfax, Virginia. The campus, on 677 wooded acres, is just 20 miles from downtown Washington, D.C. It is home to most of our undergraduate student population, with more than 6,000 students living in 40 residence halls on campus.

The campus is home to many indoor and outdoor expressions of art, creativity, and contemplation. The Center for the Arts and the EagleBank Arena offer numerous opportunities to experience the arts, as well as sports and other entertainment. Free tickets are available to these events for full-time Mason students. The Mason Observatory is open to both the academic community and the public during viewing hours. In 2001, the Fairfax campus earned its ArbNet Level II accreditation, designating the 900+ acres as an Arboretum.

The Aquatic and Fitness Center provides state-of-the-art exercise equipment and competitive and recreational swimming for the university community and outside teams. The 120,000-square-foot Recreation and Athletic Complex boasts three gymnasiums, two racquetball courts, two squash courts, and a two-story fitness gallery. Additional equipment and exercise space is also available in Skyline Fitness, adjacent to the residence halls.

Mason Square (formerly Arlington Campus)

Mason Square, formerly the Arlington Campus, established in 1979, is located near Washington, D.C., on 5.2 acres of land. Mason's most urban location, the Mason Square campus is situated conveniently in the Virginia Square neighborhood and offers easy access via Metro and key transportation routes.

The campus has a strong focus on professional and graduate education and is home to the Antonin Scalia Law School, the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution and the Schar School of Policy and Government. Mason Square is also home to graduate programs in nonprofit management and arts management. In addition, the Donald G. Costello College of Business now offers its Executive MBA, Accounting, MS and Real Estate Development, MS programs at Mason Square. Continuing and Professional Education is redefining the way we offer executive and professional education. In addition to these executive, graduate and professional programs, some undergraduate courses are also available at Mason Square.

Mason Square is home to the Mercatus Center and the Institute for Humane Studies, independent initiatives affiliated with the university. The Law and Economics Center (LAW), Center for World Religions, Diplomacy, and Conflict Resolution (CARTER), Center for Regional Analysis (SCHAR) and the Interdisciplinary Center for Economic Science (CHSS) are some of the many research centers located at Mason Square.

The campus includes four buildings: Hazel Hall, Van Metre Hall (formerly Founders Hall), The Fuse, and Vernon Smith Hall. Van Metre Hall, which opened on the campus in 2011, provides 256,000 square feet of space for academic and student support services. In addition, the building features a 300-seat auditorium, a public plaza, and a large multipurpose room. The newest centerpiece of the campus, Fuse, will incorporate advanced cyber infrastructure and design to support digital innovation, active learning, cutting-edge research, During the next five years the campus will undergo a $250 million transformation. These additional spaces enable the university to highlight and showcase much of the exciting work taking place at Mason Square - as well as throughout the university - through the hosting of conferences, meetings and other events. With it will be the creation of the Rosslyn-Ballston Innovation Corridor, an innovation district that will be the first of its kind in Virginia.

Science and Technology Campus

The Science and Technology Campus (SciTech), established in 1997, is the nucleus of the largest research business park in Northern Virginia, Innovation Park. The 134 acres campus in Manassas is surrounded by advanced technology companies and agencies. The campus serves all of Northern Virginia and offers convenient access to the university for citizens of Prince William, Fauquier, and western Fairfax counties; the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park; and adjoining areas to the west and south. A major focus of the campus is research and academic programs in the life sciences, including biodefense and infectious diseases, cancer proteomics, genomics, medical education and bioinformatics. Graduate studies in Advanced Biomedical Sciences are offered for students preparing for medical school or careers in health professions. Programs in teacher education, information technology, bioengineering, kinesiology, computer game design, mechanical engineering, and athletic training also are offered on the campus.

Campus resources available to all university students, faculty, and staff include a full-service library, large drop-in computer lab, information center, University Police, Student Health Services, dining services, student lounge, shuttle bus service between the Fairfax and SciTech Campuses, and full complement of student and academic services. In addition, there are numerous opportunities to get involved in campus life through a variety of co-curricular and extracurricular activities.

Many campus facilities and services are available to serve university and community needs. The 300-seat Verizon Auditorium located in Colgan Hall boasts innovative audiovisual technologies suitable for presentations, meetings, and ceremonies, along with lobby space for receptions and displays. The campus is also home to the Virginia Serious Game Institute, located in the Katherine G. Johnson Hall, where students and faculty can pursue true multidisciplinary translational applied-research in Simulation, Modeling, and Game Design and Development. A partnership on the SciTech Campus between Mason and the Uniformed Services University allows, Army, Air Force, Marine, and Navy service members to remain on active duty during two years of preparatory coursework for application to medical school. GeorgeSquared, a partnership between Mason and Georgetown University offers a nine-month pre-health preparatory, graduate-level program designed to help qualify students for medical, dental, or other health professional schools. 

The campus comprises eight buildings: three research facilities, two academic buildings, a student housing facility, a recreation and fitness center and a performing arts center. Graduate student housing with ground level retail space opened in fall 2012. Through mutually beneficial partnerships with local government and area businesses, the campus has positioned itself to tap into the unique assets of the surrounding community while providing access to university resources and programs for students and citizens. The university's Biomedical Research Laboratory (BRL) opened in 2010. This regional biocontainment facility, the largest of only 12 facilities of its kind in the nation, was partially funded in part by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and houses research on emerging infectious diseases and those caused by biological threat agents.

The 110,000-square-foot Freedom Aquatic & Fitness CenterTM offers state-of-the-art exercise equipment, group fitness programs, a full gymnasium with elevated track, and recreational and instructional swimming in a 50-meter competition pool, classrooms, and other meeting spaces. It is also home to EDGE, Mason Center for Team and Organizational Learning's Challenge Course. The SMART Laboratory, located in the Freedom Center is a 2,000 square foot facility that serves as the primary research facility for faculty and students in the Athletic Training and Sports Medicine degree programs.

Prince William County, the City of Manassas, and Mason have joined to create the region's first state-of-the-art performing arts center. The Hylton Performing Arts Center, opened in 2010, provides outstanding professional performances by artists from around the world in world-class venues. With resources for community arts groups; regional business, civic, and service organizations; county and city school students and teachers; Mason students and faculty, The Hylton Performing Arts Center educates, entertains, and enriches the community.

The Governor's School @ Innovation Park began conducting dual-enrollment classes in physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering (STEM) for high school guest matriculates at the SciTech Campus in 2010.

George Mason University Korea

GMU Korea was established in 2014 as part of the Incheon Global Campus, aiming to become the best global education hub in Northeast Asia. George Mason University was invited by the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority to come to Songdo and participate in an innovative initiative to educate the next generation of global leaders. GMU Korea now offers U.S. degrees in six undergraduate disciplines and two graduate programs, including an LLM in US Law. Approved by the Korean Ministry of Education, the degree programs offered afford students the unique opportunity to spend three years at GMU Korea in Songdo and one year in the U.S. at Mason in Fairfax, Virginia. When these students graduate, they receive the same degree as all students from George Mason University.

Instructional Sites

Potomac Science Center is located on Belmont Bay in Woodbridge, Virginia near the mouth of the Occoquan River. The Center is a 50,000 square foot research facility that houses laboratories for teaching and research, lecture rooms, event space and outdoor trails. The LEED Silver Certified waterfront building is home to the College of Science’s Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center, and the College of Engineering and Computing Water Based Engineering Research Programs. The Potomac Science Center also supports educational outreach to local schools and opportunities for collaboration with government agencies and private industry.

Smithsonian Mason School of Conservation was established as a partnership between the Smithsonian Institution and George Mason University to provide experiential education for current and future generations of global conservation professionals, leaders, and practitioners. Located in Front Royal, Virginia, the campus offers undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs for students and professionals.