george mason university campus virtual tour

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George Mason University Virtual Tour

Are you applying to gmu explore the campus using the virtual tour below..

Virtual tours are a great way to refresh your memory or to preview an on-site tour of George Mason University.

What's in it for me?

At the beginning of your college search, a virtual tour can be a beneficial tool to explore the campus before your visit. When you do visit the campus, be sure to talk to current students about their experiences. A student perspective is a helpful way to gauge your future experience when attending GMU. Already took an on-campus tour? It's inevitable. All of your college tours will blend, and you might forget the appearance of George Mason University's library, dorms, or cafeteria. Use the virtual tour to jog your memory! With the interactive mapping tool below you can even explore the area surrounding the campus.

Use the resources below to start your virtual tour.

Using the Map

Click and drag the little orange person to a location on the map. Locations with panoramas appear as blue lines or blue dots when moving the orange person. The blue dots are panoramic views that you may swivel. The blue lines are paths that you can navigate along.

Panoramic View

You can "pan" or "swivel" the camera around by clicking on the image and dragging your mouse or finger. If you see a white arrow on the picture, you can click or tap on it to move in the direction of the arrow. This will also update the location of the little orange person on the map so you can get a better sense of where you are and what direction you are facing.

Continue Your Research on GMU

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clock This article was published more than  3 years ago

At George Mason University, the return of campus tours brings back another sense of normalcy

Throughout the country, in-person campus tours are returning after a year-long hiatus triggered by the pandemic

The campus tour, a hallmark of the college experience, was deemed too dangerous when the coronavirus pandemic first hit. Students who wanted to get to know their prospective campuses have been relegated for much of the past year to virtual tours featuring prerecorded videos and 3-D renderings.

That changed for 16 high-schoolers and their parents, who spent a recent Saturday morning at George Mason University. They were greeted with green nylon drawstring backpacks filled with brochures and ushered into an information session led by Carla Goodwin, the school’s assistant director of undergraduate admissions.

“You’re very close to Washington, D.C., but you still get that true college feeling,” Goodwin said about George Mason’s Fairfax campus. She clicked through a slide show that showcased the school’s selling points: an average class size of 25 to 35 students; more than 30 places to eat, including Chick-fil-A and Panda Express; and plans to expand its campus in Arlington — where Amazon has promised to create 25,000 jobs at its second headquarters.

Goodwin, a bubbly New Yorker who earned her master’s degree at George Mason, described the admissions process and how to study abroad. On a slide about the coronavirus, she explained the school’s weekly testing protocols and a provision that requires students without religious or medical excuses to be vaccinated for the fall semester. Faculty and staff members were added to that mandate on Thursday.

The admissions counselor paused for questions. The group was silent.

Colleges want students to get a coronavirus vaccine. But they’re split on requiring the shots.

“We don’t get a lot of pushback,” Goodwin said about the school’s policies, something she attributes to generally positive attitudes about the coronavirus vaccines. In Virginia, 53.8 percent of residents are fully vaccinated, five percentage points higher than the national figure, according to a database maintained by The Washington Post.

The vaccines have been an integral piece to reopening plans at colleges and universities throughout the country. About 600 campuses have enacted mandates for at least some students or employees, according to a database by the Chronicle of Higher Education. After more than a year of virtual learning, the vaccines offer a shot at normalcy, with campuses planning to return dorms, classrooms, dining halls and other spaces to full capacity.

But with more than half the country still unvaccinated and as the highly transmissible delta variant drives up caseloads, many schools will continue to enforce social-distancing requirements and encourage unvaccinated students to wear masks.

George Mason is slowly reintroducing in-person elements to campus, but with restrictions. The tour group was capped at 24 people — about one-third of its pre-pandemic size — as a safety precaution, Goodwin said. During her information session, students and their families sat in chairs spaced three feet apart, a distancing requirement that will stay in place until the campus vaccination rate reaches 80 percent. Officials will have a clearer picture of the school’s progress after Aug. 1, the deadline for students and employees to share their vaccination status.

As Goodwin’s session drew to a close, two student guides arrived to begin the next leg: the tour. Half the group joined Sam Harrison, a rising junior from East Windsor, N.J., who said she became a tour guide to branch out of her comfort zone. “I have a fear of public speaking,” she said.

Among Harrison’s group was Leigh Black, a rising high school senior from Vienna, Va. Black said she was drawn to George Mason because of its cybersecurity program and, during the tour, started to warm up to the idea of becoming one of its 37,000 students.

“It has a great environment and I like the area,” she said, although she is keeping her options open. The 16-year-old is also considering Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland, she said.

As virus cases fall, D.C.-area universities begin to peel back restrictions

Leigh will be the first child Scott Black, an engineer, sends off to college, he said. George Mason is about seven miles from the Blacks’ hometown, which is a plus.

“She’s close enough that she can still do her laundry,” Scott Black said. He added they both feel confident about the way the school has handled the pandemic. “It’s very encouraging that there is regular testing and a vaccine mandate.”

Harrison led the group through the campus and past her favorite spot, a row of colorful benches hand-painted to showcase the university’s student clubs. “I picked Mason because of the community, and that really embodies what it means to be a Mason Patriot,” she said about the benches.

The group next headed to Fenwick Library, where staff have spent much of the pandemic digitizing materials for students and professors working remotely. Outside a cluster of residence halls, Harrison did her best to highlight the perks of communal living: Laundry is free and each dorm is within walking distance of a gym and a cafeteria, she said.

Cameron Sigmon, a 17-year-old from Manassas, Va., hasn’t selected a potential major but has “heard good reviews from older friends” about George Mason. The campus is also close to home — another bonus.

“There’s a lot of diversity, a lot of options for careers,” added Cameron’s mom, Meredith Sigmon.

As Harrison fired off facts about campus dining, Meredith Sigmon thought about last year’s freshman class and the thousands of students who selected their colleges without ever seeing a campus once the pandemic halted tours.

“I feel bad for all the students who had to go through that last year,” she said. The first year of the pandemic robbed young people of milestones and coming-of-age moments. Thousands of high-schoolers missed prom and scores of college freshmen never had move-in day.

The families on Harrison’s tour said they were grateful to see the campus firsthand. George Mason will continue to offer virtual tours, which have “definitely made [campus] more accessible to students,” particularly those with disabilities or who live far away, Harrison said.

How a rural Virginia town came together for an unforgettable pandemic prom

The next stop on the tour was Horizon Hall, home to the College of Humanities and Social Sciences — a chance to show off one of the newest buildings on campus and enjoy an air-conditioned respite from the humid, 88-degree weather.

George Mason was the latest stop for the Stitts, a family from Columbus, Ohio.

“It really fits a lot of the checkpoints,” said Julia Stitt, 16. The school offers dozens of programs in the humanities and the campus is close to a major city, she said. Most important, there are gluten-free dining options, a must for Stitt, who has celiac disease.

And students are not required to submit their standardized test scores — “a good cushion after this last year,” Stitt said. Many schools enacted temporary test-optional policies in the wake of the pandemic, but George Mason has employed the practice since 2008, Goodwin said.

Julia and her parents, Marc and Erin, have tried virtual tours, but said they prefer the in-person experience — speaking directly with students and admissions officials, walking into classrooms and seeing the library.

Marc Stitt works in marketing and said he knows how to make something look good on camera. He said it’s difficult to get an accurate sense of a campus and its culture through a computer screen.

“There’s something about talking to the students and admissions people that you get here,” Erin said. Marc added, “There’s no way to get to know everything about the campus just driving by.”

George Mason University Transfers: 2024 Requirements, Dates, GPAs & More

How effective are george mason university virtual tours.

It depends how you use them. George Mason University is a hustling, bustling campus and community. The beauty of George Mason University virtual tours on CampusReel is that authentic video tours, made by real students, can be spectacular at capturing the George Mason University vibe. We also go well beyond the confines of the George Mason University campus by taking you around Fairfax. In traditional virtual tours, you will mostly see still, unengaging images and will not see the surrounding area at all – which is why CampusReel virtual tours are so important.

Can a George Mason University virtual tour replace a traditional in-person visit?

If you cannot visit George Mason University in person, then we can honestly say that we believe a CampusReel virtual tour of George Mason University is absolutely the most effective and holistic way to understand the George Mason University people, campus and community. However, if you do plan on visiting George Mason University and other colleges in person, we strongly recommend that you at least prescreen your college options on CampusReel before spending the time and money to visit. Most prospective families find that as soon as the step on campus, they instantly know whether or not they like the school – but they’ve already spent all that time and money getting there! Our goal is to eliminate all the time and money visiting George Mason University in person until you can make a strong educated guess that it’s worth the investment.

What are the downsides of a George Mason University virtual tour?

The downside of virtually touring George Mason University on CampusReel is that, admittedly, our technology does not yet mimic the exact feeling and experience of visiting George Mason University in person. We are working on this though! A common request we also receive from users is to add more perspectives (e.g. student guides) to the platform. Rest assured we are working on adding more CampusReel guides to the George Mason University virtual tour. However, our selection of guides still far outweighs the available perspectives of traditional virtual tour platforms.

What are the benefits of a George Mason University virtual tour?

The most obvious benefit of a George Mason University virtual tour on CampusReel is that is can be accessed from anywhere. This can save families a lot of time and money compared to visiting George Mason University in person . Another often overlooked benefit of a CampusReel virtual tour is that it goes far beyond a traditional in person tour George Mason University . Campus visits are limited both in time and scope – how are you expected to truly understand a college in a 1 hour tour? That’s why we stress the added benefit of CampusReel virtual tours – experience George Mason University and Fairfax during different seasons, days of the week, and even hours of the day. What’s game day like? What is finals week life? Again, traditional virtual touring platforms don’t include this benefit.

Check out these related virtual tours:

• Virtal tour to Auburn University (AU)
• Virtal tour to Florida State University (FSU)
• Virtal tour to Georgia Southern University (GSU)
• Virtal tour to University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL)
• Virtal tour to University of Mississippi (UM)

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Mason Square Tour

George Mason University, located just outside Washington, D.C., is Virginia's largest public university. Founded in 1972, Mason is a comprehensive, research university with programs ranging from engineering and computer science to art and design. Mason has more than 35,000 students between undergraduate and graduate programs.

Mason Square (formerly the Arlington Campus) is located in the Virginia Square neighborhood of Arlington County, Virginia. This campus is a dynamic, collaborative hub uniting scholars, students, researchers, policymakers, and business developers that will accelerate the pace of change and solve grand challenges. Classes here focus on graduate and professional programs. Watch the video to see what the campus looks like.

The Mason Square campus, which is located in the Virginia Square neighborhood of Arlington County, is a branch campus of the main university located in Fairfax, Virginia. We're accessible via the metro and we're only three metro stops outside of Washington DC. So it's a really exciting opportunity for our students to connect with business-- with industry-- with law policy and government. The Plaza is an amazing space that we have right outside of the campus-- Direct connection with the Arlington community. The University Life team has a series of music events, Music on the Plaza, which has been a good way for people to come together on Friday, Saturday evenings-- relax, enjoy local bands. From the Plaza, you can enter on the first floor. There's a bookstore, students can purchase their textbooks for class. They can also buy their cap and gown their graduation regalia-- For once they've completed their degree programs, and of course, their Mason apparel. On the second and the third floor Mason Square campus has a library. There are nine study rooms that students can take advantage of either for individual or group work. If the book that they need is at the Fairfax campus, it can be ordered and delivered to the Mason Square campus. The second floor also has a dedicated meditation space-- a nice area to rest, regather, regroup in between classes. Fourth floor is the main location for the school of business offices. So the graduate program staff, the admissions team, our graduate career manager, some of our faculty all have offices located in the school of business suite. We also have a dedicated student lounge on the fourth floor. There are six individual study rooms that students can use. The first floor has the large tiered classrooms. They're great for lectures. They have a couple of projection screens, and there's ability to zoom in a guest speaker. The second, third and fourth floors have smaller classrooms. And those have more flexible-- movable furniture which allows for a more active learning environment. Some of my favorite places that are close by to campus, definitely Northside social. It has amazing coffee, breakfast sandwiches-- all day long. It does turn into a wine bar in the evening. They've got a nice outdoor space. My favorite food place is right across the street from the campus. It's called El Pollo Rico. It's a Peruvian chicken place that is incredibly delicious. Different cohorts of students will pick different restaurants and bars in the area-- and that seems to be where that group likes to go after classes.

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George Mason University

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2023-2024 tuition, student housing, enrollment statistics, undergraduate student gender, undergraduate race / ethnicity, undergraduate admissions, admission considerations, admission test scores, sports and athletics, men's sports.

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More than 30 million students have used campustours to find virtual campus tours and maps..