GCI-Education

In its first year, George Mason University’s Accelerated College and Employability Skills (ACCESS) Academy is already demonstrating strong indicators of demand, academic rigor, and early student achievement. Interest in the program has grown rapidly. For the 2026-27 admissions cycle, ACCESS received 387 applications from ninth graders, nearly double the 193 applications submitted the previous year.

Colleges and universities face significant demographic, financial, technological, and political changes that affect enrollment, tuition and financial aid, athletics programs, and career outcomes. The institutions that will succeed in the future are the ones today transforming their operational models and establishing robust alliances across sectors. 

Ingrid Guerra-López, dean of the College of Education and Human Development, joins President Gregory Washington to discuss the future of education in a rapidly changing world.

The College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) at George Mason University is kicking off Future Ready Teachers, a new initiative designed to strengthen Virginia’s educator workforce by removing financial barriers, innovating and elevating teacher preparation, and supporting teachers from entry through their early years in the classroom.

Through the Educational Research Alliance of Northern Virginia, a research and practice partnership that connects George Mason faculty with K–12 and state leaders, the College of Education and Human Development is convening some of the region’s most forward-thinking voices to define what readiness for AI in education truly means.

An open house at Fuse at Mason Square offered an exciting glimpse into the future for George Mason University’s ACCESS Academy, complete with robotics demonstrations and hands-on technology experiences. Behind the buzz and energy was a deeper message: Through a collaborative partnership with Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA), ACCESS Academy freshmen will take their first college course this spring, an opportunity rarely available to ninth-grade students.

Commonwealth, public school and higher education leaders joined community members, parents and students Wednesday for the opening of the Shenandoah Valley Rural Regional College Partnership Laboratory School for Data Science, Computing, and Applications (DSCA Lab School).

With the support of a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) training grant, George Mason University researchers are working to integrate comprehensive school-based mental health systems as part of proactive violence prevention programming in public middle schools in Prince William County, Virginia.

The Governor’s School at Innovation Park, located at George Mason University’s Science and Technology Campus, holds a special distinction: It’s Virginia’s only academic-year Governor’s School located on a four-year college campus. That means that high school juniors and seniors spend part of each school day experiencing life as George Mason University students. The Governor’s School at Innovation Park celebrates its 15th anniversary this year.

The ADVANCE Program, a highly successful transfer partnership between Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) and George Mason University, is showcased in the newly released Transfer Playbook 2.0, a joint publication of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program and the Community College Research Center.