5 Areas Where George Mason Students Live Off Campus: Fairfax City, Burke and the Vienna Metro Corridor

Asking where George Mason students live off campus? Mostly the City of Fairfax, where the biggest cluster of the 21 places on our George Mason page sits on the blocks north of campus around University Drive, Sideburn Road and Barbour Drive. The next two pockets are Kings Park West, just south of Braddock Road, and the Fairfax Circle stretch near the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Metro. Burke and the Town of Vienna sound like obvious picks, but as of November 2026 neither has a single listing on our George Mason page.

Key Takeaways

• Fairfax City wins on numbers: 8 of the 21 places on our George Mason page geocode inside city limits, including the cheapest room we found ($650 on Sideburn Rd).
• Want to walk? Look south of Braddock Road. Kings Park West has four house listings 0.6 to 0.7 miles from campus.
• The Vienna Metro station isn't in Vienna (it sits in the I-66 median in Fairfax County), and the closest apartment to it on our page is Fairfax Circle Villa, roughly 0.7 miles away.
• Burke has zero listings on our George Mason page right now, and its Census median gross rent is $2,894.
• Budget tip for groups: a four-bedroom at Fairfax Circle Villa lists at $2,785 for the whole unit, about $696 each.

How We Mapped Where George Mason Students Live Off Campus

We took every property on our George Mason off-campus housing page (21 of them in November 2026) and ran each street address through the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder. That tells you which town or Census-designated place a "Fairfax, VA" mailing address actually sits in. It matters here, because almost everything around Mason says Fairfax on the envelope.

Here's how the 21 shook out. Eight are inside the City of Fairfax. Three are in the George Mason CDP that wraps the campus itself, three are in Kings Park West (plus a fourth on the same street with no house number listed), and one is in Oakton near Fairfax Circle. The rest are scattered farther out (two in Fair Oaks, one each in Centreville and Ashburn, and Gainsborough Court on Jermantown Road, which the geocoder couldn't match).

Distances below come from the commute widget on each property page. Prices are base rent as listed on Find My Place this week, before fees.

1. Fairfax City North of Campus: Best for Walking to Class on a Budget

The neighborhoods between campus and Main Street are where cheap rooms live. A room in a four-bedroom house at 4203 Sideburn Rd lists at $650, 0.6 miles from Mason. Around the corner, 4029 Barbour Drive lists from $780 at 0.8 miles.

If you want an actual apartment building, eaves Fairfax City on Kitty Pozer Drive is 0.6 miles out, with one-bedrooms from $2,200 for the whole unit. The Flats on University, up at 3895 University Drive, lists from $1,064. Its pricing is odd, though (the two-bedroom lists below the three-bedroom), so ask the office whether that number is per bed or per unit.

Who it's for: students who want to walk or bike, and anyone who'd take a room in a shared house over a lease in a big complex. Downtown Fairfax restaurants are close, too.

2. The Campus Edge Along University Drive: Best for Rolling Out of Bed

Nothing on our page is closer to class than the strip inside the George Mason CDP, the Census area that wraps the Fairfax campus. The Main on University at 4512 University Drive is 0.4 miles away. Its four-bedroom plans list at $1,379 to $1,459 and its one-bedrooms at $2,279, so rent falls as bedrooms go up. That only works if the price is per bed.

The cheaper option on this edge is a private room. The shared-bath room on Roundtop Ct runs $950 to $1,100 and sits 0.7 miles from campus. You trade the student-building perks for a few hundred dollars a month back in your pocket.

3. Kings Park West, South of Braddock Road: The Burke-Side Pick That Actually Has Listings

If you were hoping for Burke, Kings Park West is the closest thing with inventory. It's the residential pocket just south of Braddock Road, on the way toward Burke, and four houses on our page sit there, all 0.6 to 0.7 miles from campus. Quiet cul-de-sacs, townhouses, single-family homes.

WALK 2 GMU on Friendship Ct is a five-bedroom house that lists from $800 (the listing's range runs up to $4,500, so ask what the $800 covers). On the same street, a room in a two-bedroom lists at $1,160. The furnished four-bedroom at 4812 Treasure Court lists from $1,075.

Got a group of four? The townhouse on Malone Ct lists at $3,750 for a four-bedroom. Confirm with the owner that it's the whole-house price before you start dividing.

4. Fairfax Circle and the Vienna Metro Corridor: Best if You Go Into D.C. Every Week

For a Metro-first commute, look at Fairfax Circle and Blake Lane, not the Town of Vienna. The Vienna/Fairfax-GMU station sits in the I-66 median in unincorporated Fairfax County, and the Orange Line ends there. Fairfax Circle Villa Apartments at 9555 Blake Lane is about 0.7 miles from the station, straight-line, and 2.9 miles from campus.

It's also the best group deal in this guide. Rent climbs with every bedroom, from $1,790 for a one-bedroom to $2,785 for a four-bedroom, so those are whole-unit prices. Split four ways, that's about $696 each.

Fairfax Square Apartments is the middle ground, 1.4 miles from campus and roughly 1.2 miles from the station. One-bedrooms start at $1,825, and the three-bedroom Ashton I is $2,756 (about $919 each for three). East of downtown, the furnished one-bedroom at 3790 Lyndhurst Dr lists at $2,199, 1.7 miles from Mason.

Vienna proper? We have nothing there yet, and the Census puts the town's median gross rent at $2,391 for 2020-2024. Fairfax Circle gets you the same train for less.

5. Burke: Only Worth It With a Car (or Family Nearby)

Burke is the weakest pick for most Mason students, and the numbers back that up. Our George Mason page has zero listings in Burke as of November 2026. The Census median gross rent in Burke CDP is $2,894 for 2020-2024, the highest of the places in this guide.

Transit doesn't help either. The free CUE bus covers the City of Fairfax, George Mason and the Vienna Metro station, per the City of Fairfax CUE Bus page, and Burke isn't on that list. So you're driving and buying a Mason parking permit.

The upside is real, just not for most undergrads. Burke Lake Park, just over the line in Fairfax Station, has boating and a 4.7-mile lake trail. Burke works fine if you're living with family or already own a car.

Frequently Asked Questions About Where George Mason Students Live Off Campus

What is the most popular area for George Mason students to live off campus?

The City of Fairfax. Eight of the 21 places on our George Mason page sit inside city limits, mostly north of campus around University Drive, Sideburn Road and Barbour Drive.

Is Burke a good place for George Mason students to live?

Probably not, unless you drive. Burke has no listings on our George Mason page right now, the CUE bus doesn't serve it, and its Census median gross rent ($2,894) beats every other area here.

Which George Mason apartment is closest to the Vienna Metro?

Fairfax Circle Villa Apartments on Blake Lane. It's roughly 0.7 miles from the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU station in a straight line, with one-bedrooms from $1,790.

Can I walk to George Mason from off-campus housing?

Yes, from 11 places on our page within about a mile. The Main on University (0.4 miles) is the closest apartment building. Sideburn Rd, eaves Fairfax City and the Kings Park West houses on Friendship Ct and Treasure Court are all 0.6 miles out.

Find Your Spot Near George Mason

Pick the area first, then the building. Our Fairfax student housing page and the George Mason off-campus housing cost breakdown will help you size up the budget before you tour.