Which is better for internships, Boston University or George Mason University?

For internships, Boston University and George Mason both give you real access, but they do it in different ways. BU is especially strong for students who want a dense city environment with lots of options during the academic year, since Boston has major hospitals, startups, finance firms, media organizations, nonprofits, and research institutions all nearby. George Mason stands out for students who want proximity to Washington-area government, policy, consulting, defense, and tech opportunities, with Northern Virginia and DC being a huge advantage.

BU tends to fit the student who wants internships woven into everyday campus life without needing a car or long commute. Its location makes part-time in-semester internships much more realistic, especially in fields like communications, business, public health, psychology, film, biotech, and healthcare. If you are the kind of student who wants to test different industries, Boston gives you a broad spread of employers and a lot of chances to build experience early.

George Mason makes the most sense for someone drawn to public affairs, international relations, government, cybersecurity, data, law-adjacent work, or federal contracting. Being close to DC is not just a branding point, it often translates into access to internships with agencies, think tanks, advocacy groups, contractors, and policy organizations. Students who are organized and willing to navigate the DC-area internship scene can build very practical experience there, especially in fields tied to public service or national security.

If your priority is a wider variety of private-sector and city-based internships across many industries, BU usually has the edge. If your interests lean toward government-connected work or the DC professional network, Mason can be just as compelling and in some areas even more useful.