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Harrisonburg, VA · Public · 20,888 undergraduates · urban

James Madison University

Less selective

Add to my college list Review admission

JMU combines a strongly residential undergraduate campus with a common five-area general-education curriculum and a physical setting split across both sides of Interstate 81.

Ben Schumin / CC BY-SA 3.0

Institutional profile

Highly regarded Solid in career outcomes, and solid in affordability.
Academic Solid Affordability Solid Career Solid Mobility Steady Experience Solid
Academic standing Solid
Affordability Solid
Career outcomes Solid
Mobility Steady
Student experience Solid
Admission
76.3% admitted

35,750 applicants in the reported year

Price by income
Resident and nonresident prices differ

Compare recent average annual costs by household income

Completion
81.6%

$69,954 median earnings 10 years after enrollment

What sets James Madison University apart

Academic design

General Education: The Human Community organizes requirements across skills, arts and humanities, natural world, American experience, and sociocultural and wellness areas.

Campus pattern

The Harrisonburg campus spans historic Bluestone buildings west of Interstate 81 and newer academic and residential areas to the east, connected by campus crossings.

A signature opportunity

The Human Community gives undergraduates a shared five-area general-education framework before and alongside major specialization.

Can I get in?

76.3% admitted

Start with the academic record, then make the intended direction and school-specific fit concrete.

Recent applicant pool

35,750

About 76 in every 100 applicants were admitted.

Admission rate 76.3%
Entering class

Academic range

SAT middle 50%1170–1320
10801420
ACT middle 50%25–29
2232

Of admitted students, 19% submitted an SAT, and 3% submitted an ACT. Almost nobody admitted here sent a score, which leaves the SAT and ACT ranges standing on a handful of files.

Academic benchmarkLess selective

In the season card

Where your GPA sits in the entering class

The full entering-class GPA distribution for James Madison University, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.

See where I land

In the season card

What James Madison University weighs when it reads a file

See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.

  • Course rigor  
  • GPA  
  • Test scores  
  • Essay  
  • Recommendations  
  • Extracurriculars  
  • Demonstrated interest  
See what counts here

What moves the application

The evidence that separates a strong file

01

Show preparation for this curriculum

General Education: The Human Community organizes requirements across skills, arts and humanities, natural world, American experience, and sociocultural and wellness areas.

02

Make institutional fit specific

JMU combines a strongly residential undergraduate campus with a common five-area general-education curriculum and a physical setting split across both sides of Interstate 81.

03

Use the application route carefully

Keep academic direction and school-specific choices coherent across the application.

How to apply

Rounds, route, and required materials

Build the calendar around the earliest realistic application round and assemble each required item once.

Early ActionNov 1
Regular DecisionJan 15
Fee and waiver$70 application fee

Fee waiver: accepted

Major and program admission

Some fields have their own entry path.

The college admit rate above covers the university as a whole. These requirements apply only to the named program.

BusinessAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

Communication and journalismAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

Computer scienceAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

Teacher preparationAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

EngineeringAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

NursingAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

Can I afford it?

Compare annual cost by household income.

Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.

Published annual cost$36,558
Average annual cost after aid, in-state$23,000
Affordability profileSolid

College funding

Scholarships and financial aid

Review available aid, application requirements, and renewal terms.

James Madison University publishes three merit awards. one require a separate scholarship application. one renew past the first year.

Separate scholarship application Merit scholarship

Through the honors college · Merit · Competitive

Automatic consideration Merit scholarship

Through one school within the university · Merit · Competitive

Consideration not stated Merit scholarship

For a named field · Merit · Competitive · Renews each year

designated STEM programs

In the season card

These three awards, by name

What each one is called, what it pays, the grades and scores it asks for, and what to send.

  • The name of each award 
  • What it pays 
  • The grades and scores it asks for 
  • How to be considered 
  • What to send, and where 
See the full read
Financial aid timingFAFSA priority filing date: March 1
Open financial aid plan

In the season card

Average annual cost by household income at James Madison University

Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.

  • $0–30k 
  • $30–48k 
  • $48–75k 
  • $75–110k 
  • $110k+ 
Open the price by income

Is it worth it?

Completion, debt, and earnings

Read completion, borrowing, field mix, and earnings together. One university-wide earnings figure does not describe every student path.

Complete within 8 years81.6%

Degree completion across the reported entering cohort

Return after year one91.1%

First-year students who return for year two

Median federal debtWhat students owe on the way out

And what that comes to against what they earn.

Median earnings$69,954

Reported 10 years after enrollment

Academic portfolio

Largest bachelor’s fields

How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.

Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions

Recent graduates415
Median earnings$67,033

Admits separately

Psychology, General

Recent graduates330
Median earnings$56,212

Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness

Recent graduates272
Median earnings$63,065

What is campus life like?

James Madison University beyond the classroom

The Harrisonburg campus spans historic Bluestone buildings west of Interstate 81 and newer academic and residential areas to the east, connected by campus crossings.

Academics

A defining academic feature

General Education: The Human Community organizes requirements across skills, arts and humanities, natural world, American experience, and sociocultural and wellness areas.

Campus setting

What shapes an ordinary week

The Harrisonburg campus spans historic Bluestone buildings west of Interstate 81 and newer academic and residential areas to the east, connected by campus crossings.

Signature opportunity

A reason to look closer

The Human Community gives undergraduates a shared five-area general-education framework before and alongside major specialization.

20,888 undergraduatesSoutheasturban setting99% of first-year students live on campus