Colleges / James Madison University
College · Public · Harrisonburg, VA · City
JMU

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

Address800 South Main Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22807
Websitewww.jmu.edu/index.shtml
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate72%
6-yr median pay$57k
Net price / yr$23k
Undergrad size20,888
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $23k/yr for a shot at a $57k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 72% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1256 · ACT 27.

If you get in

20,888 undergrads. Big. You will have to make it feel small yourself.

Where you live

City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $32k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $23k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$127k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$93k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$34k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.6x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$14.3k
Tuition · out-of-state
$31.6k
Room & board
$13.1k
Books & supplies
$1,298

How students pay for it.

Pell grants17%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans29%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$20k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $8k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention91%
Very high — students stay.
Graduation · 6 yr80%
Majority finish.
6-yr median pay$57k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$70k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out0%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
City
Control
Public
Undergrad size
20,888
Location
Harrisonburg, VA
Region
Southeast (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)
Carnegie class
Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity (R2)
Size & setting
Four-year · large · primarily residential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, selective, lower transfer-in
Accreditor
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Also known as
JMU
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White72%
  • Hispanic9%
  • Two or more races6%
  • Asian5%
  • Black5%
  • Unknown2%
  • International1%
First-gen students21%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time5%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$92k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 49

What you can study.

Colleges / James Madison University
College · Public · Harrisonburg, VA · City
JMU

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

Address800 South Main Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22807
Websitewww.jmu.edu/index.shtml
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate72%
6-yr median pay$57k
Net price / yr$23k
Undergrad size20,888
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $23k/yr for a shot at a $57k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 72% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1256 · ACT 27.

If you get in

20,888 undergrads. Big. You will have to make it feel small yourself.

Where you live

City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $32k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $23k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$127k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$93k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$34k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.6x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$14.3k
Tuition · out-of-state
$31.6k
Room & board
$13.1k
Books & supplies
$1,298

How students pay for it.

Pell grants17%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans29%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$20k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $8k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention91%
Very high — students stay.
Graduation · 6 yr80%
Majority finish.
6-yr median pay$57k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$70k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out0%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
City
Control
Public
Undergrad size
20,888
Location
Harrisonburg, VA
Region
Southeast (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)
Carnegie class
Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity (R2)
Size & setting
Four-year · large · primarily residential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, selective, lower transfer-in
Accreditor
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Also known as
JMU
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White72%
  • Hispanic9%
  • Two or more races6%
  • Asian5%
  • Black5%
  • Unknown2%
  • International1%
First-gen students21%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time5%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$92k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 49

What you can study.