James Madison University: Statistics
Updated:
| Position | Category |
|---|---|
| #861 of 14,131 | In the World |
| #266 of 2,597 | In North America |
| #236 of 2,496 | In the United States |
| #8 of 63 | In Virginia |
| #1 of 2 | In Harrisonburg |
| #317 of 1,623 | For Engineering Management |
| Top50% | For 119 other topics |
Quick Review
- Acceptance rate
- 72%
- Undergraduates
- 20,973
- Graduates
- 1,767
- Male:Female Ratio
- 42:58
- Control
- Public
- Highest Degree
- Doctor's degree
- Website
- jmu.edu
James Madison University Acceptance rate and admissions statistics
James Madison University has an acceptance rate of 72% and is among the top 35% of the most difficult universities to gain admission to in the United States. The university reports the admission statistics without distinguishing between local and international students.
| Total | Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance Rate | 72% | 67% | 74% |
| Applicants | 38,428 | 15,832 | 22,589 |
| Admissions | 27,482 | 10,663 | 16,813 |
| Freshmen enrolled full time | 4,986 | 2,094 | 2,890 |
| Freshmen enrolled part time | 4 | 2 | 2 |
6,368 students enrolled in some distance education courses.
968 enrolled exclusively in distance education.
SAT scores
Among admitted applicants
721 or 14%
submitted SAT
25% of them
had 1170
or below
75% of them
had 1340
or below
Typical SAT scores of first-years in James Madison University are 1170-1340 (middle 50% range).
ACT scores
Among admitted applicants
133 or 3%
submitted ACT
25% of them
had 24
or below
75% of them
had 29
or below
Typical ACT scores of first-years in James Madison University are 24-29 (middle 50% range).
Admissions requirements
| College-preparatory program | Required |
|---|---|
| Secondary school GPA | Required |
| Secondary school record | Required |
| TOEFL | Required |
| Recommendations | Considered but not required |
| SAT/ACT | Considered but not required |
| Formal demonstration of competencies | Neither required nor recommended |
| Other Tests | Neither required nor recommended |
| Secondary school rank | Neither required nor recommended |
Enrollment demographics by race or ethnicity
| White | 16321 (72%) |
|---|---|
| Hispanic | 1953 (9%) |
| Two or more races | 1268 (6%) |
| Asian | 1175 (5%) |
| Black or African American | 1119 (5%) |
| Race or Ethnicity unknown | 580 (3%) |
| Nonresident Alien | 260 (1%) |
| Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander | 24 (0.1%) |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 21 (0.1%) |
Costs per year: Tuition, Housing, Fees
The final cost of attendance varies for each student based on household income, residency, program, and other factors.
- Average aid awarded
- $12,114
- Students receiving aid
- 58%
Tuition and fees
| Undergraduates | Graduates | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition in-district | $8,150 | $12,216 |
| Tuition in-state | $8,150 | $12,216 |
| Tuition out-of-state | $25,496 | $29,736 |
| Fee in-district | $6,100 | $1,248 |
| Fee in-state | $6,100 | $1,248 |
| Fee out-of-state | $6,108 | $1,248 |
Room and board costs
| Dormitory capacity | 6,657 |
|---|---|
| Combined charge for room and board | $12,916 |
| Room charge | $6,280 |
| Meal charge | $6,636 |
James Madison University majors
James Madison University has granted 4,708 bachelor's degrees across 54 programs, 598 master's across 26 programs, and 53 doctorate degrees across 8 programs. Below is a table with majors that lead to degrees at James Madison University.
| Major | Bachelor | Master | Doctoral |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community Health Services & Liaison & Counseling | 449 | ||
| Speech Communication and Rhetoric | 426 | 16 | |
| Psychology, General | 294 | 14 | 6 |
| Registered Nursing & Registered Nurse | 274 | ||
| Business Administration and Management, General | 148 | 81 | |
| Sport and Fitness Administration & Management | 176 | 12 | |
| Biology & Biological Sciences, General | 179 | 6 | |
| Marketing & Marketing Management, General | 166 | ||
| Elementary Education and Teaching | 163 | ||
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education & Fitness, General | 139 | 12 | |
| Information Science & Studies | 146 | ||
| Education, General | 143 | ||
| Art & Art Studies, General | 136 | 2 | |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 127 | 9 | |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences & Liberal Studies | 134 | ||
| Speech-Language Pathology & Pathologist | 76 | 54 | 3 |
| Political Science and Government, General | 115 | 14 | |
| Accounting | 90 | 35 | |
| Hospitality Administration & Management, General | 123 | ||
| Finance, General | 106 | ||
| Music Performance, General | 75 | 8 | |
| History, General | 70 | 12 | |
| Economics, General | 77 | ||
| Advanced Legal Research & Studies, General | 70 | ||
| Engineering, General | 69 | ||
| English Language and Literature, General | 57 | 7 | |
| Science, Technology and Society | 62 | ||
| Health & Health Care Administration & Management | 61 | ||
| International Relations and Affairs | 54 | ||
| Public Administration | 45 | 9 | |
| Sociology, General | 54 | ||
| Drama and Dramatics & Theatre Arts, General | 52 | ||
| Systems Science and Theory | 52 | ||
| Geography | 48 | ||
| Professional, Technical, Business, and Scientific Writing | 43 | 5 | |
| Social Work | 48 | ||
| Chemistry, General | 33 | ||
| Adult Health Nurse & Nursing | 32 | ||
| Physician Assistant | 32 | ||
| Anthropology, General | 31 | ||
| Mathematics, General | 27 | ||
| Occupational Therapy & Therapist | 25 | ||
| Special Education and Teaching, General | 21 | 3 | |
| Counselor Education & School Counseling and Guidance Services | 23 | ||
| Biotechnology | 21 | ||
| Geology & Earth Science, General | 21 | ||
| Philosophy and Religious Studies, Other | 21 | ||
| Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General | 20 | ||
| Athletic Training & Trainer | 17 | ||
| Physics, General | 16 | ||
| Foreign Languages and Literatures, General | 14 | ||
| Junior High & Intermediate & Middle School Education and Teaching | 14 | ||
| Early Childhood Education and Teaching | 13 | ||
| International Business & Trade & Commerce | 12 | ||
| Secondary Education and Teaching | 12 | ||
| Nursing Practice | 11 | ||
| Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching | 10 | ||
| Information Technology | 10 | ||
| Mathematics Teacher Education | 10 | ||
| Music Pedagogy | 10 | ||
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology, Other | 8 | ||
| Audiology & Audiologist | 7 | ||
| Business & Managerial Economics | 7 | ||
| School Psychology | 7 | ||
| Multi- & Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 5 | ||
| Art History, Criticism and Conservation | 4 | ||
| Financial Mathematics | 4 | ||
| Psychometrics and Quantitative Psychology | 3 | ||
| Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language & ESL Language Instructor | 3 | ||
| Grand Total | 4,708 | 598 | 53 |
James Madison University has a graduation rate of 80%, which is among the 12% highest for universities in the US.
| Total | Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graduation rate | 80% | 75% | 83% |
| |||
Publications & Citations
James Madison University has published 12,726 scientific papers with 277,632 citations received. The research profile covers a range of fields, including Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Political Science, Law, Computer Science, Environmental Science, Psychology, Biology, Sociology, Engineering, and Medicine.
Publication / Citation count by topic
Annual publication & citation counts
| Year | Publications | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 78 | 376 |
| 1994 | 92 | 456 |
| 1995 | 90 | 545 |
| 1996 | 157 | 630 |
| 1997 | 117 | 682 |
| 1998 | 142 | 845 |
| 1999 | 152 | 893 |
| 2000 | 202 | 1206 |
| 2001 | 202 | 1255 |
| 2002 | 200 | 1793 |
| 2003 | 227 | 2030 |
| 2004 | 280 | 2656 |
| 2005 | 267 | 3096 |
| 2006 | 350 | 3708 |
| 2007 | 306 | 4626 |
| 2008 | 351 | 5557 |
| 2009 | 362 | 6472 |
| 2010 | 425 | 7275 |
| 2011 | 510 | 8668 |
| 2012 | 425 | 9618 |
| 2013 | 435 | 10557 |
| 2014 | 515 | 11813 |
| 2015 | 651 | 12326 |
| 2016 | 587 | 13128 |
| 2017 | 560 | 13657 |
| 2018 | 555 | 14333 |
| 2019 | 564 | 16935 |
| 2020 | 671 | 20091 |
| 2021 | 565 | 20599 |
| 2022 | 581 | 20250 |
| 2023 | 568 | 21128 |
| 2024 | 457 | 20164 |
| 2025 | 304 | 18038 |
James Madison University alumni
-
Christina Tosi
- Occupations
- restaurateurtelevision presentertelevision celebrity chefchefauthor
- Biography
-
Christina Tosi is an American chef and cookbook author. She is founder and co-owner with Momofuku of Milk Bar and serves as its chef and chief executive officer. She also created Milk Bar Pie and Cereal Milk. Food & Wine magazine included her in their 2014 list of "Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink".
-
Jim Acosta
- Enrolled in James Madison University
- In 1993 graduated with bachelor's degree in communication studies and political science
- Occupations
- journalistwriter
- Biography
-
Abilio James Acosta is an American broadcast journalist. From 2007 to 2025, he worked for CNN. He served as CNN's chief White House correspondent during the Obama and first Trump administrations, in which he gained national attention for his clashes with President Donald Trump at press briefings. In January 2021, Acosta was appointed CNN's anchor and chief domestic correspondent. On January 28, 2025, Acosta made his final broadcast on CNN after rejecting a different time slot for his CNN Newsroom show.
-
Glennon Doyle
- Occupations
- writeractivistnovelistteacherblogger
- Biography
-
Glennon Doyle is an American author and queer activist known for her books Untamed, Love Warrior, Carry On, Warrior, and We Can Do Hard Things. Doyle is also the creator of the online community Momastery, and is the founder and president of Together Rising, an all-women-led nonprofit organization supporting women, families, and children in crisis.
-
Lindsay Czarniak
- Occupations
- journalistsports commentator
- Biography
-
Lindsay Ann Czarniak is an American sports anchor and reporter. She formerly worked for Fox Sports as a sideline reporter for NFL games. After spending six years with WRC-TV, the NBC owned-and-operated station in Washington, D.C., Czarniak joined ESPN as a SportsCenter anchor in August 2011 and left ESPN in 2017.
General info
| Alternative names | JMU |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1908 |
| Motto | Knowledge is Liberty. |
| Colors | purple, gold |
| Academic calendar | August to May. Also Summer Session (May - July) |
| Total FTE staff | 3,551 |
| Carnegie classification | Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity |
Location and contacts
| Address | 800 South Main Street Harrisonburg, Virginia, 22807 United States |
|---|---|
| City population | 52,000 |
| Phone | 5405686211 |