What You'll Actually Pay
Price after grants
$11,444 to $30,147 a year for in-state students, depending on income.
College Scorecard 2024 estimate · in-state rates
See the price at your income ↑Sticker price
Full cost before aid: $31,735 a year in-state. Average need-based aid package: $14,343.Aid and debt
24.3%
receive need-based grants
$32,162
average debt at graduation
661
students got merit aid
about 3% of undergraduates
$6,873
average merit award
Getting In
A note for out-of-state applicants
James Madison University's out-of-state undergraduate share has already crossed a threshold set by Virginia's state budget law, which means the school can't let that share grow any further — though it isn't required to bring it back down. If you're applying from outside Virginia, this cap on further growth may affect your odds in ways the admit rate above doesn't show.
Key dates
Transfer Deadlines
Test scores
SAT, middle 50% of those who submitted: 1180–1330 · 16% of the class submitted
ACT, middle 50% of those who submitted: 24–29 · 3% of the class submitted
What they value
- Very important
- Course rigor (AP/IB)
- GPA
- Important
- First-gen status
- In-state residency
- Considered
- SAT/ACT scores
- Personal essay
- Recommendations
- Extracurriculars
- Special talent
- Character
- Where you're from
- Volunteer work
- Work experience
- Demonstrated interest
- Not considered
- Class rank
- Legacy status
What this means for you
JMU rates course rigor as Very Important, and your first-gen status as Important.
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Rigor means AP, IB, and dual enrollment carry real weight — make sure your mix of AP or IB courses is strong. Being first-generation can help your application here.
JMU rates demonstrated interest 'Considered' — it can tip a close decision, without being decisive.
Source: Common Data Set 2025–26, Section C7 (admissions factors)
JMU just showed you what it values in an application. Use that to write a Why-JMU essay that's actually about you — not a template.
Get sourced starting points for your essayStudent Life
36% of JMU classes have fewer than 20 students.
36%
under 20 students
52.6%
20 to 49
11.4%
50 or more
Every class section counts, labs and seminars included; first-year courses tend to be larger. JMU CDS 2025–26, I-3.
17:1
student:faculty ratio
Campus life
28.3%
first-years from out of state
32%
live on campus
~20%
in Greek life
On-campus housing and Greek-life participation from JMU Residence Life (2025) — not reported in JMU's 2025–26 Common Data Set.
Who attends
- White70.5%
- Hispanic9.9%
- Multiracial6%
- Asian5.3%
- Black4.9%
- Unknown / other2.4%
Enrolled undergraduates; international students are counted separately and not included. JMU CDS 2025–26, B2.
Popular majors
Will They Graduate?
63.6% of JMU students graduate in 4 years.
63.6%
finish in 4 years
Entered fall 2019
79.6%
finish in 6 years
Entered fall 2019
91.36%
return after first year
Finishing late means paying for extra semesters, so the 4-year rate is the one that shows the cost.
Students with Pell Grants
69.8% finish in 6 years, against 79.6% of all students.
A 9.8-point gap: Pell Grant students finish less often than students overall.
City & Culture
Beyond the data — what it's actually like to spend four years in Harrisonburg.
Harrisonburg is a small Shenandoah Valley city of roughly 50,000 where JMU's student body is a large share of the population, so campus and downtown blend into each other rather than competing.
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Downtown is walkable and unusually food-driven for its size - it was named Virginia's first culinary district - with the Blue Ridge and Allegheny ridgelines visible from campus and reachable in under an hour.
The City
College town
Harrisonburg, VA
Best For
Notable alumni
Notable Alumni
Kathy Warden
Chair, President and CEO of Northrop Grumman.
Jim Acosta
Longtime CNN White House correspondent.
Christina Tosi
Founder of Milk Bar and a MasterChef judge.
Levar Stoney
Mayor of Richmond, Virginia, 2017-2025.
Charles Haley
Pro Football Hall of Famer and the first player to win five Super Bowls.
Alumni selected for name recognition and range of fields. Not from the Common Data Set.
Traditions
Traditions
Streamers at the first touchdown
Fans throw purple and gold streamers onto the field the moment JMU scores its first touchdown at a home football game.
The J-M-U / Dukes call
When someone calls out 'J-M-U,' the crowd answers 'Duuuukes' while stepping forward and sweeping their arms outward.
Holding the door
Holding doors open for whoever is behind you is a campus-wide habit students notice immediately and describe as part of JMU's identity.
The Kissing Rock
A limestone outcrop unearthed on the Quad in the 1920s, where students once sat with dates to get around dorm visitation rules, and where campus lore says whoever you kiss is who you'll marry.
Weekend escapes from Harrisonburg
Weekend Escapes
Within driving distance from Harrisonburg
Massanutten Resort
25 minutesSkiing and snowboarding in winter, mountain biking and a water park the rest of the year.
Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive
50 minutesThe Swift Run Gap entrance puts hiking, waterfalls and ridgeline overlooks within an easy day trip.
Charlottesville
1 hourA bigger downtown mall, music venues and the UVA scene over the mountain.
Washington, DC
about 2 hours 15 minutesMuseums, concerts and internships - the standard long-weekend and career trip from campus.
Getting there and game days
Getting There & Game Days
Nearest airport
Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport (SHD)
25 minutes from campus
For international flights: Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) — about 2 hours by car.
Pro sports nearby
- Washington Commanders NFLAbout 2 hours away
- Washington Capitals NHLAbout 2 hours away
- Washington Nationals MLBAbout 2 hours away
Internships and jobs nearby
Career Proximity
Day-to-day internships are local - healthcare, food manufacturing and education - while the Northern Virginia and DC corridor, about two hours up I-81 and I-66, is where most career-track internships and first jobs sit.
Top Industries Nearby
Major Employers
- James Madison University
- Sentara RMH Medical Center
- Rockingham County and Harrisonburg City Public Schools
- Pilgrim's Pride
- Cargill
- George's Foods
Washington, DC - about 2 hours 15 minutes from campus
Who thrives here
Who Thrives Here
JMU admits 68.8% of applicants and charges $14,620 in-state, which makes it genuinely accessible for a university of 21,358 undergraduates. Campus culture is communal in a way students notice immediately — purple and gold streamers get thrown onto the field at the first home touchdown, and holding the door for whoever is behind you is treated as part of the school's identity. The trade-off is aid: JMU meets 45.3% of demonstrated financial need and its graduates carry about $32,162 in debt, so families needing substantial need-based support should price this one carefully.