James Madison University is a public institution in Harrisonburg, VA with an acceptance rate of 72% and 21,006 students. The middle 50% of admitted students score 1170–1340 on the SAT. The average net price after financial aid is $21,816 per year.
About James Madison University
A public 4-year urban university in Harrisonburg, VA.
James Madison University is a college in Harrisonburg, VA. It enrolls roughly 21,006 students. The most recent acceptance rate is 72%. Admitted students typically score between 1170 and 1340 on the SAT.
Your chances at this school
A clear-eyed view of how your profile compares to admitted students — and the things that would move your odds the most.
Selective — strong academics get you in the conversation. Here is what would make your application as competitive as possible.
Things that would move your odds the most
- Aim for an SAT of 1170+Hitting the 25th percentile puts you in the competitive range for admitted students.
- Build a single deep extracurricular peakDepth beats breadth at selective schools — one nationally-visible accomplishment outperforms ten clubs.
- Strengthen one teacher recommendationA specific, personal letter from a teacher who knows your work moves the needle.
Your chances estimate is based on your academic profile and activities — it is a guide, not a guarantee of admission. Decisions weigh essays, recommendations, and fit factors that aren't in the data.
Admissions
What it actually takes to get into James Madison University. Test scores, GPA, application requirements, and deadlines.
Admitted student profile
Range shown is the middle 50%.
This school doesn't require test scores, so these ranges reflect only students who chose to submit — applicants who submit tend to have higher scores. The real admitted range likely runs lower. Don't rule yourself out on scores alone.
Application requirements
- Portfolio (SlideRoom)
- Test-optional
- $70 application fee
- Accepts fee waiver
Deadlines (2026-27)
- Early Action
- Nov 1, 2026
- Regular Decision
- Jan 15, 2027
Source: Common App 2026-27 requirements grid (verified Aug 2026). Always confirm on the college's own site.
Cost & financial aid
Published costs can be misleading. Here's what families actually pay at James Madison University after grants and scholarships.
Net price by family income
Average amount paid out of pocket — tuition, fees, and room & board minus all grant aid.
Net price represents the average cost after grants and scholarships for students receiving federal financial aid.
Academics & majors
Where students at James Madison University concentrate, and how the classroom experience scales.
Student body
Who attends James Madison University. Enrollment, diversity, and where students come from.
Race & ethnicity
- White81%
- Asian5%
- Hispanic9%
- Black4%
- International1%
Gender
- Female56%
- Male44%
Outcomes after graduation
What James Madison University graduates do next — and what they earn.
Is it worth it?
Earnings, debt, and price side by side — context for the cost-vs-payoff question, not a ranking.
- Median earnings
- $70.0k
- Typical debt
- $17.3k
- Avg. net price
- $21.8k/yr
- These numbers reflect who enrolls, not the value the school adds. A college's earnings can look high simply because it admits wealthier, higher-scoring students — not because of what happens there.
- Earnings vary far more by major and career path than by school. A school-wide median blends engineers and artists into one number that may match no real student.
- Federal earnings and debt figures cover only students who received federal aid, so they leave out full-pay students and can skew the picture.
- Net price is an average across aided students and debt is the median for borrowers only — many students borrow nothing. Your actual cost depends on your own aid package.
What this means
$70k is near the national bachelor's-graduate median at the 10-year mark, and a 81% graduation rate is above the national average.
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