James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia · Also known as JMU · Website
$69,954
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$69,954
median earnings, 10 years after starting
James Madison University is a public 4-year college in Harrisonburg, Virginia with 20,888 undergraduates and 1,767 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $23,322 a year (tuition and fees $14,250 in-state, $31,604 out-of-state). It admits 72% of applicants and 80% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $69,954 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $20,093 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$23,322
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$14,250
Out-of-state $31,604
Admission rate
72%
US median 78%
Completion rate
80%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$20,093
About $213 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$69,954
Rank 378 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $23,322
- Tuition in-state
- $14,250
- Tuition out-of-state
- $31,604
- Cost of attendance
- $31,735
- Students with a need-based grant
- 17%
- Students with federal loans
- 29%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $11,444
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $12,977
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $16,475
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $22,343
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $30,147
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $10,018 in 2015-16 to $14,250 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 72%
- Average SAT
- 1,256
- SAT reading, middle
- 620
- SAT math, middle
- 605
- ACT, middle
- 27
- Undergraduates
- 20,888
- Graduate students
- 1,767
- Part-time students
- 5.3%
- Women
- 56%
- Students per teacher
- 17
- Completion rate
- 80%
- Retention rate
- 92%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 92
- Endowment
- $155.5M
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 378 of 5,094 US colleges and 12 of 127 in Virginia (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | VA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $23,322 | $19,081 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $14,250 | $16,364 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 72% | 80% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 80% | 52% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 92% | 73% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $20,093 | $20,000 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $57,438 | $36,582 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $69,954 | $42,837 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 82% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 83% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
92 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied ProfessionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 415 | $20,500 | $33,971 | $67,033 | $52,119 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 413 | $20,500 | $42,769 | $66,436 | $56,359 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 330 | $21,500 | $31,734 | $56,212 | $50,706 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 286 | $19,350 | $76,490 | $87,056 | $88,910 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 272 | $19,500 | $35,955 | $63,065 | $54,562 |
| Education, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 240 | $20,409 | $55,195 | $58,739 | $65,824 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 179 | $20,594 | $34,159 | $62,914 | $57,214 |
| MarketingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 170 | $19,500 | $61,692 | $89,944 | $69,303 |
| Information Science/StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 149 | $19,500 | $80,173 | $113,345 | $85,294 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 146 | $21,000 | $49,408 | $58,026 | $53,072 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 138 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 136 | $19,500 | $81,761 | $104,806 | $92,374 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 130 | $19,000 | $65,931 | $85,137 | $68,257 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 129 | $19,500 | $67,849 | $104,926 | $83,343 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 115 | $22,125 | $33,501 | $54,093 | $41,367 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 110 | $19,286 | $42,128 | $73,326 | $63,293 |
| Hospitality Administration/ManagementBachelor's | Bachelor's | 85 | $19,875 | $46,915 | $65,016 | $56,726 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 81 | $24,750 | $110,442 | $150,316 | $103,485 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 78 | $22,500 | $71,563 | $98,767 | $76,194 |
| Science, Technology and SocietyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 71 | $22,784 | $54,235 | $82,455 | $67,452 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 71 | $19,500 | Withheld | $65,770 | $58,928 |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 70 | $25,000 | $40,966 | $61,496 | $62,654 |
| MusicBachelor's | Bachelor's | 69 | $20,968 | $36,106 | $51,882 | $42,892 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 69 | $19,500 | $53,913 | $77,393 | $58,716 |
| HistoryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 69 | $20,018 | $29,000 | $55,782 | $50,680 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: Virginia on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Virginia
- Homes: Homes for sale in Virginia
Questions and answers
How much does James Madison University cost?
$23,322 a year is the average net price at James Madison University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $14,250 for in-state students and $31,604 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $31,735. Families earning under $30,000 pay $11,444 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at James Madison University?
72% of applicants are admitted to James Madison University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,256 and the middle ACT score is 27. The median admission rate of colleges in Virginia is 80%.
How much do James Madison University graduates earn?
$69,954 a year is the median pay of former James Madison University students who work, 10 years after they started ($57,438 after 6 years). That ranks 378 of 5,094 US colleges and 12 of 127 in Virginia. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's) at $120,817.
How much student debt do James Madison University graduates have?
$20,093 is the median federal student loan debt of James Madison University graduates, about $213 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 29% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at James Madison University?
80% of first-time, full-time students at James Madison University finish within 6 years. 92% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at James Madison University?
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (415 bachelor's graduates), Communication and Media Studies (413 bachelor's graduates), Psychology, General (330 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 92 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.