James Madison University Admission
James Madison University Undergraduate Program
James Madison University Application

The Facts

James Madison University is a large, public university located in the town of Harrisonburg, Virginia, and is home to over 14,300 undergraduate students and approximately 1,200 graduate and part-time students. The university is actually made up of several smaller undergraduate colleges, including schools of arts and letters, business, education, psychology, science and mathematics, and integrated science and technology. Some of the most popular majors include marketing, psychology, health sciences, integrated science and technology, and computer information.

Admission to James Madison University is quite competitive, as the applicant pool has been growing larger and more qualified with each passing admissions cycle. Last year, over 15,100 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 9,400 of those students were accepted; of those, about 3,400 matriculated. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1080 to 1250, and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 22 to 26. Additionally, over 79% of those admitted were ranked in the top 25% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of about 3.66.

James Madison has a manageable student to faculty ratio of 17:1, and students say that generally their professors are quite willing to help them out. However, many of the introductory classes are quite large, and some students complain of feeling anonymous. Most professors do make a genuine attempt to get to know all of their students; however, the class size sometimes makes that feat quite impossible. Students really have to make their presence known to their teachers in order to receive individualized attention. The core curriculum is quite varied, and often takes students quite awhile to complete. The students take their requirements in “clusters” that deal with some congruous area of study.

The Social Scene

The town of Harrisonburg, Virginia is quite small, and doesn't really offer students much in the way of entertainment. There are the usual amenities like a mall and grocery stores, as well as several bars, shops, and cafes, however, students usually come up with their own ways of having fun. There are a fair amount of fraternities and sororities on campus that are quite popular with students, and they often throw some pretty rowdy parties on the weekends that are well attended. The administration is quite strict when it comes to partying, however, so much of the drinking is done off campus. The school also offers students over 230 student-run clubs and organizations, from a T.V. station to a capella groups.

The dating scene is nice and laid back, just like the school; we hear there are some pretty attractive guys and girls alike...

What’s Good

“Everyone here is just really chill; I never feel like there's too much competition between us.”

“Even though the school is kind of big, it feels more like a small liberal arts college, and its easy to feel at home here.”

“The dorms are always available, and you shouldn't have a hard time getting into on-campus housing.”

What’s Bad

“The administration is really uptight sometimes, and if they hear anything about a party, you can be sure it'll be busted.”

“A lot of the classes are just way too big, and it's impossible to get to know your professors.”

“There isn't much diversity here, and it seems like most of the people you meet are all the same.”

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