Bridgewater College vs James Madison University (JMU)

Bridgewater College and James Madison University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in Virginia, offer distinct educational experiences. Bridgewater College, a private liberal arts college, boasts a tight-knit community with a focus on personalized attention and undergraduate research opportunities. In contrast, James Madison University, a public research university, offers a wider range of academic programs, including graduate degrees, and is known for its strong pre-professional programs. While Bridgewater College has a lower acceptance rate and a smaller student body, JMU boasts a higher graduation rate and a more diverse student population. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bridgewater College	James Madison University
Overview
Location	Bridgewater, Virginia	Harrisonburg, Virginia
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	68.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Anabaptists

Admission
Acceptance rate	75.1%	86.3%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $60
SAT range	1065 - 1250	1140 - 1310
ACT range	22 - 28	24 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	17.0%	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	3.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	3,388	21,176
Total number of admissions given out	2,544	18,265
Admitted students who chose to enroll	398	4,767
Yield rate	15.6%	26.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$52,750	In state: $29,293 Out of state: $46,219
Average net price	$19,592	$18,528
Tuition	$37,500	In state: $7,460 Out of state: $23,800
Room & board	$13,360	Room/dormitory: $5,564 Meal plan: $5,986
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $32,545	31.0% Average amount $9,594
Students receiving federal student loan	66.0% Average amount $5,510	33.0% Average amount $5,199
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $14,207	8.0% Average amount $18,776

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,427 Men 46.3% Women 53.7%	20,070 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%
Graduate students	36 Men 36.1% Women 63.9%	2,096 Men 29.4% Women 70.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	1.8%	1.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,380	6,513
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences Psychology Communication and Journalism Liberal Arts	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.1%	81.8%
Dropout rate	37.7%	17.4%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,588 Year 2: $38,559 Year 3: $45,603 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,293 Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $42,550 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,003 Year 2: $31,042 Year 3: $40,629 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,642 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $40,434 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,400 Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $40,402 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $36,416 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,542 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $35,072 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,753 Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: $34,515 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,038 Year 2: $32,467 Year 3: $33,797 Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $23,649 Year 3: $26,916	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $106,893 Year 2: $116,083 Year 3: $116,887 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $103,590 Year 2: $91,744 Year 3: $105,768 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,457 Year 2: $72,659 Year 3: $85,951 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,020 Year 2: $72,290 Year 3: $82,877 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,544 Year 2: $67,380 Year 3: $80,406 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,052 Year 2: $66,377 Year 3: $77,982 Systems Science and Theory (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,389 Year 2: $60,623 Year 3: $75,407 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,331 Year 2: $49,270 Year 3: $69,797 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,114 Year 2: $57,943 Year 3: $69,218 International Business (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,708 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $68,304

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Bridgewater College

Huntingdon College