James Madison University (JMU) vs App State

Nestled in the heart of Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, James Madison University (JMU) and Appalachian State University (ASU), located in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, stand as two prominent institutions of higher learning. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence and offer a vibrant campus life, they also possess distinct characteristics that set them apart. JMU boasts a higher acceptance rate, a more diverse student body, and a wider range of undergraduate programs, including popular majors like nursing, business, and education. ASU, on the other hand, has a stronger focus on the liberal arts and sciences, with popular majors such as psychology, biology, and political science. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details and discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Appalachian State University	James Madison University
Overview
Location	Boone, North Carolina	Harrisonburg, Virginia
Campus setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	86.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	84.7%	86.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $60
SAT range	1130 - 1300	1140 - 1310
ACT range	24 - 29	24 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	9.0%	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	23.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	21,120	21,176
Total number of admissions given out	17,886	18,265
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,099	4,767
Yield rate	22.9%	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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $22,220 Out of state: $37,827	In state: $29,293 Out of state: $46,219
Average net price	$12,735	$18,528
Tuition	In state: $4,242 Out of state: $19,849	In state: $7,460 Out of state: $23,800
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,595 Meal plan: $4,086	Room/dormitory: $5,564 Meal plan: $5,986
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Other alternative tuition plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	54.0% Average amount $7,652	31.0% Average amount $9,594
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $5,054	33.0% Average amount $5,199
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $12,285	8.0% Average amount $18,776

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	18,555 Men 43.3% Women 56.7%	20,070 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%
Graduate students	2,086 Men 29.6% Women 70.4%	2,096 Men 29.4% Women 70.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	10.5%	N/A
International students	0.5%	1.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	5,971	6,513
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	North Carolina South Carolina Virginia Georgia Florida	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts Public Administration and Social Service	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	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	72.7%	81.8%
Dropout rate	7.6%	17.4%
Transferred out	18.3%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,824 Year 2: $60,623 Year 3: $79,392 Educational Administration and Supervision (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $70,638 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,462 Year 2: $54,382 Year 3: $67,337 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $57,036 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $65,634 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $57,587 Year 2: $49,084 Year 3: $63,376 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,322 Year 2: $55,693 Year 3: $60,614 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,088 Year 2: $44,989 Year 3: $59,659 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,199 Year 2: $54,296 Year 3: $59,624 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,623 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $58,316 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,799 Year 2: $54,635 Year 3: $57,400	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

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