James Madison University (JMU) vs Coastal Carolina University

Envision yourself immersed in the vibrant college towns of Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Conway, South Carolina, home to James Madison University (JMU) and Coastal Carolina University (CCU), respectively. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence and student success, they offer distinct experiences shaped by their unique characteristics. JMU boasts a higher acceptance rate, attracting a diverse student body with a strong focus on liberal arts and sciences. CCU, on the other hand, has a more selective admissions process and is renowned for its programs in business, education, and hospitality. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details about these institutions, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Coastal Carolina University	James Madison University
Overview
Location	Conway, South Carolina	Harrisonburg, Virginia
Campus setting	City: Small	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	72.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	79.1%	86.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $60
SAT range	1030 - 1190	1140 - 1310
ACT range	20 - 25	24 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	29.0%	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	15,481	21,176
Total number of admissions given out	12,251	18,265
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,519	4,767
Yield rate	20.6%	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	In state: $26,318 Out of state: $42,072	In state: $29,293 Out of state: $46,219
Average net price	$14,956	$18,528
Tuition	In state: $11,460 Out of state: $27,214	In state: $7,460 Out of state: $23,800
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,440 Meal plan: $3,928	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)	91.0% Average amount $9,834	31.0% Average amount $9,594
Students receiving federal student loan	60.0% Average amount $5,848	33.0% Average amount $5,199
Students taking out private loans	16.0% Average amount $20,291	8.0% Average amount $18,776

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,790 Men 44.9% Women 55.1%	20,070 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%
Graduate students	683 Men 30.7% Women 69.3%	2,096 Men 29.4% Women 70.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	60.2%	N/A
International students	1.2%	1.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	4,728	6,513
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	South Carolina New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Maryland	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences Business Communication and Journalism	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	51.2%	81.8%
Dropout rate	11.4%	17.4%
Transferred out	36.7%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,378 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $69,235 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $44,086 Year 2: $48,198 Year 3: $61,332 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,114 Year 2: $53,497 Year 3: $60,248 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,888 Year 2: $65,750 Year 3: $59,685 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,976 Year 2: $34,704 Year 3: $44,693 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,824 Year 2: $42,873 Year 3: $44,446 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,464 Year 2: $37,856 Year 3: $44,425 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,250 Year 2: $38,168 Year 3: $43,145 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,430 Year 2: $38,597 Year 3: $42,978 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,101 Year 2: $36,423 Year 3: $42,472	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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