James Madison University (JMU) vs Florida Atlantic University (FAU)

When it comes to choosing the right university, it's essential to compare institutions to find the best fit. James Madison University (JMU) and Florida Atlantic University (FAU) are two distinct universities with unique offerings. JMU, located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, boasts a higher acceptance rate (73%) compared to FAU's 56% in Boca Raton, Florida. JMU is known for its strong programs in business, nursing, and education, while FAU excels in engineering, business, and nursing. JMU's student body is predominantly white (73%) and female (58%), while FAU's student body is more diverse, with a larger Hispanic population (23%) and a more even gender distribution. JMU has a slightly higher graduation rate (73%) than FAU (69%). Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more distinctions between these two universities and make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Florida Atlantic University	James Madison University
Overview
Location	Boca Raton, Florida	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	80.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	78.0%	86.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $60
SAT range	1020 - 1200	1140 - 1310
ACT range	20 - 26	24 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	77.0%	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	23.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	25,148	21,176
Total number of admissions given out	19,617	18,265
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,925	4,767
Yield rate	20.0%	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: $24,605 Out of state: $37,050	In state: $29,293 Out of state: $46,219
Average net price	$8,771	$18,528
Tuition	In state: $2,522 Out of state: $14,374	In state: $7,460 Out of state: $23,800
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,100 Meal plan: $3,902	Room/dormitory: $5,564 Meal plan: $5,986
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	82.0% Average amount $11,013	31.0% Average amount $9,594
Students receiving federal student loan	28.0% Average amount $4,899	33.0% Average amount $5,199
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $14,642	8.0% Average amount $18,776

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	24,799 Men 41.9% Women 58.1%	20,070 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%
Graduate students	5,356 Men 38.0% Women 62.0%	2,096 Men 29.4% Women 70.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	3.8%	1.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	5,131	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	Health Professions Business Education Multidisciplinary Studies Engineering	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	21:1	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	55.4%	81.8%
Dropout rate	11.4%	17.4%
Transferred out	31.1%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $88,871 Year 2: $90,061 Year 3: $92,028 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $74,217 Year 2: $92,632 Year 3: $86,797 Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $70,866 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $79,750 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,854 Year 2: $64,865 Year 3: $74,441 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,298 Year 2: $63,600 Year 3: $73,548 Ocean Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,746 Year 2: $63,377 Year 3: $73,462 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,965 Year 2: $63,463 Year 3: $72,097 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,830 Year 2: $59,688 Year 3: $70,868 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,372 Year 2: $64,415 Year 3: $67,956 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,039 Year 2: $58,221 Year 3: $66,720	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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