James Madison University (JMU) vs University of Maryland-College Park (UMD)

When it comes to choosing the right university, it's essential to compare institutions to find the best fit. James Madison University (JMU) and University of Maryland-College Park (UMD) are two prominent universities with distinct characteristics. JMU, located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, offers a vibrant campus life and is known for its strong undergraduate programs, while UMD, situated in College Park, Maryland, boasts a large research university setting and a diverse range of graduate and professional programs. With different acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates, these universities cater to different student preferences and aspirations. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover which university aligns better with your academic goals, campus preferences, and personal aspirations.

	James Madison University	University of Maryland-College Park
Overview
Location	Harrisonburg, Virginia	College Park, Maryland
Campus setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
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	91.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	86.3%	52.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1140 - 1310	1330 - 1510
ACT range	24 - 29	30 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%	34.0%
Students submitting ACT score	5.0%	9.0%
Total number of applicants	21,176	50,183
Total number of admissions given out	18,265	26,109
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,767	6,072
Yield rate	26.1%	23.3%
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: $29,293 Out of state: $46,219	In state: $30,997 Out of state: $58,678
Average net price	$18,528	$17,146
Tuition	In state: $7,460 Out of state: $23,800	In state: $9,000 Out of state: $36,681
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,564 Meal plan: $5,986	Room/dormitory: $8,072 Meal plan: $5,578
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	31.0% Average amount $9,594	56.0% Average amount $10,645
Students receiving federal student loan	33.0% Average amount $5,199	20.0% Average amount $5,065
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $18,776	4.0% Average amount $22,924

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	20,070 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%	30,922 Men 50.8% Women 49.2%
Graduate students	2,096 Men 29.4% Women 70.6%	10,350 Men 50.7% Women 49.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	29.5%
International students	1.4%	10.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	6,513	11,846
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Maryland New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Virginia

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts	Engineering Business Education Computer and Information Science Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	81.8%	87.7%
Dropout rate	17.4%	4.0%
Transferred out	N/A	7.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,765 Year 2: $106,102 Year 3: $116,295 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $125,155 Year 2: $112,923 Year 3: $112,074 Engineering, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,533 Year 2: $94,112 Year 3: $102,555 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,018 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $101,716 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $84,727 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $99,501 Physics (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $72,899 Year 3: $92,830 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $88,418 Year 2: $80,466 Year 3: $92,230 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,675 Year 2: $72,762 Year 3: $83,667 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,798 Year 2: $71,761 Year 3: $82,867 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,391 Year 2: $66,485 Year 3: $82,784

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.

James Madison University (JMU) vs University of Maryland-College Park (UMD)

James Madison University

University of Maryland-College Park

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

Compare Similar Colleges

Find Colleges By State

Resources

About