James Madison University (JMU) vs University of Nevada-Reno (UNR)

Nestled in the heart of Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, James Madison University (JMU) stands as a beacon of academic excellence, while the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) thrives as a vibrant hub of knowledge in the Biggest Little City in the World. Both institutions offer a wealth of opportunities for students to pursue their academic aspirations, but they also possess distinct characteristics that set them apart. From their contrasting acceptance rates and popular majors to their diverse student bodies and graduation outcomes, JMU and UNR present unique experiences that cater to different preferences and aspirations. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into the details and discover which university aligns best with your academic goals and personal aspirations.

	James Madison University	University of Nevada-Reno
Overview
Location	Harrisonburg, Virginia	Reno, Nevada
Campus setting	City: Small	City: 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%	78.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	86.3%	88.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $60
SAT range	1140 - 1310	1060 - 1270
ACT range	24 - 29	20 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%	12.0%
Students submitting ACT score	5.0%	60.0%
Total number of applicants	21,176	9,421
Total number of admissions given out	18,265	8,306
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,767	3,412
Yield rate	26.1%	41.1%
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: $29,293 Out of state: $46,219	In state: $26,796 Out of state: $42,888
Average net price	$18,528	$16,398
Tuition	In state: $7,460 Out of state: $23,800	In state: $7,470 Out of state: $23,562
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,564 Meal plan: $5,986	Room/dormitory: $5,850 Meal plan: $5,792
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	31.0% Average amount $9,594	86.0% Average amount $7,232
Students receiving federal student loan	33.0% Average amount $5,199	29.0% Average amount $5,001
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $18,776	4.0% Average amount $12,013

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	20,070 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%	17,025 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
Graduate students	2,096 Men 29.4% Women 70.6%	4,009 Men 39.3% Women 60.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	26.1%
International students	1.4%	2.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	6,513	3,524
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Nevada California Hawaii Oregon Washington

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts	Health Professions Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Public Administration and Social Service Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	81.8%	62.7%
Dropout rate	17.4%	34.1%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,016 Year 2: $104,192 Year 3: $106,685 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $79,284 Year 3: $89,037 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $79,780 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $86,482 Mining and Mineral Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $82,783 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,402 Year 2: $67,473 Year 3: $78,990 Civil Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,203 Year 2: $66,169 Year 3: $77,729 Psychology, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,770 Year 3: $75,701 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,757 Year 2: $69,161 Year 3: $74,927 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,629 Year 2: $67,324 Year 3: $73,298 Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $56,591 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $71,617

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James Madison University (JMU) vs University of Nevada-Reno (UNR)

James Madison University

University of Nevada-Reno

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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