James Madison University (JMU) vs Virginia Military Institute

Nestled in the heart of Virginia, James Madison University (JMU) and Virginia Military Institute (VMI) stand as two distinct institutions of higher learning, each offering a unique educational experience. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in several key aspects. JMU boasts a significantly higher acceptance rate, welcoming a more diverse student body, while VMI's rigorous military training program sets it apart. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details, including popular majors, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your decision. Discover which university aligns best with your aspirations and pave the way for a fulfilling academic journey.

	James Madison University	Virginia Military Institute
Overview
Location	Harrisonburg, Virginia	Lexington, Virginia
Campus setting	City: Small	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	91.0%	87.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	86.3%	63.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $60	$40
SAT range	1140 - 1310	1080 - 1300
ACT range	24 - 29	22 - 27
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	5.0%	12.0%
Total number of applicants	21,176	1,549
Total number of admissions given out	18,265	990
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,767	461
Yield rate	26.1%	46.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $29,293 Out of state: $46,219	In state: $33,182 Out of state: $61,836
Average net price	$18,528	$18,100
Tuition	In state: $7,460 Out of state: $23,800	In state: $9,782 Out of state: $38,436
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,564 Meal plan: $5,986	Room/dormitory: $3,102 Meal plan: $7,260
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	91.0% Average amount $10,832
Students receiving federal student loan	33.0% Average amount $5,199	59.0% Average amount $3,385
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $18,776	11.0% Average amount $22,604

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	20,070 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%	1,652 Men 86.2% Women 13.8%
Graduate students	2,096 Men 29.4% Women 70.6%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	38.2%
International students	1.4%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	6,513	1,751
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Virginia Pennsylvania Maryland North Carolina New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts	Engineering Social Sciences Psychology Biological and Biomedical Sciences History
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	81.8%	73.7%
Dropout rate	17.4%	4.4%
Transferred out	N/A	21.7%
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	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,118 Year 2: $41,937 Year 3: $60,559 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,215 Year 2: $44,942 Year 3: $59,186 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,030 Year 2: $49,270 Year 3: $57,955 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,302 Year 2: $39,305 Year 3: $55,311 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,325 Year 2: $45,094 Year 3: $55,205 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,487 Year 2: $38,649 Year 3: $52,930 Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,025 Year 2: $39,909 Year 3: $52,845 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,712 Year 2: $41,007 Year 3: $43,814 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,367 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,671 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: N/A

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James Madison University (JMU) vs Virginia Military Institute

James Madison University

Virginia Military Institute

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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