James Madison University (JMU) vs Virginia Tech

Nestled in the heart of Virginia, James Madison University (JMU) and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) stand as two prominent 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 higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for prospective students. Virginia Tech, on the other hand, has a larger student body and offers a wider range of academic programs, including engineering and agriculture. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details about these universities, including popular majors, student demographics, graduation rates, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	James Madison University	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Overview
Location	Harrisonburg, Virginia	Blacksburg, 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	91.0%	92.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	86.3%	56.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1140 - 1310	1210 - 1410
ACT range	24 - 29	26 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%	83.0%
Students submitting ACT score	5.0%	35.0%
Total number of applicants	21,176	42,054
Total number of admissions given out	18,265	23,746
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,767	6,758
Yield rate	26.1%	28.5%
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: $30,104 Out of state: $49,787
Average net price	$18,528	$20,109
Tuition	In state: $7,460 Out of state: $23,800	In state: $11,750 Out of state: $30,829
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,564 Meal plan: $5,986	Room/dormitory: $5,890 Meal plan: $4,736
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan Other alternative tuition plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	31.0% Average amount $9,594	58.0% Average amount $8,018
Students receiving federal student loan	33.0% Average amount $5,199	40.0% Average amount $5,316
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $18,776	9.0% Average amount $20,728

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	20,070 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%	29,760 Men 57.3% Women 42.7%
Graduate students	2,096 Men 29.4% Women 70.6%	7,519 Men 56.5% Women 43.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	39.5%
International students	1.4%	9.9%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	6,513	9,471
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Virginia Maryland New Jersey North Carolina Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts	Engineering Business Family and Consumer Sciences Computer and Information Science Natural Resources and Conservation
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	14:1
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%	86.6%
Dropout rate	17.4%	12.3%
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	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,287 Year 2: $113,246 Year 3: $125,427 Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,383 Year 2: $96,691 Year 3: $106,931 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $82,448 Year 2: $88,678 Year 3: $96,747 Veterinary Medicine (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $76,172 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $93,580 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $75,104 Year 2: $78,488 Year 3: $90,164 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,370 Year 2: $75,518 Year 3: $87,658 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $81,573 Year 2: $91,211 Year 3: $84,990 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,460 Year 2: $73,635 Year 3: $83,712 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,805 Year 2: $73,272 Year 3: $82,738 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,610 Year 2: $70,680 Year 3: $81,822

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James Madison University (JMU) vs Virginia Tech

James Madison University

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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