James Madison University (JMU) vs Western Kentucky University (WKU)

Envision yourself immersed in a vibrant college town, surrounded by a diverse student body and endless opportunities for personal growth. As you embark on your higher education journey, it's crucial to find a university that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences. To help you make an informed decision, we present a comprehensive comparison of James Madison University and Western Kentucky University. Discover the unique strengths of each institution, from their acceptance rates and popular majors to student demographics and graduation rates. Dive into our detailed comparison table to uncover the nuances that set these two esteemed universities apart and find the perfect fit for your educational and personal aspirations.

	James Madison University	Western Kentucky University
Overview
Location	Harrisonburg, Virginia	Bowling Green, Kentucky
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%	73.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	86.3%	98.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1140 - 1310	N/A
ACT range	24 - 29	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	5.0%
Total number of applicants	21,176	7,255
Total number of admissions given out	18,265	7,145
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,767	2,832
Yield rate	26.1%	39.6%
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: $27,895 Out of state: $43,903
Average net price	$18,528	$12,395
Tuition	In state: $7,460 Out of state: $23,800	In state: $10,992 Out of state: $27,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,564 Meal plan: $5,986	Room/dormitory: $6,744 Meal plan: $3,964
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	98.0% Average amount $9,576
Students receiving federal student loan	33.0% Average amount $5,199	47.0% Average amount $5,128
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $18,776	5.0% Average amount $9,983

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	20,070 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%	14,729 Men 37.8% Women 62.2%
Graduate students	2,096 Men 29.4% Women 70.6%	2,021 Men 34.1% Women 65.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	1.4%	1.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	6,513	4,942
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Tennessee Indiana Illinois Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	18:1
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%	53.6%
Dropout rate	17.4%	22.1%
Transferred out	N/A	22.9%
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: $76,015 Year 2: $86,696 Year 3: $95,431 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $71,960 Year 2: $76,998 Year 3: $77,293 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,199 Year 2: $70,009 Year 3: $77,197 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,704 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $68,358 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,193 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $66,850 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,992 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $65,815 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,607 Year 2: $61,144 Year 3: $65,553 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,759 Year 2: $51,551 Year 3: $57,443 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $53,729 Year 2: $52,897 Year 3: $56,104 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,172 Year 2: $56,281 Year 3: $55,609

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James Madison University (JMU) vs Western Kentucky University (WKU)

James Madison University

Western Kentucky University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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