West Chester University of Pennsylvania (WCUPA) vs James Madison University (JMU)

West Chester University of Pennsylvania and James Madison University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. West Chester, rooted in a rich history dating back to 1871, boasts a tight-knit community with a focus on personalized attention. In contrast, James Madison, established in 1908, stands out for its vibrant and diverse student body, along with its strong emphasis on research and innovation. While both universities share similarities in their commitment to academic excellence, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	James Madison University	West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Overview
Location	Harrisonburg, Virginia	West Chester, Pennsylvania
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%	85.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	86.3%	89.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1140 - 1310	1070 - 1250
ACT range	24 - 29	23 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%	27.0%
Students submitting ACT score	5.0%	1.0%
Total number of applicants	21,176	14,020
Total number of admissions given out	18,265	12,528
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,767	2,628
Yield rate	26.1%	21.0%
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: $28,419 Out of state: $40,243
Average net price	$18,528	$14,133
Tuition	In state: $7,460 Out of state: $23,800	In state: $7,716 Out of state: $19,290
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,564 Meal plan: $5,986	Room/dormitory: $5,794 Meal plan: $3,700
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	100.0% Average amount $4,607
Students receiving federal student loan	33.0% Average amount $5,199	51.0% Average amount $5,238
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $18,776	11.0% Average amount $11,835

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	20,070 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%	14,471 Men 40.0% Women 60.0%
Graduate students	2,096 Men 29.4% Women 70.6%	3,143 Men 31.7% Women 68.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	11.4%
International students	1.4%	0.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	6,513	5,128
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Pennsylvania New Jersey Delaware Maryland New York

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	20:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	81.8%	72.8%
Dropout rate	17.4%	7.6%
Transferred out	N/A	18.4%
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: $78,514 Year 2: $91,211 Year 3: $102,513 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,034 Year 2: $70,863 Year 3: $83,078 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,346 Year 2: $66,653 Year 3: $74,076 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,184 Year 2: $59,253 Year 3: $67,374 Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,978 Year 2: $57,589 Year 3: $65,537 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,367 Year 2: $53,508 Year 3: $61,456 Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,396 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $58,904 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $53,608 Year 3: $57,532 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,096 Year 2: $58,402 Year 3: $56,740 Music (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $56,355

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West Chester University of Pennsylvania (WCUPA) vs James Madison University (JMU)

James Madison University

West Chester University of Pennsylvania

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Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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