First-year deadlines, 2026–27
| Plan | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Early action Apply early, hear early, not binding. | November 1, 2026 |
| Regular decision The standard deadline, with answers in spring. Not binding. | January 15, 2027 |
Plans are listed in calendar order. What the plans mean
Source: jmu.edu · checked September 26, 2026
What families actually pay
Average yearly net price after grants, in-state students, by family income
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, College Scorecard · data snapshot October 2, 2026
AP credit
Most-taken exams, lowest score that earns credit| Exam | Min score | James Madison University course | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calculus AB | 3 | MATH 205 3 Yes | |
| Calculus BC | 3 | MATH 206 plus MATH 205 or MATH 235 depending on…MATH 206 plus MATH 205 or MATH 235 depending on the subscore earned for CALC AB content 6 or 7 Yes | |
| Biology | 3 | BIO 140 / BIO 140L 4 Yes | |
| Chemistry | 3 | CHEM 120 and CHEM 000 or ISCI 101 and ISCI 104 4 Yes | |
| Physics 1 | 3 | PHYS 140 & PHYS 140L 4 Yes | |
| English Language and Composition | 4 | WRTC 103 3 Yes | |
| English Literature and Composition | 5 | GNED 123 3 Yes | |
| Psychology | 4 | PSYC 101 3 Yes |
Show all 38 exams and every score level
| Exam | Min score | Course | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calculus AB | 3 | MATH 205 3 Yes | |
| Calculus AB | 4 | MATH 235 4 Yes | |
| Calculus BC | 3 | MATH 206 plus MATH 205 or MATH 235 depending on…MATH 206 plus MATH 205 or MATH 235 depending on the subscore earned for CALC AB content 6 or 7 Yes | |
| Calculus BC | 4 | MATH 235 & MATH 236 8 Yes | |
| Biology | 3 | BIO 140 / BIO 140L 4 Yes | |
| Biology | 4 | BIO 140 / BIO 140L & BIO 150 / BIO 150L or ISAT…BIO 140 / BIO 140L & BIO 150 / BIO 150L or ISAT 113 , ISCI 104 & BIO 000 8 Yes | |
| Chemistry | 3 | CHEM 120 and CHEM 000 or ISCI 101 and ISCI 104 4 Yes | |
| Chemistry | 4 | ISAT majors: ISAT 112 & ISAT 000 However, to earn…ISAT majors: ISAT 112 & ISAT 000 However, to earn credit for ISAT 112 , students must earn a 4 or higher on both the Environmental Science exam and the Chemistry exam. Yes | |
| Chemistry | 4 | Majors: CHEM 131 & CHEM 132 6 Yes | |
| Chemistry | 4 | Non majors: GEOL 115 , ISCI 104 & ISAT 000 8 Yes | |
| Chemistry | 4 | Nonmajors: CHEM 131 & CHEM 131L and CHEM 132 &…Nonmajors: CHEM 131 & CHEM 131L and CHEM 132 & CHEM 131L - CHEM 132L or CHEM 120 & CHEM 000 8 Yes | |
| Physics 1 | 3 | PHYS 140 & PHYS 140L 4 Yes | |
| English Language and Composition | 4 | WRTC 103 3 Yes | |
| English Literature and Composition | 5 | GNED 123 3 Yes | |
| Psychology | 4 | PSYC 101 3 Yes | |
| Statistics | 3 | MATH 220 or ISAT 251 3 Yes | |
| Computer Science A | 3 | CS 000 3 No | |
| Computer Science A | 5 | CS 149 3 No | |
| Macroeconomics | 4 | ECON 200 3 Yes | |
| Microeconomics | 4 | ECON 201 3 No | |
| World History: Modern | 4 | HIST 102 3 Yes | |
| Environmental Science | 3 | ENVT 101 4 Yes | |
| Environmental Science | 4 | ISAT majors: ISAT 112 & ISAT 000 However, to earn…ISAT majors: ISAT 112 & ISAT 000 However, to earn credit for ISAT 112 , students must earn a 4 or higher on both the Environmental Science exam and the Chemistry exam. Non majors: GEOL 115 , ISCI 104 & ISAT 000 8 Yes | |
| Physics 2 | 3 | PHYS 150 & PHYS 150L 4 No | |
| European History | 3 | HIST 000 3 No | |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 3 | SPAN 231 3 No | |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 4 | SPAN 232 3 No | |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 5 | SPAN 300 -level 3 No | |
| Computer Science Principles | 3 | CS 000 3 No | |
| Art History | 4 | ARTH 206 3 Yes | |
| 2-D Art and Design | 4 | FDS 102 or ART 292 3 No | |
| 3-D Art and Design | 4 | ART 000 or ART 292 3 No | |
| African American Studies | 3 | AAAD 000 2 No | |
| African American Studies | 4 | GNED 142 3 Yes | |
| Chinese Language and Culture | 3 | CHIN 231 3 No | |
| Chinese Language and Culture | 4 | CHIN 232 3 No | |
| Chinese Language and Culture | 5 | CHIN 300 -level 3 No | |
| Comparative Government and Politics | 4 | POSC 240 3 No | |
| Drawing | 4 | ART 000 or ART 292 3 No | |
| French Language or French Literature | 3 | FR 231 3 No | |
| French Language or French Literature | 4 | FR 232 3 No | |
| French Language or French Literature | 5 | FR 300 -level 3 No | |
| Geography, Human | 3 | GEOG 200 3 Yes | |
| German Language and Culture | 3 | GER 231 3 No | |
| German Language and Culture | 4 | GER 232 3 No | |
| German Language and Culture | 5 | GER 300 -level 3 No | |
| Government: U.S | 4 | POSC 225 4 Yes | |
| History: U.S | 4 | HIST 225 4 Yes | |
| Italian Language and Culture | 3 | ITAL 231 3 No | |
| Italian Language and Culture | 4 | ITAL 232 3 No | |
| Italian Language and Culture | 5 | ITAL 300 -level 3 No | |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 3 | JAPN 231 3 No | |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 4 | JAPN 232 3 No | |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 5 | JAPN 300 -level 3 No | |
| Latin | 3 | LAT 231 3 No | |
| Latin | 4 | LAT 232 3 No | |
| Music Theory – Aural Subscore | 5 | MUS 143 1 No | |
| Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 3 | PHYS 150 & PHYS 150L 4 Yes | |
| Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 4 | PHYS 250 & PHYS 250L 4 No | |
| Physics C: Mechanics | 3 | PHYS 140 & PHYS 140L 4 Yes | |
| Physics C: Mechanics | 4 | PHYS 240 & PHYS 240L 4 No | |
| Precalculus | 3 | MATH 155 3 No | |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 3 | SPAN 231 3 No | |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 4 | SPAN 232 3 No | |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 5 | SPAN 300 -level 3 No |
Source: catalog.jmu.edu · checked September 25, 2026
Biggest majors
| Major | Graduates |
|---|---|
| Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling | 449 |
| Speech Communication and Rhetoric | 426 |
| Psychology | 294 |
| Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | 274 |
| Biology/Biological Sciences | 179 |
| Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | 176 |
| Marketing/Marketing Management | 166 |
| Elementary Education and Teaching | 163 |
Show the other 46 majors
| Business Administration and Management | 148 |
| Information Science/Studies | 146 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 139 |
| Art/Art Studies | 136 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies | 134 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | 127 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | 123 |
| Political Science and Government | 115 |
| Finance | 106 |
| Accounting | 90 |
| Economics | 77 |
| Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist | 76 |
| Music Performance | 75 |
| History | 70 |
| Advanced Legal Research/Studies | 70 |
| Engineering | 69 |
| Science, Technology and Society | 62 |
| Health/Health Care Administration/Management | 61 |
| English Language and Literature | 57 |
| International Relations and Affairs | 54 |
| Sociology | 54 |
| Systems Science and Theory | 52 |
| Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts | 52 |
| Geography | 48 |
| Social Work | 48 |
| Public Administration | 45 |
| Professional, Technical, Business, and Scientific Writing | 43 |
| Chemistry | 33 |
| Anthropology | 31 |
| Mathematics | 27 |
| Special Education and Teaching | 21 |
| Geology/Earth Science | 21 |
| Philosophy and Religious Studies, Other | 21 |
| Biotechnology | 21 |
| Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies | 20 |
| Physics | 16 |
| Foreign Languages and Literatures | 14 |
| Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching | 14 |
| Early Childhood Education and Teaching | 13 |
| International Business/Trade/Commerce | 12 |
| Secondary Education and Teaching | 12 |
| Information Technology | 10 |
| Business/Managerial Economics | 7 |
| Art History, Criticism and Conservation | 4 |
| Financial Mathematics | 4 |
| Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor | 3 |
Bachelor’s graduates, first major, most recent year · Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, IPEDS · data snapshot October 2, 2026
Ranked programs
Where James Madison University ranks in the top 25 on our top-programs lists, best rank first. How we rank programs
- #17 for Hospitality managementof 50 colleges
Sports and campus life
Men’s varsity · NCAA Division I, Sun Belt
Baseball, Basketball, Football, Golf, Soccer, Tennis
Women’s varsity · NCAA Division I, Sun Belt
Basketball, Field Hockey, Golf, Lacrosse, Soccer, Softball, Swimming and Diving (combined), Tennis, Track and Field and Cross Country (combined), Volleyball
ROTC
Air Force, Army
Faith groups
BYX, Cru, Hillel, InterVarsity, Newman Connection
Also
Honors college, Esports, Study abroad
Greek life
4% of men in fraternities · 5% of women in sororities · 5% of undergraduates overall (Common Data Set 2023–24)
Sources: U.S. Dept. of Education athletics data (EADA), Common Data Set (Greek life), en.wikipedia.org · checked September 4, 2026 · data snapshot October 2, 2026
The place
Setting
City, small
Federal locale classification
Metro area
Harrisonburg, VA
138,838 people
Big-city metro (1 million+)
No
More about the place
Nearest airport
Charlottesville-Albemarle (CHO)
Nearest hub airport
Washington Dulles International (IAD)
Walkability
EPA walkability index 14.7 of 20
Elevation
1,308 ft
Time zone
Eastern
January low
23°F
July high
86°F
Annual snowfall
19.4 in
Days at 90°F or higher
21 per year
One-bedroom fair market rent
$1,210 per month
Sources: U.S. Dept. of Education (IPEDS locale), U.S. Census metro estimates, NOAA climate normals, HUD fair market rents, EPA walkability · data snapshot October 2, 2026
Colleges nearby
- Eastern Mennonite University2 mi
- Bridgewater College7 mi
- Mary Baldwin University22 mi
- University of Virginia-Main Campus34 mi
- Virginia Military Institute54 mi
- Washington and Lee University54 mi
Straight-line distance between campuses
Similar colleges
Public, city campus, NCAA Division I, similar size
- Virginia Commonwealth University21,205 students
- University of Kansas20,696 students
- East Carolina University21,328 students
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill20,681 students
- The University of Texas at El Paso20,609 students
- California State University-Fresno21,430 students