A center for academic excellence

James Madison University (JMU) is a highly ranked public university - part of the statewide system of public higher education in the Commonwealth of Virginia, USA. It offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs focused on creating opportunities for students to learn how to have great success in our changing world.

JMU provides a total education to students - one that has a broad range of the liberal arts as its foundation, encompasses an extensive variety of professional and pre-professional programs, and offers a multitude of learning experiences outside the classroom. There is a very broad range of undergraduate majors including a top-ranked business program.

JMU has over 19,000 students from 70 different countries and is located just 2 hours from Washington, D.C.

The University is considered highly selective by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. In 2010, the university received over 22,000 applications for 4,000 places.

Quick facts

• Category: Public/State University
• Founded: 1908
• Student population: 19,434
• Number of international students: 320 
• Countries represented: 70
• Most represented countries: Kazakhstan, South Korea, China, Canada, Saudi Arabia, UK 
• Student/faculty ratio: 16:1
• Full-time teaching faculty: 906
• Faculty with highest (terminal) degree: 78%
• Degree programs offered: Bachelor's 69, Master's 31, Educational Specialist 2, Doctoral 7
• Degrees awarded (09/10): bachelor's 3,733; graduate 678
• Most popular courses
  - undergraduate: Business, Management, Marketing, Health Professions, Communications, Journalism
  - graduate: IT, Visual and Performing Arts, Computer Science
• Freshman (first-year) to sophomore (second-year) retention rate: 93%
• Overall graduation rate (2010): 82%
• Location: Harrisonburg in the heart of Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, USA 

Student involvement

Faculty and students share an unusually close relationship, and the curriculum is innovative and alive. What's most notable about the JMU experience is the incredibly high level of student involvement in the classroom, the lab and activities around and off campus. The amount of undergraduate research in the sciences has been cited as peerless. The Service Learning Program is nationally known for giving students the opportunity to apply classroom learning to real world situations. Internships are integral to the curriculum.

All this adds up to an education that offers students an opportunity to apply what they learn and to see what works. And knowing what works is the key to leading a productive and meaningful life.

Read more about the unique teaching and learning methods at JMU.