James Madison University
Locations: VA-Harrisonburg
Degrees: Bachelor's, Master's, Doctorates
Programs: Business, Engineering, Media Arts, Theatre/Dance, Education and many others (over 100 total)
Tuition Range: $4,000 - $11,000 per Semester
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Located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, James Madison University hosts a student enrollment of nearly 20,000, offering over 100 degree programs in fields of study that range from Accounting to Education to Theatre. The university includes a School of Media Arts and Design, which offers a major in Digital Video and Cinema and covers screenwriting, production, post-production and new technologies. Additionally, students can opt for a concentration in Music Industry within the Music Department.
A traditional university, JMU offers its curriculum in a conventional format, meaning you should expect to spend a minimum of four years for a bachelor’s degree. Residents of Virginia get a sizable break on tuition at about $4000 per semester; non-residents pay over twice that amount.
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Student Reviews
Located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, James Madison University hosts a student enrollment of nearly 20,000, offering over 100 degree programs in fields of study that range from Accounting to Education to Theatre. The university includes a School of Media Arts and Design, which offers a major in Digital Video and Cinema and covers screenwriting, production, post-production [...]
Review by Cathy D.
November 9, 2011 2.5most of the students here don’t have terrific attitudes. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve met some great people, you just have to search a little bit harder than you would in a diverse community. Yes, the rumors are true…the girl:guy ratio is about 60:40 (though it feels like 80:20) and A LOT of the girls are very pretty. Speaking as a girl myself, it’s very intimidating. Not only do I most of the time feel inadequate compared to the other females here, it makes it nearly impossible to find a decent guy with his head on straight because any guy who goes here basically has his choice of women. Guys, don’t let this fool you either, yea the girls are hot, but most are very shallow. I’d say about 70% of the students are here to party and 30% are here to actually get a good education. Parties here are OK. There is always a party to go on the weekend and there’s always free alcohol to drink which is good. But, often times parties get too crowded and you have to wait 30 minutes just to get a beer. So, unless you make a solid group of friends who like to hang out and drink on the weekend, most freshman are limited to overcrowded parties consisting mainly of girls.
Harrisonburg SUCKS. When I first visited JMU I really thought I could live down here, it appeared that Hburg was just your typical, cute southern town. Believe me when I say, there is NOTHING in this town…the only reason it is here is because of the university. Other than a Wal-Mart and the “Valley Mall” there’s not much to do here. Also, transportation is hard to find as a freshman. Shockingly enough, in a town with a University of 15,000 students, there are no train stations in Harrisonburg (closest one is 20 mins south) and no Greyhound bus stations. This makes it hard, especially when freshman aren’t allowed to have cars…it makes getting home a real pain in the butt. There is a Home Ride bus that runs on the weekends, but it only goes as far north as Vienna, VA (DC area) so it makes it tough for us northerners.
Review by Leo T.
October 14, 2011 1I attended JMU for a year before transferring and I will give you an honest review of my experience there. There is a certain type of student that would enjoy this school – preppy, conservative, small-town, rich white kids. Minus the conservative part, I match that criteria. But I could not BELIEVE how oppressed I still felt there. The students at JMU are COMPLETELY closed-minded. You either have tan, fake barbie bitches or ridiculous religious freaks- it’s like a cult. I was ostracized in my debate class because I argued FOR same-sex marriage. Granted, I came out of state from up North so naturally I suppose I was raised with a more liberal mindset – but I would not consider myself a liberal by any means. The students at this school simply have no life skills or real world experience – they may succeed academically, but they could not survive a day in the real world where there are people with different opinions than them! OH and everybody is racist. I transferred out of there in hope to surround myself with decent college students who are well-informed about the world and actually care about more than just getting drunk every night. Oh, and if you don’t drink there’s absolutely nothing to do there. I do drink and very much enjoy to do so, but going to the same house parties every weekend gets old very quickly. And although I immersed myself in clubs and extra curricular activities, I could not find one person who seemed to have any individuality. Please take this comment into serious consideration when choosing a college.
Review by Samuel R. (source)
August 11, 2011 4Students who want to enjoy their next four years. If you know what major you want or don’t then that’s fine, you have quite a while to decide and quite a few majors to choose from. There is diversity also. The only problem is that JMU does suffer from a bit of grade inflation, so if you’re looking to end up being a lawyer or something who stands out from the rest, you may want to look into another college. You may still want to come here, but you’d have to engage yourselves in quite a variety of extracurricular activities I should assume, which JMU has a lot of.
Review by SchoolReview
September 30, 2010 1If you are a drunk then JMU is the perfect place for you. I am not a JMU student, but I have lived here all of my life and I have many friends that went to JMU. College is supposed to be about getting an education and opening your eyes to the world, but JMU is far from all of that. The college has taken over Harrisonburg, which used to be a very nice small town. The school buys every building it gets its hands on. Each year there are more and more arrogant students starting, mostly from New Jersey for some weird reason, and they are ruining this town. JMU has a reputation for parties and riots. There is nothing good about this school. Like other people have said, if you want to get drunk every night and sleep around with a lot of people then go to JMU, but if you want to actually get an education and learn about the world some, then don’t come here. There are so many better schools out there. I have no idea why anyone in their right mind would come to JMU. Don’t waste your time or money there.
Review by Erin C.
May 24, 2010 2.8There are plenty of computer labs on campus. Even during crunch times, it isn’t too hard to find an open computer. Most people have their own computers, but it is more of a convenience than a necessity. The dorms have Ethernet cable hookups in the rooms with wireless in the study lounge, but both are incredibly slow.
Review by Alison B.
July 26, 2009 5Best college in the US! I attended JMU and graduated a semester early in December of 2005. I made some lasting friendships and learned invaluable lessons while there. The food is amazing, the scenery is beautiful and the school has everything someone could want while not being overcrowded or overdone. I miss it every day and am now attending ODU for my graduate degree and all I have to say is – it ain’t JMU! I LOVE that place and one day hope my children will attend. JMU DUUKKEEESSSSSSS!!!
Review by Dave K.
April 30, 2009 3.8good college!……………… Education is priority. Worth tuition….. Graduate ’10. Can’t wait. Fin aid office