JMU Admission Requirements

Acceptance Rate

How hard is it to get into JMU and can I get accepted? The school has a 71% acceptance rate ranking it #25 in Virginia for lowest rate of acceptance. Last year, 16,467 out of 23,149 applicants were admitted making JMU a moderately competitive school to get into with a strong chance of acceptance if you meet the requirements.  Academically, it has difficult requirements for admission test scores, generally admitting students who score in the top 34 percent. James Madison University typically accepts and attracts "B+" average high school students. Only 28% of those admitted chose to enroll in the school. Most incoming freshmen graduated in the top half of their high school class.

SAT Requirements & Average SAT Score

SAT Scores you need to get in

What are the SAT requirements for students to be admitted to James Madison University?

James Madison University typically requires applicants to be in the top 37 percent of SAT test takers. The school consistently takes SAT composite scores down to 1120 on a 1600 scale, below which admission should be considered a reach. We estimate some students could be accepted with SAT's as low as 1030. The estimated average SAT composite for admitted freshman is 1210 out of 1600. The school ranks #7 in Virginia for highest average SAT composite score. A competitive SAT score is critical as 74 percent of applicants submit SAT scores to the school.

Estimated Chance of Acceptance by SAT Score

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ACT Requirements & Average ACT Score

ACT Scores needed to get accepted

What are the ACT requirements for prospective students to get into JMU?

Admission data indicates that JMU regularly accepts students with ACT's of 23 and above. Successful applicants typically send ACT scores in the top 32 percent nationally. We estimate the school accepting minimum ACT composite scores around 20 in some instances. Prospective students submitting an ACT composite of 26 or higher should be in the upper half of applicants - and students with a 28 and above have very competitive chances. The school ranks #11 in Virginia for highest average ACT composite score. 21 percent of applicants submit ACT scores to James Madison University.

Estimated Chance of Acceptance by ACT Score

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Estimated GPA Requirements & Average GPA

What GPA do you need to get into James Madison University?

Applicants require very good grades in high school to get into JMU. The average high school GPA of the admitted freshman class at James Madison University was 3.57 on the 4.0 scale indicating that primarily B+ students are accepted and ultimately attend. The school ranks #11 in Virginia for highest average GPA. If your high school GPA meets these requirements, there is a good chance you will be accepted as JMU accepts 71% of students who apply.

 What do these ratings mean?

*This school has not released high school GPA data for its incoming freshmen. In these cases, CollegeSimply employs an artificial intelligence (AI) process to predict GPA based on this school's test scores and a large sample of other colleges' data. 3.57 is an estimate of the school's average incoming freshman GPA.

High School Class Rank

99% of James Madison University freshman were in the top half of their high school graduating class.

Admission Statistics

Fall 2020 Application Deadline

Admission Requirements

What are the requirements for admission to James Madison University and what student information is used for admission decisions?

Credits Accepted

Other Colleges to Consider

Primary data source, U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=232423 IPEDS survey data for James Madison University.

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