James Madison University: Narrative Description

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JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY D-11

800 South Main St.
Harrisonburg, VA 22807
Tel: (540)568-6211; Admissions: (540)568-5681; Fax: (540)568-3332; E-mail: [email protected]; Web Site: http://www.jmu.edu/

Description: State-supported, comprehensive, coed. Awards bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees and post-master's certificates (also offers specialist in education degree). Founded 1908. Setting: 605-acre small town campus. Endowment: $23.8 million. Research spending 2002-03: $4.5 million. Educational spending 2002-03: $4674 per student. Total enrollment: 16,203. Faculty: 996 (721 full-time, 275 part-time). Student-undergrad faculty ratio is 17:1. 15,056 applied, 62% were admitted. 30% from top 10% of their high school class, 79% from top quarter, 99% from top half. Full-time: 14,354 students, 60% women, 40% men. Part-time: 637 students, 48% women, 52% men. Students come from 49 states and territories, 48 other countries, 30% from out-of-state, 0.2% Native American, 2% Hispanic, 3% black, 5% Asian American or Pacific Islander, 1% international, 2% 25 or older, 40% live on campus, 4% transferred in. Retention: 92% of 2003 full-time freshmen returned. Academic areas with the most degrees conferred: business/marketing; social sciences and history; health professions and related sciences. Core. Calendar: semesters. Services for LD students, advanced placement, accelerated degree program, freshman honors college, honors program, independent study, distance learning, double major, summer session for credit, part-time degree program, adult/continuing education programs, internships, graduate courses open to undergrads. Study abroad program. ROTC: Army, Air Force (c).

Entrance Requirements: Options: electronic application, early action, deferred admission, international baccalaureate accepted. Required: essay, high school transcript, SAT I or ACT. Recommended: minimum 3.0 high school GPA. Entrance: very difficult. Application deadlines: 1/15, 11/1 for early action. Notification: 4/1, 1/15 for early action. Preference given to state residents.

Costs Per Year: Application fee: $40. State resident tuition: $5058 Full-time. Nonresident tuition: $13,280 full-time. College room and board: $5966. College room only: $3088. Room and board charges vary according to board plan and housing facility.

Collegiate Environment: Orientation program. Drama-theater group, choral group, marching band, student-run newspaper, radio station. Social organizations: 286 open to all; national fraternities, national sororities; 10% of eligible men and 16% of eligible women are members. Most popular organizations: Student Ambassadors, sports clubs, service organizations, special interest groups. Major annual events: Homecoming, Parents' Weekend, Commencement. Student services: health clinic, personal-psychological counseling. Campus security: 24-hour emergency response devices and patrols, student patrols, late night transport-escort service, controlled dormitory access, lighted pathways. College housing designed to accommodate 5,672 students; 5,739 undergraduates lived in college housing during 2001-02. On-campus residence required in freshman year. Option: coed housing available. Carrier Library plus 2 others with 744,041 books, 1.4 million microform titles, 3,367 serials, 31,424 audiovisual materials, an OPAC, and a Web page. Operations spending 2002-03: $5 million. 600 computers available on campus for general student use. Computer purchase/lease plans available. A campuswide network can be accessed from student residence rooms and from off campus. Staffed computer lab on campus.

Community Environment: Located in the geographic center of Shenandoah Valley, Harrisonburg is an attractive city of 30,000 people. The Shenandoah National Park and the George Washington National Forest are here. All forms of commercial transportation are available. Community facilities include a number of churches, a library, hospital, and various civic and service organizations. Recreational facilities are available for camping, fishing, and picnicking. A snow skiing resort is also nearby.

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