Western Washington University (WWU) vs James Madison University (JMU)

Western Washington University and James Madison University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Western Washington, nestled in the picturesque Pacific Northwest, boasts an acceptance rate of 84%, while James Madison, located in the vibrant Shenandoah Valley, maintains a slightly more selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 73%. While both universities offer a diverse range of academic programs, Western Washington excels in Environmental Science and Marine Biology, whereas James Madison is renowned for its strengths in Media Arts and Design, and Integrated Science and Technology. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further distinctions, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your decision in choosing the ideal university that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	James Madison University	Western Washington University
Overview
Location	Harrisonburg, Virginia	Bellingham, Washington
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	91.0%	81.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	86.3%	96.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $100
SAT range	1140 - 1310	1090 - 1310
ACT range	24 - 29	22 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%	16.0%
Students submitting ACT score	5.0%	3.0%
Total number of applicants	21,176	10,580
Total number of admissions given out	18,265	10,167
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,767	2,874
Yield rate	26.1%	28.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $29,293 Out of state: $46,219	In state: $26,634 Out of state: $43,861
Average net price	$18,528	$11,388
Tuition	In state: $7,460 Out of state: $23,800	In state: $7,572 Out of state: $24,799
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,564 Meal plan: $5,986	$13,079
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	31.0% Average amount $9,594	82.0% Average amount $7,112
Students receiving federal student loan	33.0% Average amount $5,199	29.0% Average amount $4,929
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $18,776	3.0% Average amount $15,435

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	20,070 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%	14,019 Men 42.6% Women 57.4%
Graduate students	2,096 Men 29.4% Women 70.6%	1,106 Men 36.4% Women 63.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	1.4%	1.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	6,513	3,985
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts	Education Psychology Business Multidisciplinary Studies Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	81.8%	67.7%
Dropout rate	17.4%	30.6%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $106,893 Year 2: $116,083 Year 3: $116,887 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $103,590 Year 2: $91,744 Year 3: $105,768 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,457 Year 2: $72,659 Year 3: $85,951 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,020 Year 2: $72,290 Year 3: $82,877 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,544 Year 2: $67,380 Year 3: $80,406 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,052 Year 2: $66,377 Year 3: $77,982 Systems Science and Theory (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,389 Year 2: $60,623 Year 3: $75,407 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,331 Year 2: $49,270 Year 3: $69,797 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,114 Year 2: $57,943 Year 3: $69,218 International Business (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,708 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $68,304	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,837 Year 2: $81,333 Year 3: $92,019 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,492 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $78,577 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,314 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $76,877 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,624 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $71,599 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,592 Year 2: $60,920 Year 3: $64,540 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $60,325 Year 3: $64,302 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,243 Year 2: $49,572 Year 3: $60,999 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,788 Year 2: $37,748 Year 3: $58,090 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,818 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $57,268 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,065 Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: $57,167

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Western Washington University (WWU) vs James Madison University (JMU)

James Madison University

Western Washington University

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Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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