Key differences on Getting in

1
James Madison's SAT midpoint is 62 points higher than U. Rhode Island's
SAT midpoint
2
James Madison's yield is 2 pts higher than U. Rhode Island's
Yield rate
3
James Madison admits 72% vs. 75% at U. Rhode Island
Acceptance rate

Admissions

Getting in, fall 2024

Acceptance and yield, test score ranges, test policy, and what each college weighs.

The funnel

Acceptance rate

James Madison72%Most selective

U. Rhode Island75%

Applicants

James Madison38.4KMost

U. Rhode Island28K

Admitted

James Madison27.5KMost

U. Rhode Island20.9K

Yield rate

James Madison18%Highest

U. Rhode Island16%

Quad's selectivity

James MadisonSelective
U. Rhode IslandSelective

Men and women

Acceptance rate for men and women who applied, where a college reports admissions by sex.

Women admitted

James Madison74%

U. Rhode Island75%

Men admitted

James Madison67%

U. Rhode Island70%

Test scores

SAT total,

James Madison

1170–1340

U. Rhode Island

1090–1310

Axis runs 1000–1600. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

ACT composite,

James Madison

24–29

U. Rhode Island

24.5–31

Axis runs 20–36. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

Submitted SAT

James Madison14%

U. Rhode Island23%

Submitted ACT

James Madison3%

U. Rhode Island1%

Test policy

James MadisonTest-blind
U. Rhode IslandTest-optional

How they read a record

James Madison
GPA is very important; tests are considered.
U. Rhode Island
and GPA are both very important; class rank and tests are both considered. 43% of first-years had a 3.75 or higher.

What they look at

Factor	James Madison	U. Rhode Island
High school GPA	Very important	Very important
High school record	Required	Required
Class rank	Not considered	Considered
College-prep program	Required	Required
Recommendations	Considered	Very important
Essay	Considered	Very important
Legacy status	Not considered	Not considered
Work experience	Considered	Important
Demonstration of competencies	Not considered	Not considered
English proficiency test	Required	Required
Other tests	Not considered	Not considered

All admissions numbers in the table

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;James Madison University Common Data Set 2023–24, Fall 2025 applicants;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;College Scorecard, most recent release;University of Rhode Island (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;University of Rhode Island Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why