Quad

Head-to-head

James Madison
U. Alabama

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. Alabama's grants cover 30% of its full price on average, vs. 11% at James Madison

    Aid generosity
  2. 2

    James Madison grads earn $10.7K more ten years out than U. Alabama's ($69,954 vs. $59,221)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  3. 3

    James Madison graduates 10 pts more of its students than U. Alabama (82% vs. 71%)

    Graduation rate
  4. 4

    U. Alabama has 1.6× as many undergrads as James Madison

    Undergrads
  5. 5

    James Madison's SAT midpoint is 30 points higher than U. Alabama's

    SAT midpoint
  6. 6

    U. Alabama has 2 pts more first-gen students than James Madison (23% vs. 21%)

    First-generation students

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

U. Alabama admits 71%, James Madison 72%; both have the same yield, 18%.

Acceptance rate
James Madison72%
U. Alabama71%
Quad's selectivity
  • James MadisonSelective
  • U. AlabamaSelective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1000–1600
James Madison
1170–1340
U. Alabama
1100–1360
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • James MadisonGPA very important
  • U. AlabamaGPA, school record, and prep program required59%

Who's on each campus

U. Alabama has 1.6× as many undergrads as James Madison and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
James Madison20.9K
U. Alabama33.2K
Pell Grant share
James Madison17%
U. Alabama18%

Majors and faculty

Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences leads at James Madison, and Finance at U. Alabama; James Madison has 17 students per faculty member to U. Alabama's 19.

Students per faculty member
James Madison17 to 1
U. Alabama19 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • James MadisonHealth Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General9%
  • U. AlabamaFinance, General8%

What each costs

James Madison and U. Alabama cost about the same a year on average; U. Alabama's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
James Madison$32.8K
U. Alabama$32.4K
Aid generosity
James Madison11%
U. Alabama30%

What each pays off

James Madison's former students earn more, a median $70K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 70% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
James Madison$70K
U. Alabama$59.2K
Graduation rate
James Madison82%
U. Alabama71%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • James MadisonGrowing+70%
  • U. AlabamaGrowing+68%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;James Madison University Common Data Set 2023–24, Fall 2025 applicants;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;The University of Alabama (Fall 2025), Fall 2025About 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