Quad

Head-to-head

James Madison
U. North Dakota

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    James Madison graduates 24 pts more of its students than U. North Dakota (82% vs. 57%)

    Graduation rate
  2. 2

    U. North Dakota's yield is 17 pts higher than James Madison's

    Yield rate
  3. 3

    U. North Dakota costs about $9.9K less per year on average than James Madison ($22,914 vs. $32,777, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  4. 4

    James Madison has 2.1× as many undergrads as U. North Dakota

    Undergrads
  5. 5

    U. North Dakota's grants cover 20% of its full price on average, vs. 11% at James Madison

    Aid generosity
  6. 6

    James Madison is more diverse (index 0.46 vs. 0.38)

    Diversity index

The shape of each school

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

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

James Madison admits 72%, U. North Dakota 77%; U. North Dakota's yield is higher, at 35%.

Acceptance rate
James Madison72%
U. North Dakota77%
Quad's selectivity
  • James MadisonSelective
  • U. North DakotaAccessible
SAT middle 50%Axis 1100–1600
James Madison
1170–1340
U. North DakotaTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • James MadisonGPA very important
  • U. North DakotaGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

James Madison has 2.1× as many undergrads as U. North Dakota; both have the same Pell share, 17%.

Undergrads
James Madison20.9K
U. North Dakota10K
Pell Grant share
James Madison17%
U. North Dakota17%

Majors and faculty

Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences leads at James Madison, and Aeronautics/Aviation/Aerospace Science and Technology at U. North Dakota.

Students per faculty member
James Madison17 to 1
U. North Dakota17 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • James MadisonHealth Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General9%
  • U. North DakotaAeronautics/Aviation/Aerospace Science and Technology, General15%

What each costs

U. North Dakota costs about $9.9K less a year than James Madison on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
James Madison$32.8K
U. North Dakota$22.9K
Aid generosity
James Madison11%
U. North Dakota20%

What each pays off

James Madison's former students earn more, a median $70K ten years after enrolling; six-year graduation runs from 82% at James Madison to 57% at U. North Dakota.

Median earnings, 10 years
James Madison$70K
U. North Dakota$63.6K
Graduation rate
James Madison82%
U. North Dakota57%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; U. North Dakota got more selective while James Madison got less.

Applications, 10-year change
  • James MadisonGrowing+70%
  • U. North DakotaGrowing+78%
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 2018About 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