Quad

Head-to-head

James Madison
U. Rhode Island

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. Rhode Island's grants cover 26% of its full price on average, vs. 11% at James Madison

    Aid generosity
  2. 2

    James Madison graduates 10 pts more of its students than U. Rhode Island (82% vs. 72%)

    Graduation rate
  3. 3

    James Madison's SAT midpoint is 62 points higher than U. Rhode Island's

    SAT midpoint
  4. 4

    James Madison has 1.6× as many undergrads as U. Rhode Island

    Undergrads
  5. 5

    U. Rhode Island has 5 pts more first-gen students than James Madison (26% vs. 21%)

    First-generation students
  6. 6

    U. Rhode Island has 5 pts more Pell recipients than James Madison (22% vs. 17%)

    Pell Grant recipients

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

James Madison admits 72%, U. Rhode Island 75%; James Madison's yield is higher, at 18%.

Acceptance rate
James Madison72%
U. Rhode Island75%
Quad's selectivity
  • James MadisonSelective
  • U. Rhode IslandSelective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1000–1600
James Madison
1170–1340
U. Rhode Island
1090–1310
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • James MadisonGPA very important
  • U. Rhode IslandRigor and GPA very important43%

Who's on each campus

James Madison has 1.6× as many undergrads as U. Rhode Island; U. Rhode Island has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
James Madison20.9K
U. Rhode Island13.4K
Pell Grant share
James Madison17%
U. Rhode Island22%

Majors and faculty

Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences leads at James Madison, and Psychology at U. Rhode Island; both have 17 students per faculty member.

Students per faculty member
James Madison17 to 1
U. Rhode Island17 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • James MadisonHealth Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General9%
  • U. Rhode IslandPsychology, General8%

What each costs

James Madison costs about $1.8K less a year than U. Rhode Island on average; U. Rhode Island's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
James Madison$32.8K
U. Rhode Island$34.5K
Aid generosity
James Madison11%
U. Rhode Island26%

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. Rhode Island$69.7K
Graduation rate
James Madison82%
U. Rhode Island72%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; U. Rhode Island got more selective while James Madison got less.

Applications, 10-year change
  • James MadisonGrowing+70%
  • U. Rhode IslandGrowing+29%
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;University of Rhode Island (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;University of Rhode Island Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;University of Rhode Island Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2019About 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