Academics
Majors and faculty
The most popular major is Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General (9% of graduates). 17 students for every faculty member, more than at 78% of colleges. 81% of faculty are full-time. Spends $10,620 a year on instruction per student.
Most popular majors
4,871 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates
The top 5 programs account for 31% of graduates; 56 programs in 22 fields awarded at least one.
- Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General 51.00008.9% 432
- Psychology, General 42.01016.5% 315Graduates in this field earn $56,212 4 years out
- Speech Communication and Rhetoric 09.01016.0% 290Graduates in this field earn $66,436 4 years out
- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse 51.38015.4% 265Graduates in this field earn $87,056 4 years out
- Sport and Fitness Administration/Management 31.05044.5% 221Graduates in this field earn $63,065 4 years out
Fastest-growing field: Education, 0.0% → 4.3% of graduates since 2014–15 (207 graduates in 2024–25).
Source:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2014–15 to 2024–25About the data(built 2026-10-12; CPI retrieved 2026-10-12)
Bachelor's degrees awarded July through June, by federal program name (), which can differ from what the college calls a major. A double major counts once, under the ; its other field is a . Earnings are College Scorecard's median for graduates of the program's broader field (), 4 years after completion; see Top-earning majors below.
Top-earning majors here
By earnings 4 years after completion
Information Science/Studies$113,345 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $80,173
4 years after completion$113,345National median: $85,294Above typical4 years out, Pell: $93,113 · Non-Pell: $98,585(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)
Median federal debt: $19,500 · 304 graduates, two most recent years combined
Finance and Financial Management Services$104,926 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $67,849
4 years after completion$104,926National median: $83,343Above typical4 years out, Pell: $94,748 · Non-Pell: $94,806(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)
Median federal debt: $19,500 · 269 graduates, two most recent years combined
Computer and Information Sciences, General$104,806 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $81,761
4 years after completion$104,806National median: $92,374Above typical4 years out, Pell: $89,951 · Non-Pell: $99,927(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)
Median federal debt: $19,500 · 241 graduates, two most recent years combined
Accounting and Related Services$98,767 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $71,563
4 years after completion$98,767National median: $76,194Above typical4 years out, Pell: $70,405 · Non-Pell: $83,278(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)
Median federal debt: $22,500 · 167 graduates, two most recent years combined
Engineering, General$91,761 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $71,176
4 years after completion$91,761National median: $89,359About typical4 years out, Pell: $83,916 · Non-Pell: $75,329(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)
Median federal debt: $24,750 · 133 graduates, two most recent years combined
Bachelor's programs only, among graduates who received federal financial aid and were working (not enrolled in school) in the measurement year.
The college also reports 16.9 to 1 in its Common Data Set.
Not the average class size: faculty also teach graduate students and do research, and large lectures can sit alongside small seminars.
Class sizes
36%
of classes have fewer than 20 students; 11% have 50 or more
| Students | sections | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2–9 | 449 | 12% |
| 10–19 | 883 | 24% |
| 20–29 | 1,121 | 31% |
| 30–39 | 606 | 16% |
| 40–49 | 203 | 6% |
| 50–99 | 255 | 7% |
| 100+ | 158 | 4% |
This counts class sections, not students: a lecture of 300 is one section, so a student is more likely to sit in a large class than the share of sections suggests. Labs and discussion sections are counted separately and left out here.
Programs & curriculum
- Accelerated program
- Distance learning
- Double major
- Dual enrollment
- Honors program
- Independent study
- Internships
- Teacher certification
- Study abroad
- Undergraduate research
Requires coursework in arts, computer literacy, English composition, history, math, a natural science, and social science.
$98,024
9-month equated, all ranks combined. Pay tracks local cost of living as much as a college's generosity.
Spending and endowment
Fiscal 2023–24. Compared only against other public colleges: public and private colleges report finances on different accounting forms that aren't comparable. Many public universities' endowments sit mostly in a separate foundation this survey doesn't count, so this likely understates what's actually available.
Sources:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard Field of Study data, most recent release;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Salaries survey (SAL, instructional staff, all ranks), Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;IPEDS Finance survey, derived per-student figures, 2023–24;James Madison University Common Data Set 2023–24, Fall 2023;James Madison University Common Data Set 2023–24, 2023–24;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)
