<p>JMU's admissions website lists what they are looking for. In order of importance, they show six criteria.</p>
<ol>
<li> Quality of High School Academics (what courses you take and the degree of difficulty)</li>
<li> Academic Achievement (how you did in your coursework)</li>
<li> Standardized test results</li>
<li> Secondary School Report and Recommendation Letter</li>
<li> Extracurricular Activities (quality better than quantity)</li>
<li> Personal Statement (optional, but it's probably a good idea to write one)</li>
</ol>
<p>For the 2009-2010 freshman class, 88% of admitted students were in the top third of their high school classes. The mean SAT was 1145; the mid-50% range was 1100-1230. I've heard that the 2010-2011 class was much stronger, but I can't find the data on JMU's website; an earlier string reported that the mid-50% range was 1100-1280 and the top-third percentage was 90%.</p>
<p>My son's a freshman at JMU. He applied to six colleges, was accepted by four. The two that turned him down were the two where his SATs were just below their mean, and his class rank was just below what 90% of their freshman classes had. Luckily, JMU was his first choice all along. I do know, because we were told this in an admissions session, that JMU does not compare GPAs from one school system to another, because of the apples-and-oranges issues. From my son's experiences and those of his classmates, I would suggest that applicants should only "count on" acceptance if they're above the midpoints in all categories.</p>