We just got our tuition offer and all in it was $49K. I think the biggest surprise was lack of merit. We also got no aid/merit at PSU UP and all in is $52K. Schools that have offered the best merit have been Kentucky and Alabama so far. What state are you in? The Academic Common Market is a fantastic way to get instate tuition at some great southern schools.
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Thank you! She isnāt interested in anything further south than NC so that eliminates a lot of less expensive schools for sure. She also doesnāt want the mid-west. We are in the north east so have been focusing on east coast schools. If anything on the east coast is cheaper than JMU Iād love to show her other options. So far UNH looks like itās around 50k but they offer 12k if you have a 4.01 GPA which she does. UVM is probably going to be too much at around 61k (they told us at the tour that merit ranges from 12-20k but they seem tougher to get big merit at. URI says around 50k but her GPA should get it down a bit with merit. We hadnāt looked into Penn State but sounds like itās not worth it with that cost!!
The numbers I have been comparing are COA - tuition and room/board as billed by the college. Every school is going to have books and we are not looking at schools that would require a flight and we are hoping that we can use our current health insurance and not have to purchase that through whatever college she ends up at.
Again - just make sure you are comparing apples to apples. I quickly looked at the UNH website, and the $50K seemed to only include tuition & fees, and room & board. The JMU website that shows ~$47,900 for this year includes ~$5400 of extra costs like books, travel, and personal expenses, so itās really more like $42,500 vs $50K. The school wonāt bill you for those extra costs.
Again, Iāve paid 10 semesters worth of JMU tuition from the fall of 2018 until this semester. I have never approached $50k. In fact, when my older son moved off campus I actually saved even more money. Now, my kids had/have jobs and they were responsible for their books and expenses at school. Students rent books anyway, so whatever people build into COA for books is probably much higher than reality.
Also note that the JMU website still shows the 2022-23 costs right now. In our financial aid letter (what JMU calls the āpreliminary aid offerā), they show the 2023-24 direct OOS costs as:
Tuition and fees: $31,380
Housing and meals: $12,282
Internet fee: $240
Total direct: $43,902
There is also a note on the letter that the JMU Board has not yet approved the 2023-24 costs, so these amounts are actually estimates! Iām not sure when they formally get approved or if there is historically any difference between the estimate and the approved amounts.
As mentioned above, we were also told by Admissions that only about 5% of incoming students are offered a scholarship/merit award.
Definitely true, but also note that the 50K for UNH was the 22-23 cost as well. Iām sure that will go up. It usually does. I donāt see the board increasing it past whatās stated, but who knows. Tuition was kept flat/fairly flat while my S was there. The current governor does seem to be committed for costs to stay down.
But yes, JMU is stingy with merit aid. We were also told 5%.
But also as @GKUnion said, moving off campus can help. I was really surprised how cheap the apartments were compared to what their friends were paying at UVA.
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West Virginia University OOS at full price is less than JMU. In addition, WVU offers good automatic merit aid, according to a chart on the website.
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Can I ask a non financial aid questions since you have/had two kids there-is it a part school? We are going down to visit soon from the Northeast. People keep saying to me oh thatās a party school, which I donāt believe to be true. I am sure any school, for the most part, can be a party school if thatās what you want!
JMU is definitely a work hard, play hard school. How anyoneās child chooses to āplayā would determine JMUās designation. Itās a big school, and the students are friendly and social. If a student wants to find a party, they definitely can, but it will most likely be off campus. I know my freshman son planned to go to a party last night, but heāll be in his dorm studying tonight and tomorrow night for Calc and Physics tests this week.
A real positive at JMU is the large number of clubs a student can join(300-400). Meeting people that way, and getting involved, can be a great way to expand your social circle on campus. You can also go see a movie on campus, or a theater production, a concert, guest speakers, or head to UREC with friends to climb the rock wall, or rent kayaks. Greek life is present, but not dominant. There are opportunities for most students to find their people and remain engaged, but new students need to put in the effort, and break out of their comfort zone.
Additionally, partying by students dwindles each year they are at JMU. As freshman, going to parties seems to be a function of their new found freedom. By junior year the allure has faded, and students are neck deep in their major. My older son joined the Harrisonburg Rescue Squad his sophomore year. That was the end of the parties because he spent his free time working on an ambulance.
Hopefully that answers your question.
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Yes thank you for all the insight.
Hi. Iām also from the northeast, where people donāt really know JMU. When people say itās a party school, I say almost every college is a part school. Lots of top rated schools are also considered party schools, such as Syracuse, Penn State, Lehigh, Tulane, Florida State, to name a few. There is no shortage of partying for students looking that kind of thing. JMU has much to offer including an upbeat, warm and welcoming community. Best of luck to your child.
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We are OOS for Appalachian State in NC. Still waiting on official aid package. But full pay is less than full pay JMU
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Does anyone know when Regular Decisions come out? We missed EA by a matter of days.
Does JMU send out yard signs after committing?
they said late march
Last couple years they have been on the second Thursday of March. So I would be on the look out starting next Thur.
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Congrats to all the future Dukes! I am learning more and more about the school and finding thereās a lot to love. But I am also curious to what extent other parents have checked out the common criticisms of JMU - party school/nothing social but drinking, no diversity / very white and wealthy. Also curious if the students and the families are predominantly politically conservative. I know there are a million perspectives and that criticisms arenāt always valid. In my case I have no familiarity with the school whatsoever, and would love to hear more from others with experience with JMU or that have dug deep to learn more. Thank you!
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My DS was deferred from JMU last year, then waitlisted (JMU should have been a safety), but they contacted him shortly after RD decisions went out to see if he was still interested. Hang tight!
Anyone know what time decisions are typically released?
Iāll do my best to answer your question from my perspective. My older son just graduated from JMU last May, and my younger son is currently a freshman. Itās important to keep in mind that any larger school can be labeled a āparty school.ā There are most definitely parties at JMU every weekend, mostly off campus. It seems, to me at least, that a portion of each freshman class arrives on campus in the fall with the intention of spreading their social wings by attending these parties. Keep in mind that a freshman class has more than 4,500 students in it, and they all live on campus. There will always be thousands of students around that arenāt out partying on any given night. The upside to a school like JMU is the vast number of clubs and activities available to students. That makes it easier to find opportunities to congregate with other like-minded students without needing to attend parties.
My older son had a fun freshman year, but it was a work hard/play hard endeavor. He found good friends on his floor that he continued to live with for the rest of his time at JMU. Interestingly, his primary social circle became his volunteer co-workers at the Harrisonburg Rescue Squad. His āpartyingā slowed significantly after freshman year(Covid played a hand in that mid-sophomore year) and became virtually non-existent in his junior and senior years. My younger son is on an athletic team so heās had a much different experience. He came to campus almost a month early and immediately had a built in group of people to spend time with. His life at JMU is very structured, heās doing extremely well in school, and he also finds time to go out on the weekends when there is no conflict with athletic commitments. I honestly believe that even those students not interested in parties should attend a few their freshman year. Either their suspicions about parties will be confirmed, or they might actually have some fun. You donāt need to drink to excess when you go to parties.
As for diversity, all schools in Virginia, including JMU, are keenly focused on increasing the URM population on campus. JMU is 75% white, thereās no getting around that. The class of 2026 is definitely more diverse though. Both of my sons had/have friends of all ethnicities, religions and sexual orientations. Iām not sure the student body at JMU is mostly wealthy. Iād bet thatās much more prevalent at a school like UVA. The students at JMU appear to be very down to earth, friendly, outgoing, and do well when engaging in conversation with most people. Perhaps a higher percentage of out of state students come from wealthier backgrounds since most are full pay. Neither of my sons have ever mentioned anything about politics at school. Like life outside of academia, we would only hear about the extremes of the political spectrum rather than the vast population that straddles the middle. When it comes to diverse friend groups on campus, whether politically or ethnically, the power is in the hands of each individual student. They can find their group if they put in the time and effort to do so.
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