Member Universities

James Madison University, United States

About the university

James Madison University, established in 1908 and located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, is a four-year university of liberal arts with a strong commitment to professional and pre-professional programs. The institution has grown in nearly 100 years from a small state teachers college to its present-day status as an innovative public university with more than 15,000 students. The university has been nationally recognized for its strong academic programs and is housed on one of the most beautiful campuses in the country. The 2004 poll on academic quality by U.S. News & World Report, for the tenth consecutive year and the 146th time, ranked JMU first in the South among public universities. JMU ranked third among all schools in the South, with private universities in the top two spots. JMU consistently has been ranked among the top master's level universities in its region since the U.S. News polls began in 1983. In addition, the 2004 edition of The Princeton Review annual college guide, The Best 351 Colleges , cites JMU as one of the nation's best institutions for undergraduate education.

Location

The city of Harrisonburg is an attractive community of approximately 42,000 in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, 120 miles southwest of Washington, D.C. The university's 472-acre campus offers a view of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east and the Alleghenies on the west. The mountains provide opportunities for skiing, hiking and caving. In this western region of the state, average temperatures range from 33F (0 C) in January to 82F (27 C) in July. There is below-freezing weather and snow in winter and daytime high temperatures above 90F (32 C) in mid-summer.