Before you call, read through this information. During this time of year, we receive hundreds of calls a day. You may find the answer to your question below. If not, you may want to contact your regional counselor or call our office.

The admissions office has extended you a waitlist offer. We are giving you the option to choose to be on the waitlist, or to decline our offer and have your application canceled. If you indicate your interest to our office by May 1, you will be included on the waitlist. If you do not indicate an interest, your application will be canceled. We will only give your application further consideration for admission if you accept a position on the waitlist.

The waitlist is not pre-ranked. As mentioned above, only those students who ask to remain on the waitlist will be considered further. If we decide to make additional offers of admissions, we start the review process over and look for the strongest candidates.

This year we want to enroll a first-year class of 4,750. Because students apply to multiple colleges, we must offer admission to more than 4,750 if we want to meet our enrollment goal. We hope to enroll at least 90% to 95% of our first-year class with our initial offers of admission. Because the students, and not JMU, have the final word in whether they enroll, we cannot know exactly how many deposits we will receive by the May 1 deadline. Once the deadline passes, we’ll know how many offers we can make from the waitlist. We will then begin to contact students who have indicated their interest. The majority of our waitlist offers are made in June. However, cancellations can take place throughout the summer and we continue to go to our waitlist to fill these cancellations, often as late as August 1.

This year over 39,726 students applied for admission to James Madison University. Approximately 14% of applicants were offered a place on the waitlist. We consider a variety of factors when making admissions decisions. Most students admitted to JMU have the following:

• Taken the most difficult classes at their high school (usually AP or IB classes).
• Taken 4 to 5 core classes in all 4 years of high school (core subjects include: English, Math, Science, History/Social Science, and Foreign Language Studies).
• Solid grades, B's and A's with very few C's and probably no D's or F's.
• A wide range of personal qualities (extracurricular activities, work experience, life experience, special talents, and/or community service).

The JMU Admissions Committee takes a comprehensive approach when reviewing applications. This year the committee determined that 90% of applicants would do well in college; unfortunately, the committee could only extend offers of admission to 68% of the applicant pool. Applicants offered a position on the waitlist have strong credentials that placed them among the best of those not offered admission.

The Admissions Committee will reevaluate all students on the waitlist after the May 1 deposit deadline and select those who will receive an offer of admission.

JMU will make our decisions based on your academic record and choose students who best fill the remaining spaces. 

You do not need to submit:

• Additional recommendations.
• Updated transcripts (we will reach out if we need your mid-year grade report).
• Additional essays.
• Personal interviews (we do not offer interviews).
• Change your preference for major (we do not make admission decisions based on requested major).

Sometimes we hear this comment from students, but we cannot share applicant information. We can simply assure you that the Admissions Committee looks at several factors and carefully weighs each applicant. You cannot simply compare one or two criteria like grades and/or SAT and assume that one student is stronger than another.

Unfortunately, the process does not work in that manner. We must wait until the May 1 deadline to see how many other people, like your friend, decide to decline our offer. We then go to the waitlist and consider everyone on the list at that time.

We cannot make decisions before May 1. We will not have the information we need to make any waitlist offers until the beginning of June. We recommend that you carefully consider other offers you may have received. If you do not make any deposits by the deadline, you may end up with no college options for the fall. You may want to contact each individual college and ask about their refund policy for deposits. Most universities do not offer a refund on deposits. Do not make a deposit to JMU if you are on the waitlist. We cannot accept a deposit until you have been offered an official acceptance to the university.

You will be treated like the rest of our first-year class once you are admitted to JMU. Orientation dates for new first-year students run from late June to mid-July and class schedules are finalized at the end of July. You will have access to the same classes as all other first-year students. Housing is available for all first-year students. Housing assignments are not finalized until the end of July. Your eligibility for financial aid will not change. However, you may want to contact the financial aid office as soon as you are admitted to see how the timing of an award may be affected. Payment of fall bills will be due around the end of August.

You must weigh that choice carefully for yourself. We suggest you attend an accredited community college or four-year institution, and take a strong liberal arts program. Information about our transfer admission process can be found at www.jmu.edu/admissions/transfer/.

Please call us at (540) 568-5681, or e-mail us at admissions@jmu.edu.

We do realize that this is a difficult process and being on the waitlist prolongs the anxiety.

We will do all we can to finalize our waitlist decisions in a timely manner.

Before you call, read through this information sheet. In April, we receive hundreds of calls a day. You may find the answer to your question below. If not, you may want to contact your regional counselor or call our office.

The admissions office has extended you a waitlist offer. We are giving you the option to choose to be on the waitlist, or to decline our offer and have your application canceled. Please respond to your waitlist offer through the Applicant Center in MyMadison. If you indicate your interest to our office by the deadline in MyMadison, and submit an official transcript with spring grades, you will be included on the waitlist. If you do not indicate an interest, your application will be canceled. 

This fall we can enroll a transfer class of 700. Because students apply to multiple colleges, we must offer admission to more than 700 students if we want to meet our enrollment goal. We hope to enroll at least 90% to 95% of our transfer class with our initial offers of admission. Because the students, and not JMU, have the final word in whether they enroll, we cannot know exactly how many deposits we will receive until their early May deadline passes. In late May, we begin to contact students who have indicated their interest and have sent their final spring transcript. The majority of our waitlist offers are made at this time. However, cancellations can take place throughout the summer and we continue to go to our waitlist to fill these cancellations. We know that we will not extend any admissions offers to waitlisted applicants after July 1.

This year approximately 2,600 students applied for transfer admission to James Madison University. Over half of our applicants were either denied admission or offered waitlist status. We consider a variety of factors when making admissions decisions. Most transfer students admitted to JMU have:

• Completed at least one college level course in the four major areas (major areas include: English, Math, Science, and History/Social Science)
• Solid grades, B's and A's with very few C's and probably no D's
• Associate degree completers and those with 48 + credits are given priority in the transfer admission process
• A wide range of personal qualities (extracurricular activities, work experience, life experience, special talents, and/or community service).

Many of our students on the waitlist also have these credentials. The JMU Admissions Committee takes a holistic approach when it reviews applications. This year the committee determined that 85% of the applicant pool would do well in college; unfortunately, the committee could only extend offers to about half of the applicants. Applicants offered a position on the waitlist have strong credentials that placed them among the best who were not offered admission.

The most important thing to do is indicate your interest in being on the waitlist. You will only need to do so by accepting your offer to be on the waitlist (through the Applicant Center in MyMadison) and sending in your final transcript showing your final Spring semester grades. After that, we will make our decisions based on your academic record and choose students who best fill the remaining spaces. 

You do not need to submit:

• Additional recommendations
• Additional essays
• Personal interviews (we do not offer interviews)
• Change your preference for major (we do not make admission decisions based on requested major)

Sometimes we hear this comment from students, but we cannot share applicant information with other applicants. We can simply assure you that the Admissions Committee looks at several factors and carefully weighs each applicant. You cannot simply compare your GPA and assume that one student is stronger than another.

Unfortunately, the process does not work in that manner. When we make our offers of admission, we anticipate people like your friend. We must wait until the May deadline to see how many other people, like your friend, decide to decline our offer. We then go to the waitlist and consider everyone on the list at that time.

We cannot make decisions before your deadline. We will not have the information we need to make any waitlist offers until the end of May. We recommend that you carefully consider other offers you may have received. If you do not make any deposits by the deadline, you may end up with no college options for the fall. You may want to contact each individual college and ask about their refund policy for deposits. Most universities do not offer a refund on deposits. Do not send a deposit to JMU if you are on the waitlist. We cannot accept a deposit until you have been offered an official acceptance to the university.

You will be treated like the rest of our transfer class once you are admitted to JMU. Orientation dates for new transfers take place in early June (including registration). You will have access to the same classes as all other transfers although you may end up registering after other transfers should you be admitted from the waitlist after these Orientation dates. On Campus Housing is limited for transfer students. The Off Campus Life Office can help you arrange Off Campus housing accommodations. Your eligibility for financial aid will not change. However, you may want to contact that office as soon as you are admitted to see how the timing of an award may be affected. Payment of fall bills will be due around mid-August.

Please call us at (540) 568-5681, or e-mail us at admissions@jmu.edu.

We do realize that this is a difficult process and being on the waitlist prolongs the anxiety.

We will do all we can to finalize our waitlist decisions in a timely manner.