My First Year Advisor
When you make your Orientation Reservation and Declare your Major in the One Book, you are assigned a First Year Advisor.
Your First Year Advisor will contact you via your JMU email on December 3rd (NOTE: Make sure you have selected a major in the One Book). However, if you have questions before then, you can contact us at firstyearadvising@jmu.edu.
Make sure you are emailing from your JMU Dukes email. You can also email firstyearadvising@jmu.edu if you still haven't received a reply from your advisor.
Spring 2025 Enrollment
On December 10th, you may log into MyMadison and click on "Student Center" to see when on December 11th your enrollment appointment begins. Your "Enrollment Appointment" is when you are able to begin enrolling in classes.
No. You will not see your first year advisor in person until January 17th so it's important to enroll in classes when enrollment opens on December 11th (or as soon as you can after the 11th). Please enroll in a full schedule of courses based on the tools provided in the First Semester Enrollment Modules in Canvas. Your advisor will be a resource to suggest changes based on your interests and class availability. How to Find your Acadmic Advisor in MyMadison.
Have you completed your One Book steps (including ALEKS Math Assessment and Orientation Reservation & Declaring a Major steps)? If you have questions, you can contact the Orientation & Transition Office, 540-568-1787, orientation@jmu.edu for assistance.
Most students will enroll in 5 classes, which typically equals 15 credit hours (each class is usually 3 credits). Some students may have slightly more credits hours (16-18) based on their specific major requirements.
Please review the 1st semester enrollment worksheets which are located in "Prepare for Class Enrollment" Modules in Canvas.
When you search for a class in MyMadison, click on the class and view the details of the prerequisite requirements and class restrictions. You can also refer to the JMU Undergraduate Catalog for course descriptions and requirements.
There are four levels of "Unit Limits":
- Appointment Period (advance registration) = 17 hours {Note: There are NO exceptions to this rule.}
- Open enrollment (free add/drop) = 19 hours {Note: Permission to go above 19 hours must be obtained from the department head of student's major.}
- Open enrollment (during free add/drop, after current semester grades are posted) GPA 3.25+ = 21 hours {Note: Permission to go above 21 hours must be obtained from the department head of student's major.}
- Open enrollment (during free add/drop, after current semester grades are posted) GPA 1.999 or lower = 12 hours {Note: Permission to go above 12 hours must be obtained from the DEAN of student's major.}
If the class is listed as required on your 1st semester enrollment worksheet, continue to monitor open seats/waitlist and follow up with an email to your first year advisor. If there are open classes that are required for you but they are not your preferred section, enroll in that class for the time being. You may be able to swap into your preferred section later if that becomes available.
Contact the HelpDesk at 540-568-3555.
Changing Major/Adding Minor
You can change your major through the One Book "Orientation Reservation & Declaring a major" step. If you have already attended orientation, reach out to firstyearadvising@jmu.edu. Beginning on the first day of classes, you can change your major from your MyMadison student center.
Beginning on the first day of classes, you can add a second major/minor from your MyMadison student center.
Transfer Credit
Send your official transcript from the college/university through which you completed the dual enrollment courses to JMU Admissions:
James Madison University
Office of Admissions – MSC 0101
Holland Yates Hall
100 E Grace Street
Harrisonburg, VA 22807
Send your test scores from College Board to JMU.
Send your IB transcript to JMU.
Send your scores through the Cambridge International Examination system.
First Year students should send their transcripts to Admissions until the first day of class.
James Madison University
Office of Admissions – MSC 0101
Holland Yates Hall
100 E Grace Street
Harrisonburg, VA 22807
No. Any transfer credit transcripts or test credit reports (AP/IB/CIE) must come directly from that college/university or testing organization.
Log into MyMadison and enter your Student Center, under the Academics heading to the right you will see a list of drop down menu options, starting with "Search". Go the the bottom of that list and select "other academic", then select "Transfer Credit Report". This will show you if you have any transfer credit "In Progress", "Posted" or "No Rule". Additionally, you can also view your "Unofficial Transcript" using the drop down option "Transcript: View Unofficial" listed above "other academic".
ALEKS Math Assessment
Yes. All incoming first-year students, regardless of earned math credit and major, must take the assessment.
You will access the ALEKS assessment from your One Book steps. The ALEKS link is available until the first day of classes.
Students are allowed to retake the ALEKS exam twice, for a total of three attempts from March 18,2024-March 18,2025. If you choose to retake the ALEKS exam, plan to spend a total of three hours reviewing the learning modules before retaking the assessment. The ALEKS link is available from your One Book steps until the first day of classes. If you wish to retake ALEKS after the first day of classes, contact Dr. Quentin Alexander, Associate Vice-Provost for Advising at alexanqr@jmu.edu.
You must also wait 48 hours between each retake attempt. The highest score of those three attempts will be used for your math placement. Your score will be posted to your MyMadison account within 24 hours. Please read through all the instructions prior to taking the math assessment, this is an important step to ensure your readiness for JMU mathematics courses.
Yes. If you are eligible for disability accomodations, complete the "Request for ALEKS Math assessment Accommodations" survey which is found in the ALEKS math assessment step of your One Book.
Foreign Language Placement Exam
It depends. Make sure to review the foreign language placement exams website for foreign language requirements.
General Education Courses
No, you do not. Please review the 1st semester enrollment worksheet for your major and enroll in the specific courses outlined in the "Prepare for Class Enrollment" Modules in Canvas.
View the MyMadison tutorial provided by the office of the Registrar.
Under "Search for Classes," scroll down to the “Additional Search Criteria” link, and click the arrow next to it to expand this section. Next to the "Course Attribute" field, select the arrow for the dropdown menu and choose "GenEd Equity Tag."
