Individuals who have applied for admission to a graduate program at James Madison University will see an admission letter on their Activity Page. For some students, there will be a supplemental letter on this page from your graduate program that can be viewed as an item on your “checklist.”

If there is anything you need to do to be “unconditionally admitted,” the conditions will be listed in your admission letter.

Most students will receive an email that will prompt you to go to your Activity Page to view your decision. If you were not recommended for admission at this time, that decision will appear on your Activity Page as well.

If you were accepted to a Graduate Program at James Madison University, we encourage you to accept your offer of admission on your Activity Page. If you would like to attend but you are not sure if you can because you need a graduate or doctoral assistantship offer or other financial aid, please accept your offer of admission. You will qualify for more financial aid options after you accept your offer of admission. We can help international students with visa applications only after they accept admission offers.

Once you have accepted the offer, you will receive an email to the address used on your application to create a Dukes email account. Please set up your Dukes email account as soon as possible and check regularly for all official JMU correspondence.

The Council of Graduate School’s April 15th Resolution is an agreement among graduate schools to allow students who receive fall-term admission offers that include financial support to postpone their decision regarding acceptance of offers until April 15. This agreement allows students to compare admission and financial support offers before making a decision. If you receive an offer of admission with financial support for the fall term from any institution listed on the agreement document with an expectation that you reply prior to April 15, please send a copy of your offer letter to JMU’s graduate school at grad@jmu.edu. On your behalf, JMU’s Graduate Dean will speak with the Dean of the school that is violating this agreement to ask that you be granted the time needed to make an admission decision. The April 15 resolution does not apply to admission offers without financial support, or any admission offers for spring or summer terms.

If you are not sure you can begin as planned, please contact the director of your graduate program and Lynette Michael (michaeld@jmu.edu), and ask if your admission can be deferred to a future term.

International students who are not citizens of the United States will need a visa to participate in an in-person graduate program. Students needing a visa (F-1) should calculate their anticipated Tuition and Living Costs to assist in processing your visa application. If you need assistance, please contact ISSS@jmu.edu. Graduate assistantship awards substantially contribute to the funds needed to cover your expenses and should be included in your calculations. Consult your program for a possible graduate assistantship positions or apply for assistantship position on campus at JMU Jobs.

Graduate school success starts early at JMU! An abundance of support is available to not only excel in your studies but also to get comfortable with your new surroundings or manage your education from afar. We provide multiple orientation sessions tailored to meet everyone’s needs—Graduate School Orientation for all students and International Student Scholars Orientation for international students. Make sure to check with your program for details about orientation sessions specific to your needs.