Welcome to JMU! We know that there’s a lot to take in. Student financial accounts can feel particularly overwhelming as you’re starting out, but we hope this page will help guide you in managing your JMU financial accounts.
Read more below for specific details on student financials as you start at JMU. Once you're done reading the info below, check out the rest of our commonly asked questions on our FAQ's page and our homepage where we post updates and links to resources.
Important Dates for Spring 2025 and Winter Session:
- Spring 2025 statements (includes Winter Session) available: Monday, December 9, 2024 (afternoon)
- Contact your 529 plan for payment: Tuesday, December 10, 2024
- First day of classes: Tuesday, January 21, 2025
- Spring 2025 payment (includes Winter Session) due: Friday, January 17, 2025
Important Student Financial Info To Know As You Start At JMU
Welcome to the JMU community, and for some, welcome back! We’re looking forward to working with you. However, managing student accounts at JMU is ultimately the student’s responsibility. We understand that for most families, the parents pay the bills. That’s why we encourage your student to set you up as an Authorized User (https://www.jmu.edu/ubo/m3.shtml#setup).
We can only talk about the financial account with the student and their Authorized Users, so make sure that anyone who needs access is set up.
Before we get too far along, be sure to visit the Financial Aid website (https://www.jmu.edu/financialaid/) to learn more about how grants, loans, scholarships, and other financial aid work at JMU.
M3 is short for Madison Money Manager, which is our student financial account portal. This is where students, parents, or anyone authorized by the student can view or make an online payment to the student's JMU account. There are three different versions available: Student, Authorized User, and Guest. If you’re not an Authorized User, but should be, here is how to get set up.
For a more detailed walkthrough of Madison Money Manager, take our M3 tour here.
M3 is your central location for student account details. You can view a sample here. Once you are in M3, you’ll have access to a full history of your student account. This include all charges, payments, and refunds that have processed on the account and a history of tuition statements. You’ll also be able to make payments or set up a payment plan.
The first statement for the spring 2025 semester will be generated on the afternoon of December 9th. This statement will also include Winter Session charges if you enrolled in any Winter Session classes.
All students and Authorized Users will receive an email when the initial statement is created. Subsequent statements are generated every other Monday throughout the semester. It is important to note that after the first statement, we will only send you an email if there is a balance due on the student account.
Tuition for the spring 2025 semester (includes Winter Session) is due on Friday, January 17, 2025.
Once statements are created, we suggest referring to M3 to find the current amount due on your account. If a statement hasn’t been generated, you can refer to our Undergraduate Rates page for tuition, room, and board amounts for the year or use our Tuition Calculator to get a good estimate.
Undergraduates rates for the current school year can be found here.
Graduate rates for the current school year can be found here.
We accept a number of payment methods through M3 and in-person.
Paying through M3 prevents mailing delays:
- Bank Account – This payment option has no additional fee. Payment can be made from a checking or savings account that allows ACH debits. You will need to know the routing and account number for the bank account you would like to use.
- Credit/Debit Card - The University accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover cards. To use this payment method you will be charged a service fee in addition to the payment amount.
- International Payment – The University has partnered with Convera to provide an easy international payment method. You can pay in your local currency using a variety of payment methods including wires, bank transfers, and international payment partners.
We also welcome payments through the mail or in-person:
- Check – Personal checks drawn on US banks
- Cash – in-person only
- Scholarship checks can also be mailed or brought to our office.
Our address is:
University Business Office
738 South Mason St.
MSC 3516
Harrisonburg, VA 22807
You can read more about all payment options on our Payments Information page.
If you would like to pay your education expenses monthly, use the monthly payment option offered through Flywire. The payment plan is available for a $30 enrollment fee. Enrollment in the payment plan opens on June 1 and continues for each semester through the semester due date.
This payment option allows the student to pay tuition, on-campus room, and meal charges in monthly installments. The student account is considered paid when the budget is sufficient to cover the tuition for both Fall and Spring semesters. For help in determining a budget check out our tuiton calculator and our cost examples page or contact the University Business Office at (540) 568-6505. For more information visit our Payment Plan page.
James Madison University delivers your refund with BankMobile Disbursements, a technology solution, powered by BMTX, Inc. All refunds from the University Business Office, as well as departmental reimbursements to students, are processed through BankMobile Disbursements. For more information on the refunding process through BankMobile Disbursements, click here.
JMU has partnered with GradGuard™ to offer an optional Tuition Insurance from Allianz Global Assistance. You can learn more about tuition insurance here. Tuition insurance is completely optional. The agreement you enter into is with GradGuard, not with James Madison University.
Please go to the Cost of Attendance Calculator to see the estimated cost of attendance for your program of study.