Ready, Set to Go!

More than 4,100 freshmen are joining the James Madison University student body for the 2011-12 academic year as the fall semester begins Monday, Aug. 29, when classes meet as scheduled. 

Selected from a record number of 22,357 applicants, the enrolled freshmen combine with other undergraduate students and graduate students to bring JMU's total enrollment to nearly 20,000 students. JMU received 13,425 applications from Virginia residents, more than any other public institution in the state. Official enrollment figures are due after Census Day, which is Sept. 16. 

A total of 860 transfer students are entering JMU this fall, although not all are classified as freshmen. 

The incoming freshmen are primarily from Virginia, with 70 percent listing a Virginia locality as their hometown. The top cities represented are: Richmond, 151 students; Virginia Beach, 146 students; Chesapeake, Fairfax and Midlothian, each with 86 students; Ashburn, 72 students; and Roanoke, 68 students. A total of 33 freshmen are from Harrisonburg. 

Fifty U.S. states and territories are represented, including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and 107 countries. 

The overall undergraduate student body remains at 61 percent female with the addition of about 2,520 female freshmen and 1,580 male freshmen. Among freshmen, the most common female name is Emily, while many men are named Michael. 

Biology is the most popular major of those freshmen who have declared majors, followed by nursing, psychology, interdisciplinary liberal studies and health sciences. 

Freshmen are not the only new faces on campus. Approximately 117 new people are joining the faculty in full-time (78) and part-time (39) roles. 

Important dates: 

Aug. 26: Residence halls open for transfer and international students. 

Aug. 26: Opening Faculty Meeting, 9 a.m., Festival Conference and Student Center Ballroom. 

Aug. 26: First-Year Student Assessment Day. All first-year students are required to participate. Details about the day, including room assignments for assessment sessions, are available at: https://www.jmu.edu/assessment/JMUAssess/Aday_Upcoming.htm on the Center for Assessment & Research Studies website. 

Aug. 27: Residence halls open for returning students. 

Aug. 29: Fall semester begins. Classes meet as scheduled. 

Sept. 5 (Labor Day): Classes meet as scheduled.