JMU ranks high nationally for best value, athletic facilities and more

James Madison University ranked No. 47 in a Princeton Review survey of the nation’s best value colleges published in June, and this week ranked No. 11 nationally for best athletic facilities and No. 13 for best campus food, according to student surveys conducted by The Princeton Review.  

JMU’s place among the Top 50 Best Value Public Colleges was a first. Previously, JMU was included on the unranked Best Value Colleges list from 2013-2017 and in 2024. 

The schools that made the top 50 rankings "all share three exceptional features," the guide states, "stellar academics, affordable cost — either via a comparatively low sticker price or generous financial aid (or both) — and strong career prospects for graduates."  

In that June publication, JMU was also ranked No. 20 in the list of Top 20 Best Alumni Networks (Public Schools). 

On August 12, The Princeton Review published its 2026 edition of the annual college guide, The Best 391 Colleges. The guide is also available on The Princeton Review website. In addition to the top 15 rankings for athletic facilities and campus food, JMU placed No. 13 in the list for "Everyone Plays Intramural Sports." 

About 15% of America’s nearly 2,400 four-year colleges are included in The Princeton Review guidebook. The company chose the colleges for the book based on surveys of 2,000 college administrators about their institutions’ academic offerings and surveys of students attending the colleges who rated their own schools on dozens of topics and reported on their campus experiences.  

The Princeton Review does not rank the 391 schools hierarchically, but it does publish 50 categories of ranking lists based on student feedback.