According to SACSCOC Policy, an accredited SACSCOC institution is obligated to provide to its students, constituents, and the public statements of its goals for student achievement and the success of students in achieving those goals.

JMU uses multiple measures to monitor student achievement. Undergraduates make up over ninety percent of the univerity’s total enrollment; therefore, JMU chooses the metrics for first-year retention rate undergraduate and six-year graduation rate as primary measures. The final measure for student achievement is licensure and certification pass rates.

Retention Rates

The Office of Institutional Research monitors outcomes and, in collaboration with senior leadership, reviews and sets expectations for student retention. Over the past 20 years, JMU’s first-year retention rate ranged between 89% and 92%. The threshold of acceptability (89%) and aspirational goal (94%) is informed by national trends among public universities, JMU’s peers, and regular review of JMU’s retention rates over the preceding five to ten years

The following table presents the return rates for fall entering first year students from 2016 to the present

Table 1: Return Rates

The data show that JMU’s first-year retention rate is 91% for the 2020 cohort, which is above the threshold of acceptability of 89%. The retention rates have remained relatively stable over the past twenty years—fluctuating between 89.1% and 92.4%. These are strong relative to the overall peers and nationally and indicate consistent achievement of this metric.  

SACSCOC Completion Indicator/IPEDS Graduation Rates

James Madison University uses the IPEDS Graduation Rate for first-time, first-year undergraduate students to monitor and evaluate student achievement. Graduation rates are nationally recognized measures of student achievement and is a measure of performance of JMU’s strategic plan. For its Key Student Completion Indicator, JMU identified and reports to SACSCOC the Six-Year IPEDS Overall Graduation Rate (150% standard time).

The Office of Institutional Research monitors outcomes for student graduation. Because JMU aspires for all students to graduate, the university set high targets. Over the past 10 years, JMU’s six-year graduation rate ranged between 80% and 84%. The threshold of acceptability (80%) and aspirational goal (84%) is informed by national trends among public universities, JMU’s peers, and regular review of JMU’s graduation rates over the preceding five to ten years. The IPEDS 6-year graduation rate was 81% for the 2015 cohort.

Table 2: Graduation Rates

Licensure and Certification

Certain professional programs require graduates to take licensure or certification exams upon program completion. Passing licensing exams, in many professional programs, allows graduates to work in the degree field. In some JMU degree programs (e.g., Speech Language Pathology), passing licensing exams is required to graduate. Thus, pass rates are an important indicator of student achievement. Consistently across all program areas, graduates have high performance indicative of academic success.

Accounting

Graduates of the Accounting program take the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam, one of the most challenging professional examinations at the national level. JMU's minimum target for the CPA exam is the national first-time pass rate average, which compares our graduates to national peers. The aspirational target for the first-time pass rate is 75% and was selected because JMU ranks among the 20 best programs nationally in first time pass rates for programs with 20 or more students registering for the CPA exam. Table 3 depicts the test results by accounting graduates of JMU’s Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accredited College of Business. The results are reported by the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) and were published on a calendar year basis. NASBA reporting does not correlate with specific graduation cohorts; students complete all four sections of the exam within an 18-month period.

 Note: The NASBA announced in 2020 that they will no longer be reporting CPA pass rate results for the foreseeable future due to significant changes being made to the CPA exam.

Athletic Training Program

Graduates of the athletic training program are not required to take the national examination administered by the Board of Certification to meet graduation requirements. However, many of the students completing this program do as it is generally required to practice. JMU's minimum threshold for the exam the national pass rate average, which compares our graduates to national peers. The aspirational target for the pass rate is 100%. The reported pass rates, as shown in Table 4, indicate that graduates of the program are well prepared.

Audiology Program

Graduates of the Audiology program are not required to complete a national exam. Graduates who plan to pursue employment in the K-12 sector typically take the Praxis. JMU's minimum pass rate threshold is 100%, which compares our graduates to national peers. The aspirational target for the pass rate is 100%.

Table 5: Audiology Praxis Exam Pass Rates First-Time Test Takers

Nursing

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) program and the Nurse Practitioner (N.P.) concentration of the Masters of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) program require certification or licensure for practice. B.S.N. graduates take the National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN), and M.S.N.-N.P. graduates take the appropriate specialty exam through the American Association of Nurse Practitioners of the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) sets the expected pass rates for all certificate and/or licensure tests at 80%. JMU's minimum target is the national pass rate average (80%), which compares our graduates to national peers. The aspirational target for the pass rate is 90% and was selected to reflect our commitment to exceed the national norms. The first-time takers pass rates for the B.S.N. and M.S.N.-N.P. programs are reported in Table 6. The results indicate strong and consistently high performance and success of graduates from the university’s CCNE accredited programs.

Table 6: Nursing NCLEX Exam Pass Rates

Occupational Therapy

Graduates of the Occupational Therapy program take the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) certification exam. JMU's minimum target is the national pass rate average, which compares our graduates to national peers. The aspirational target for the pass rate is 100% and was selected based on the results from the last 5 years. Table 7 shows these students are well prepared.

Table 7: Occupational Therapy Exam Pass Rates