Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for James Madison University, University of Delaware, University of South Florida. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | James MadisonHarrisonburg, VA | DelawareNewark, DE | South FloridaTampa, FL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 71.5% | 70.6% | 43.2% |
| SAT middle 50% | 1170–1340 | 1190–1370 | 1130–1320 |
| Average net price | $23,32217.1% on Pell grants | $17,79916.1% on Pell grants | $9,81229.4% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $14,250 in-state · $31,604 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $16,810 in-state · $41,400 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $6,410 in-state · $17,324 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 79.7% | 80.5% | 76.8% |
| First-year retention | 92.0% | 92.0% | 91.3% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 17.1% | 16.1% | 29.4% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $69,954 | $72,950 | $57,743 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $20,093 | $24,572 | $17,988 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 17:1 | 15:1 | 22:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 20,888 | 19,071 | 37,207 |
| Consensus percentile | 23Lower is better | 21Lower is better | 25Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 21 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 32 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 47 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | James Madison | Delaware | South Florida |
|---|---|---|---|
| US News | #151 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #88 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #88 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 |
| Forbes | #121 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #149 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #112 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 |
| Washington Monthly | #387 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #419 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #119 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 |
| WSJ | #70 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #26 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #250 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 |
| Niche | #388 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #150 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #71 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| Princeton Review | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| QS | Not ranked by this source | #555 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #659 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 |
Students comparing James Madison University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing University of Delaware on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing University of South Florida on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
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