James Madison University Business Administration: earnings, debt & careers

Business Administration graduates of James Madison University earn a median $85,137 four years after graduating ($65,931 after one year), with median federal loan debt of $19,750. That is $20,339 above the U.S. median for Business Administration graduates ($64,798 across 1104 colleges), and ranks 5th of 28 Virginia colleges.

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Earnings, 4 years after graduating
$85,137

U.S. median for this major: $64,798.

College Scorecard field of study

Earnings, 1 year after
$65,931

Median for graduates who received federal aid.

College Scorecard field of study

Median debt at graduation
$19,750

About 23% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $25,808.

College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)

What your family pays
$23,322 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $31,735. College Scorecard.

Business Administration at Virginia colleges

Every Virginia college we cover that reports Business Administration graduate earnings, highest first. Net price is the school-wide average after grants. Colleges marked "mostly 2-year" or "bachelor's & associate" award more associate degrees than bachelor's; their bachelor's programs often serve working adults finishing a degree (for example, nurses completing a BSN), so their graduates' earnings can run higher than those of students starting college at 18.

RankCollegeEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debtAvg. net priceGraduation
1Washington and Lee University$121,699—$23,78194%
2William & Mary$111,366$19,812$19,09689%
3University of Richmond$103,856$20,500$31,30985%
4George Mason University$85,224$23,471$17,91568%
5James Madison University$85,137$19,750$23,32280%
6Hampton University$82,252$26,000$25,31957%
7Christopher Newport University$81,840$24,250$23,01572%
8Marymount University$80,196$26,000$29,13754%
9Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University$80,023$22,535$24,95386%
10Averett University$72,810$31,271$22,92548%
11Longwood University$72,565$25,000$19,06661%
12University of Mary Washington$72,382$22,250$20,66766%
13Emory & Henry University$71,531$26,750$19,06156%
14Roanoke College$69,323$26,429$24,50367%
15Liberty University$67,269$29,166$29,35765%
16Radford University$67,246$23,250$14,57849%
17Shenandoah University$66,673$27,000$30,29867%
18University of Lynchburg$63,736—$22,23557%
19Bluefield University$63,715$25,207$25,57318%
20Virginia Wesleyan University$63,159$28,000$19,67642%
21Old Dominion University$61,442$27,879$14,63846%
22Bridgewater College$61,276$26,000$17,80053%
23Regent University$59,087$27,500$19,92357%
24Mary Baldwin University$58,459$31,000$12,75639%
25Bryant & Stratton College-Virginia Beachmostly 2-year$52,556$45,243$12,03824%
26University of Virginia's College at Wise$50,029$15,799$9,21047%
27Virginia State University$49,764$27,000$15,84039%
28Virginia Union University$39,251$29,000$13,23534%

4 more Virginia colleges offer Business Administration but have too few graduates to report earnings.

Careers for Business Administration graduates

Management analyst

Harrisonburg area$96,450
Virginia$117,580
U.S.$101,860

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +10.1% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

General and Operations Managers

Harrisonburg area$94,320
Virginia$122,080
U.S.$105,770

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +5.0% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

Project Management Specialists

Harrisonburg area$84,680
Virginia$120,840
U.S.$102,320

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +6.7% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35. Careers from the federal major-to-occupation crosswalk.

What families pay at JMU, by income

School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.

College Scorecard

About JMU

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JMU Business Administration questions

How much do JMU Business Administration graduates earn?

Business Administration graduates of James Madison University earn a median $85,137 four years after graduating and $65,931 one year after. The U.S. median for Business Administration graduates across 1104 colleges is $64,798.

How much debt do JMU Business Administration graduates have?

The median federal loan debt for Business Administration graduates of James Madison University is $19,750, about 23% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $25,808.

Where does JMU rank for Business Administration in Virginia?

Of 28 Virginia colleges reporting Business Administration graduate earnings, James Madison University ranks 5th. The highest is Washington and Lee University at $121,699.

What jobs do Business Administration graduates get?

A common career is management analyst, with a median wage of $96,450 in the Harrisonburg, VA area and $101,860 nationally. Others include general and operations managers and project management specialists.

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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (field of study: median earnings and federal loan debt of graduates who received federal aid); BLS. How we score
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Cite this: “James Madison University Business Administration: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/james-madison-university/majors/business-administration (College Scorecard and BLS data).