Jacksonville State University (JSU) is a public research university in Jacksonville, Alabama that was founded in 1883. The institute was founded as Jacksonville State Normal School and was renamed once in 1930 to Jacksonville State Teachers College before getting renamed as Jacksonville State College in 1957 and began operation as a university in 1966.

JSU offers programs under five academic units which provide bachelors, masters, education specialist and doctorate degrees alongside providing some distance learning programs. With an acceptance rate of 55%, Jacksonville State University is committed to providing educational as well as overall development opportunities to its students.

Jacksonville State University Ranking

  • On the regional level, WMU has been ranked at 72nd position by US News and World Report.
  • Forbes magazine places WMU at 537th place in the US.
  • Times/WSJ ranks Western Michigan University in the greater than 800 bands in the US.
  • Washington Monthly ranks WMU at 544th place in the US.

Highlights

Institute Type Private not-for-profit
Campus Setting Rural
Campus Size 260 acres
Endowment 12.59 million USD
Enrollment (Fall 2023) 4,164
Cost of Attendance 31,684 USD
International Student Percentage 16%
Admission Helpdesk 256 782-5268
Student Retention Rate 72%

Jacksonville State University Campus

  • The main campus is located in the Appalachian foothills in northeast Alabam and is spread over 459 acres, and the university has 59 buildings.
  • The Little River Canyon campus was opened in 2009 and is located in Fort Payne. A portion of the campus has been leased to the National Park Service.
  • The McClellan campus was established in 2003 and it has two state schools. This campus also hosts the Institute of Emergency Preparedness.
  • The college has 7491 undergraduate students and 1076 post-graduate students and an academic staff of 451.
  • The university is located between Atlanta and Birmingham.

Jacksonville State University Residence

  • The university provides separate resident halls for first-year students and the senior students along with apartments and special housing facilities.
  • The first-year students have 6 different residents halls which provide TV lounges, microwaves, and refrigerators. The rooms are furnished and come with two each of beds, tables, chairs and wardrobes along with a dresser and wireless internet and cable connection.
  • The senior resident halls are called the Upperclassmen and are three in number and come with similar facilities as the first-year halls.
  • There are seven apartments for housing the seniors and they come with utilities included in the semester-wise rent.
  • There is a special housing facility for international students, along with two fraternity houses and a Leadership house for women.
  • Moreover, students willing to live independently may look for other housing options in US available at affordable rates. 

Jacksonville State University Programs

  • The college offers 46 undergraduate programs that include BS, BA, and BSN.
  • A total of 31 master degree programs are offered by the university which includes MS, M.S. Ed., MSW, MPA, MSN, MFA, and MBA.
  • Jacksonville State University offers 95 academic programs including bachelor's, masters, doctoral, post-baccalaureate as well as advanced certified programs through its six academic schools.
  • The university also offers over 40 online programs to students looking for distant learning course options.
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities; Business; and Nursing are some of the popular majors offered by the Jacksonville State University.

Jacksonville State University Application Process

While taking admission at Jacksonville State University, it is important to take the following points into consideration for a better chance:

  • Application Portal: 
  • A fee of 35 USD must be submitted while applying at the University.
  • The admissions at JSU take place in three phases that are Early Decision I where you need to apply before November 15. Early Decision II phase has a deadline of January 1 and the regular decision phase ends on January 15.
  • The college requires students to possess a diploma from and certification by an accredited secondary school.
  • These academic programs should have a minimum of 16 units and include English (four years), Foreign Language (three years), Laboratory Science (two years), Algebra and Geometry (two years and one year respectively), and History (two years).
  • The college requires a candidate to submit their SAT or ACT score for UG programs and GRE or GMAT scores for graduate programs. Each application goes through rigorous review before a candidate is selected.
  • The international applicants need to appear for either TOEFL or IELTS if they come from a non-English speaking background.
  • The 4-year graduation rate for students is 29%.
  • Application Deadline: The university accepts admissions on a rolling basis; however, their priority decision deadline is May 1.

Jacksonville State University Cost of Attendance

Types of Expense Estimated Undergraduate Annual Cost (for 30 Credit Hours; in USD) Estimated Graduate Annual Cost (for 24 Credit Hours; in USD)
Tuition  19,440 19,200
University Fees 1,400 1,400
Program Fees 1,000 1,000
Housing-Dormitory (estimated) 5,500 5,500
Meal Plan 3,520 3,520
Health Insurance 1,200 1,200
Textbooks 1,000 1,000
Total 33,060 32,820

Jacksonville State University Financial Aids

  • International students at the university can avail of the International House Scholarship. The candidates who participate in this event can get up to 50% discount on their tuition fee and full discount on housing fees for one year if the student manages to satisfy the criteria during their second semester.
  • International candidates are also suggested to look for graduate assistantships and graduate study scholarships.

Other Sources of Funding:

Applying for scholarships to study in the US can be overwhelming due to their extensive application filing process. Here’s a brief list of research scholarship opportunities from private organizations both within the U.S. and India.

Jacksonville State University Alumni

Some of the notable alumni of the university are:

  • Ademola Adeleke, former Nigerian senator and current governor of Osun State, Nigeria.
  • JoAnn H. Morgan, an aerospace engineer and the first woman engineer at NASA John F. Kennedy Space Center.
  • F. Richard Spenser, Roman Catholic Bishop.
  • Rick Bragg, Pulitzer Prize Winner and author of Ava’s Man and All Over but the Shoutin.
  • Reynolds Wolf, CNN Meteorologist, and reporter.

Jacksonville State University Placements

  • The average salary six years after graduating from Jacksonville State University is 30,300 USD/year.
  • The salary increases to 32,000 USD after seven years since graduation.
  • By the eighth year, the salary becomes 33,700 USD and 35,800 USD after nine years.
  • The average salary after 10 years from graduation is 37,000 USD per year which is 8% higher than the national mean of 34,000 USD per year.