Admit rate has ranged 57%–92% over the last 5 years — notably volatile. Source: IPEDS via Urban Institute.
Acceptance & SAT from Common Data Set / IPEDS; net price, earnings & graduation from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~1–2 years — verify with the school.
Jacksonville University, perched along the St. Johns River in Florida, blends hands-on professional training with a liberal arts core—think flight simulators for aviation majors alongside Shakespeare seminars. With a 57% acceptance rate and test-optional policy, JU attracts students drawn to its nursing, business, and pilot programs, plus Division I athletics and Greek life. The school’s 'River Life' ethos means kayaking between classes, but graduates face middling earnings ($36K early-career) and a 41% four-year graduation rate.
Admission requirements
Test-optional — scores considered if submitted
Required
High school transcript
Grade point average
TOEFL (non-native English)
Considered (not required)
Class rank
Letters of recommendation
Test scores (SAT/ACT)
College-prep program
Demonstrated competencies
Source: IPEDS Admissions survey (2022) via Urban Institute. Covers formal factors only — it does not reflect essays, extracurriculars, or other holistic criteria.
More details
Undergrad enrollment
2,930
In-state tuition
$47,830
Out-of-state tuition
$47,830
Top Majors
Nursing, Aviation, Business
Sticker Price
$68,366
Acceptance Rate
57%
4-Year Grad Rate
41%
On-Campus Housing
52%
Greek Life Participation
15%
Median Early-Career Earnings
$36,427
Outcomes & value
Outcomes & value
Median earnings (10 yr)
$68,010
Value (earnings ÷ net price)
2.7×
Median debt at graduation
$22,000
Graduation rate
51%
First-year retention
75%
Reducing loan balance (3 yr)
54%
Pell (lower-income) share
53%
First-generation share
36%
Endowment / student
$22,560
Financial health
1.5 / 3.0Meets the federal financial-responsibility standard
U.S. Dept. of Education Financial Responsibility Composite Score (FY2022-23). Scale −1.0 to 3.0; ≥1.5 meets the standard. Reported for private nonprofit & for-profit institutions only — public universities are state-backed and not scored, so this is a stability signal, not a ranking.
Top-earning majors
Median earnings by field of study (highest credential), ~2 years after completion.
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$66,857
Finance and Financial Management Services$53,358
Air Transportation$44,835
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods$44,189
Marketing$44,170
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
Campus & location
Campus safety
On-campus violent crimes (2024)
0
Per 1,000 students
0.00
On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.
Climate
Pleasant days / yr
135
Summer high
88°F
Winter low
51°F
Annual rain
50.3"
Natural-hazard risk
Relatively High
Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Deep dive — research, future-scholar output & economic mobility▾
Research output
Institutional h-index
175
Scholarly works
6,958
Institutional research volume and impact from OpenAlex. The h-index reflects large research universities and will be low for teaching-focused liberal-arts colleges — not a measure of undergraduate quality.
Economic mobility
Mobility rate
1.2%
Bottom → top quintile
16%
From bottom quintile
8%
Mobility rate = the share of students who both start in the bottom household-income quintile and reach the top quintile; bottom → top is that chance conditional on starting at the bottom. Source: Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Cards (Chetty, Friedman, Saez, Turner & Yagan). Reflects 1980–82 birth cohorts, so it’s directional, not current.
Quick answers
What is the acceptance rate at Jacksonville University?
Jacksonville University's acceptance rate is approximately 57% (Jacksonville, FL), based on the most recent figures we compiled from public and primary sources.
What SAT score do you need for Jacksonville University?
Admitted students at Jacksonville University typically score 1100–1280 on the SAT (the middle-50% range). Scores outside this band are still admitted, especially with strong applications.
How much does Jacksonville University cost?
At Jacksonville University, the average net price (after aid) is about $25,180 per year. Actual cost varies with financial aid and residency.
How many undergraduates attend Jacksonville University?
Jacksonville University enrolls approximately 2,930 undergraduate students.
Where is Jacksonville University located?
Jacksonville University is located in Jacksonville, FL.
Admissions
Jacksonville University admits just over half of its applicants—a 57% Acceptance rateThe share of applicants a college admits in a given year. A 10% acceptance rate means it admits about 1 in 10 applicants.—with middle-50% SAT scores ranging from 1050 to 1280 and ACT scores between 22 and 27. The average admitted student has a 3.73 GPA, though JU is test-optional, waiving SAT/ACT requirements entirely. Notably, 52% of enrolled students live on campus, suggesting a residential college experience remains central to JU’s appeal. Auditions are required for performing arts applicants.
Earnings = median of students working ~10 years after entry; debt = median of graduates. Value divides 10-yr earnings by one year’s net price — read it as earnings per dollar of annual cost, not a full lifetime ROI; it favors lower-cost schools. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~2 years and reflect all students, not your intended major.
$35,864
Business Administration, Management and Operations$33,993
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other$31,305
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings). Figures cover graduates who received federal aid and lag ~2 years; not all programs report data.
Academics
JU’s 50+ majors skew practical, with nursing, aviation (including commercial pilot training), and business dominating enrollment. The curriculum emphasizes 'engaged learning'—students might log flight hours at nearby Cecil Airport or complete clinical rotations at Baptist Health. Though professional programs take center stage, JU requires a liberal arts core, including courses in ethics and global studies. Small classes are the norm, with no mention of graduate teaching assistants leading courses. The catalog touts undergraduate research opportunities, particularly in marine science (leveraging its riverfront location).
Life at JU orbits around the river—literally. The campus docks host kayak rentals, and the annual River Fest draws students for live music and watersports. About half the student body lives on campus, with housing options ranging from traditional dorms to apartment-style suites. Greek life claims 15% of undergraduates, while Division I athletics (especially lacrosse and rowing) rally school spirit. Over 100 clubs include niche groups like the 'EcoDolphins' sustainability crew and a student-run investment fund. Friday nights often mean 'Dolphin Den' events—think trivia battles or DIY sushi rolls—at the student center.
Six years post-graduation, JU alumni earn a median salary of $36,427—below the national average for bachelor’s holders. The four-year graduation rate sits at just 41%, though 57% eventually finish within six years. Nursing graduates fare best, with many landing jobs at nearby Mayo Clinic or Baptist Health. Aviation alumni often pipeline into regional airlines, while business majors cluster in Jacksonville’s banking sector. About 22% of graduates carry $22K in median debt, less than many private schools but still a burden for those entering lower-paying fields like education.
JU’s sticker price hits $68,366 annually (including room/board), but 67% of students receive aid, slashing the average Net priceWhat a family actually pays after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the sticker price — usually far less than the published cost. to $25,745. Merit scholarships—often $15K–$20K per year—flow liberally to students with GPAs above 3.5. The university promotes an 'Undergraduate Affordability Initiative' that caps net tuition at $48,880 for families earning under $150K, though fine print notes this excludes books and travel. Work-study jobs are plentiful, especially at the campus’s flight operations center or riverfront research labs.
Few schools fuse aviation training with NCAA lacrosse and kayak commutes like JU does. Its riverfront campus—where biology classes might test water samples from the dock—caters to hands-on learners who want professional skills without sacrificing Friday night football games. The aviation program’s fleet of Cessnas and Piper Cubs is unmatched in Florida outside of Embry-Riddle, while nursing students benefit from Jacksonville’s sprawling healthcare industry. Though graduation rates lag, JU rewards scrappy students who leverage its industry ties—like Boeing recruiters at career fairs or alumni-owned startups hiring business majors.
Jacksonville University logo · sourceCampuses & Locations | Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Fla. · sourceJacksonville Campus | Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Fla. · sourceLocation | Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Fla. · source
