Private nonprofit · University
Eastern Mennonite University
Harrisonburg, Virginia · Small city
- 100.0%
- Admit rate
- $24,588
- Avg net price
- 67%
- Graduation rate
- $54,869
- Median earnings
Eastern Mennonite University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Harrisonburg, Virginia (small city setting), enrolling 754 undergraduates. It has a Mennonite Church religious affiliation.
About Harrisonburg, Virginia
Harrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. The earliest documented English exploration of the area prior to settlement was the Knights of the Golden Horseshoe Expedition, led by Lt. Gov. Alexander Spotswood, who reached Elkton, and whose rangers continued and in 1716 likely passed through what is now Harrisonburg. Harrisonburg has won several awards in recent years, including "#6 Favorite Town in America" by Travel + Leisure in 2016, the "#15 Best City to Raise an Outdoor Kid" by Backpacker in 2009, and the "#3 Happiest Mountain Town" by Blue Ridge Country Magazine in 2016. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 101 miles to Roanoke, VA
- To the ocean
- 82 miles
- Nearest airport
- 14 miles to Shenandoah Valley (SHD)
How Eastern Mennonite University compares
More selective than 2% · #41 most selective of 43 in Virginia
Higher than 73% · #14 of 49 in Virginia
Higher than 49%
Higher than 53% · #24 of 51 in Virginia
Cheaper than 30% · #33 cheapest of 47 in Virginia
Lower than 39%
Lower than 83%
Larger than 29%
Percentiles compare Eastern Mennonite University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Virginia.
Eastern Mennonite University campus
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate75468%
- Graduate36332%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women47964%
- Men27536%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White51%
- Black15%
- Hispanic16%
- Asian2.3%
- Other or multiracial16%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 754
- Graduate enrollment
- 363
- Student–faculty ratio
- 9 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 33%
- First-generation students
- 32%
- Students over 25
- 5%
- Median family income
- $62,190
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $58,068
- Endowment
- $46,225,730
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 187 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Virginia70%
- Other U.S. states27%
- International3.7%
A regional draw: about 70% of first-years come from Virginia, the rest from elsewhere.
4% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 100.0%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $43,920
- Room & board
- $13,170
- Books & supplies
- $1,100
- Total cost of attendance
- $56,756
- Average net price
- $24,588
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 67%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 56%
- First-year retention
- 76%
- Transferred to another college
- 25%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $48,158
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $54,869
- Median debt at graduation
- $24,813
- Students with federal loans
- 56%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 72%
About 11% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 672
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 89%
- Housing charge (year)
- $7,300
- Meal plan (year)
- $5,320
- Application fee
- $25
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III without football
- Varsity athletes
- 356 (189 men · 167 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (11)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 2.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 4
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 3
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (1,154 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$20,454/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Eastern Mennonite University discounts heavily: 95% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $24,510. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 203 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $54,869
- Typical debt at graduation
- $24,813
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 45%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 65%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $2,730 (5%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 86°F
- Winter low
- 23°F
- Annual rain
- 39″
- Annual snow
- 19.4″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Dale Enterprise, VA US station (3.2 mi from campus).
What Eastern Mennonite University graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Eastern Mennonite University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Eastern Mennonite University side by side →
American International College
Springfield, Massachusetts · Midsize city · 2 mi to Springfield
- Students
- 1,017
- Admission
- 100%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $53k
Doane University
Crete, Nebraska · Distant town · 19 mi to Lincoln
- Students
- 978
- Admission
- 98%
- Net price
- $26k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $53k
Union Adventist University
Lincoln, Nebraska · Large city · 4 mi to Lincoln
- Students
- 471
- Admission
- 100%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $55k
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Kansas City, Missouri · Large city · 6 mi to Kansas City
- Students
- 747
- Admission
- 96%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $51k
King University
Bristol, Tennessee · Small city · 72 mi to Asheville
- Students
- 908
- Admission
- 100%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $60k
Hiram College
Hiram, Ohio · Distant rural · 25 mi to Akron
- Students
- 777
- Admission
- 94%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $54k
Colleges near Eastern Mennonite University
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA · Public · Bachelor's · 20,888 students
Bridgewater College
Bridgewater, VA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,400 students
Blue Ridge Community College
Weyers Cave, VA · Public · Certificate · 2,730 students
Mary Baldwin University
Staunton, VA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,090 students
Staunton School of Cosmetology
Staunton, VA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 24 students
University of Virginia-Main Campus
Charlottesville, VA · Public · Bachelor's · 17,597 students
Piedmont Virginia Community College
Charlottesville, VA · Public · Associate · 3,045 students
Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College
Moorefield, WV · Public · Associate · 225 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.















