The Metro Area is home to four institutions of higher learning.
JMU is a public co-educational research university founded in 1908. It is considered "More Selective" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For the Class of 2012, the university received more than 22,349 applications, and there were only 4,029 freshman spots available for the 2011-2012 academic year.
The school is nationally recognized for its academics. U.S. News & World Report has ranked JMU as the top public masters-level university in the South (3rd overall) for 16 consecutive years, and among public colleges Forbes.com ranks JMU 22nd in the nation.
The University is also ranked 22nd overall in value for money in the nation among public colleges and universities, according to Kiplinger Magazine's 100 Best Values in Public Colleges.
Currently, James Madison University offers 108 degree programs on the bachelor's, master's, educational specialist and doctoral levels. The university comprises seven colleges and 78 academic programs.
Bridgewater is a private co-educational liberal arts college, founded in 1880. Bridgewater offers more than 60 majors and minors, awarding the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees. Bridgewater students have the opportunity to study abroad through the BCA Study Abroad program and Inter term travel courses. The student-faculty ratio at Bridgewater is 14:1, and the school has 48.0 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students.
EMU is a private liberal arts university affiliated with one of the historic peace churches, the Mennonite Church USA. EMU's current undergraduate programs include 35 majors, 16 teacher education certification programs, 9 pre-professional programs such as pre-engineering and health sciences, and 4 associate degrees. A relatively new major, digital media arts, focuses on internet, digital video, audio and photography.
Blue Ridge Community College is a part of the Virginia Community College System and serves students from the cities of Harrisonburg, Staunton, and Waynesboro. Blue Ridge also has satellite locations in Harrisonburg and at Augusta Health in Fishersville.