JMU Parents & Family

Are you and your Duke having trouble picking a meal plan?! JMU Dining can help your Duke pick a meal plan with the Find Your Fit tool! Tell your Dukes to get started here - https://jmu.mydininghub.com/en/meal-plans/find-your-fit

Find more information on 2026-27 Meal Plans here - https://jmu.mydininghub.com/en/meal-plans/2026-27-meal-plan-information

Every summer, with the help of JMU Parents Council, we host First-Year Send Offs. These are a great opportunity for you and your new Dukes to meet other Dukes in their regional area and ask questions before move-in. Each event is approximately 2 hours consisting of a meal, a program, Q&A opportunities and a bag full of JMU goodies.

The JMU student may attend at no charge. Guests are $15/person regardless of age. Register now, view dates and details here - https://www.jmu.edu/family/events/fyso.shtml

Let's talk about Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)! These standards are required by federal regulations and help ensure your Dukes are making steady progress toward completing their degree.

SAP is measured by 3 factors:

1. GPA

2. Pace – Students must earn credit for at least 67% of the hours they have attempted. This calculation is performed by dividing the number of credit hours earned by the number of credit hours attempted. Withdrawals, “F” grades and incompletes are all scenarios that will lower a student’s pace percentage.

3. Maximum Time – Students may not receive financial aid for more than 180 attempted hours. However, once 150 hours have been attempted, a degree audit is conducted to determine if it is mathematically possible for the student to meet graduation requirements before reaching 180 hours. If it is not, the student will be identified as not meeting SAP at that time. If a program(s) requires more than 180 hours, an appeal may be submitted for review.

If your student is unable to meet SAP requirements, their eligibility for federal financial aid, including loans (both student and parent) will be lost. An email regarding the area(s) of noncompliance will be sent to your student and a reminder will appear on the “To-Do” list in MyMadison. If extenuating circumstances such as illness or personal hardship affected academic performance, students may submit a SAP appeal for review.

2026-27 SAP Appeal Deadlines
- Summer 2026 – July 6, 2026
- Fall 2026 – August 31, 2026
- Spring 2027 – February 1, 2027

To learn more, please visit - https://www.jmu.edu/financialaid/learn/sap/index.shtml and contact JMU Financial Aid if you have questions!

Happy June! Our Madison Family Newsletter for this month is available and features important topics including:

- A Letter from Dr. Miller
- New Students: One Book Steps & Summer Orientation
- The Madison Family Handbook is Here
- First-Year Send Offs & Parents Council
- Early Access to JMU Football Single Game Tickets
- Save the Date for Family Weekend October 2-4, 2026
- 2026-2027 Financial Aid Offers
- Authorized Users and the Monthly Payment Plan
- 2026-2027 Off Campus Meal Plans
- The University Career Center is Open All Summer
- For Transfer Students: Dukes Career Connections (DCC)
- Discover UREC's MOAT Program
- Helping Dukes Build a Lifetime of Career Connections
- Dukes Getting Around Campus
- Direct Student Travel to NY, NJ, CT & PA

Read it here - https://www.jmu.edu/news/family/2026/june.shtml

First-Year and Transfer Parents & Families, this post is for YOU!!!

Please continue encouraging your future Dukes to complete their One Book steps! Some steps have deadlines that affect the ability to make an orientation reservation and enroll in classes. Both you and your Duke should receive emails from JMU Orientation and Transition with information, upcoming deadlines, and tips!

Please visit the link for the One Book for first-year students as well as Transfer Students - https://brnw.ch/21wTgWo

Parents, will your Duke be living off-campus this year? Before you buy that annual parking pass, please take a moment to consider all of your Duke’s options.

When you’re getting your student ready for the year, it’s easy to think a parking pass is a must-have. But that $300 annual pass can quickly turn into a “we already paid for it, so we have to use it” situation, even when your student may not need it every day.

💡 The reality of getting to campus:

- University Blvd and Port Republic Road will be under construction by the City of Harrisonburg for the 2026-2027 school year.

- 70 students fit on one bus. That's a lot of traffic reduced if they all go from single-occupancy vehicles to one bus.

- Most off-campus housing is served by at least one bus route running 7am–11pm, Monday-Friday with reduced Saturday coverage

- Major corridors like Port Republic & Reservoir have buses every 10–15 minutes

- And best of all… the buses are fare-free

💡 Flexible options to save money, time, and stress:
+ Ride the bus most days: FREE
+ Drive when needed: $5/day parking
+ Evening & weekend pass: $50/semester
+ Remote lot (R10): $50/semester with easy bus connections

For many students, a mix of bus + occasional parking is more convenient and much more affordable, without the stress of driving.

Bottom line: You don’t have to commit to $300 up front. A flexible plan can save money and still give your student freedom when they need it.

Let’s set them up for a smarter commute from day one.

REMINDER:
Housing Accommodations are due by June 15, at 5:00 p.m.
More information can be found in our Lnk.Bio under "Housing Accommodations"

Did you know that JMU Residence Life offers fully interactive and virtual tours of all residence halls, room types, and even bathrooms?! Take advantage and start exploring all of your Duke's options.

Tip: Use the measure tool to get estimated furniture measurements, see a floor plan view and a doll house view of rooms!

Explore here - https://brnw.ch/21wT7BZ

Heads up, CURRENT Dukes!

Fall registration closes this Friday, June 5th at noon. After that, your schedule is locked until August 3rd at 8am, so make your changes now!