James Madison University Athletics

JMU competes in NCAA Division I, where athletic scholarships and serious competition define campus sports culture. The Dukes field 16 varsity teams with 479 total athletes, meaning about 2.3% of the 20,497 students compete at the varsity level. The university allocates over $10.3 million in athletic scholarships to support these programs. JMU recently joined the Sun Belt Conference after years in the Colonial Athletic Association. The football program has built a particularly strong reputation, winning multiple FCS national championships before moving up to FBS competition. Basketball games draw energetic student crowds to the Convocation Center. The traditional rivalry with Virginia Tech adds extra intensity when the teams meet. Purple and gold fill the is the Dukes compete against major university programs across the Southeast.