Anonymous
Post 05/18/2026 13:33     Subject: “True Safeties” that accept nearly every applicant but have retained great reputations?

Most of these are flat out wrong if you are asking for schools that accept nearly all applicants. Nebraska, Iowa State and Kansas are options. Iowa State has a formula. Easy to know if you will get in or not.
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2026 13:27     Subject: “True Safeties” that accept nearly every applicant but have retained great reputations?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:JMU is popular and it seems most students are happy there. No one is disputing this.

That being said, it is also definitely a “safety” school.


Maybe, but maybe only for the kids who have DCUM parents. When I look at the data for my DC's school in APS the GPA and the SAT scores of kids who were accepted to JMU is pretty high. Not 4.0 and above high, but not 2.0 low. 3.89 was rhe average. I honestly don't know if it can be considered a safety when competing against an Arlington HS set.


In Loudoun where I live, the median HS student graduates with over a 4.0. As in, more kids have above a 4.0 than don’t. You can get into JMU with few to no AP classes and lots and lots of B’s.
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2026 13:20     Subject: “True Safeties” that accept nearly every applicant but have retained great reputations?

Anonymous wrote:JMU is popular and it seems most students are happy there. No one is disputing this.

That being said, it is also definitely a “safety” school.


Maybe, but maybe only for the kids who have DCUM parents. When I look at the data for my DC's school in APS the GPA and the SAT scores of kids who were accepted to JMU is pretty high. Not 4.0 and above high, but not 2.0 low. 3.89 was rhe average. I honestly don't know if it can be considered a safety when competing against an Arlington HS set.
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2026 13:15     Subject: “True Safeties” that accept nearly every applicant but have retained great reputations?

JMU is popular and it seems most students are happy there. No one is disputing this.

That being said, it is also definitely a “safety” school.
Anonymous
Post 05/16/2026 20:34     Subject: “True Safeties” that accept nearly every applicant but have retained great reputations?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This area it’s JMU for sure.


You could have bothered to check stats before posting. the 75th percentile at JMU has a 4.11 GPA, a 29 ACT and a 1330 SAT.


And? I'm just basing it on all the kids I know who went or are going there.


Those kids did not get into UVA. JMU is not a first resort for anyone I have known or read about on here. Brutal honesty but it seems that no one picks it as a first choice.


This is just not true at all. It is very popular.


According to Parchment, when admitted to both, 90% of students choose UVA over JMU. Still, 10% do not.

https://www.parchment.com/c/college/tools/college-cross-admit-comparison.php?compare=University+of+Virginia&with=James+Madison+University


That is very true that JMU is a backup for many applying to UVA and they would choose UVA 1000x but it is also true that kids not shooting for UVA would I have JMU as a first choice. If you aren’t competitive for uva etc then JMU is a fantastic first choice.
Anonymous
Post 05/16/2026 20:30     Subject: “True Safeties” that accept nearly every applicant but have retained great reputations?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This area it’s JMU for sure.


You could have bothered to check stats before posting. the 75th percentile at JMU has a 4.11 GPA, a 29 ACT and a 1330 SAT.


And? I'm just basing it on all the kids I know who went or are going there.


Those kids did not get into UVA. JMU is not a first resort for anyone I have known or read about on here. Brutal honesty but it seems that no one picks it as a first choice.


This is just not true at all. It is very popular.


According to Parchment, when admitted to both, 90% of students choose UVA over JMU. Still, 10% do not.

https://www.parchment.com/c/college/tools/college-cross-admit-comparison.php?compare=University+of+Virginia&with=James+Madison+University
Anonymous
Post 05/16/2026 13:57     Subject: “True Safeties” that accept nearly every applicant but have retained great reputations?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This area it’s JMU for sure.


You could have bothered to check stats before posting. the 75th percentile at JMU has a 4.11 GPA, a 29 ACT and a 1330 SAT.


And? I'm just basing it on all the kids I know who went or are going there.


Those kids did not get into UVA. JMU is not a first resort for anyone I have known or read about on here. Brutal honesty but it seems that no one picks it as a first choice.


This is just not true at all. It is very popular.
Anonymous
Post 05/16/2026 13:28     Subject: “True Safeties” that accept nearly every applicant but have retained great reputations?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This area it’s JMU for sure.


You could have bothered to check stats before posting. the 75th percentile at JMU has a 4.11 GPA, a 29 ACT and a 1330 SAT.


And? I'm just basing it on all the kids I know who went or are going there.


Those kids did not get into UVA. JMU is not a first resort for anyone I have known or read about on here. Brutal honesty but it seems that no one picks it as a first choice.


Absolutely wrong. I know many kids who have JMU as a first choice.


It's extremely popular with a great environment. Not sure why anyone would think that.
Anonymous
Post 05/16/2026 08:34     Subject: “True Safeties” that accept nearly every applicant but have retained great reputations?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Emory/Oxford which is their two year junior college.

Oregon, Arizona State, Kansas.


Emory/Oxford is not a safety for most kids. Admission rate is still less than 20%.

Admissions to Oxford at Emory is 10%. Emory College is 8.5%. Yall are chronically delusional on this site.


The irrational Emory hate in this board is really off putting. So many people on this board hate that others have the audacity to believe that Emory is a good school. Wild, wild stuff.

Like the thread is about safeties... how in the world would any T25 be mentioned is beyond me. These people are unhinged


Exactly. Emory mom feels obliged to defend Emory at every turn, even when the thread has nothing to do with the school. She keeps harping on the 8.5% acceptance rate and the 43,000 applications, as if they are some unbeatable gold standard. She so so so wishes Emory is ranked higher. It's embarrassing.

You're the embarrassing one, as you clearly lack reading comprehension. Some poster, probably you, mentioned oxford @ Emory as a safety. Which is preposterous.


First thing in the morning is to check if your little precious Emory is mentioned? Sad.
Anonymous
Post 05/16/2026 08:13     Subject: “True Safeties” that accept nearly every applicant but have retained great reputations?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This area it’s JMU for sure.


You could have bothered to check stats before posting. the 75th percentile at JMU has a 4.11 GPA, a 29 ACT and a 1330 SAT.


And? I'm just basing it on all the kids I know who went or are going there.


Those kids did not get into UVA. JMU is not a first resort for anyone I have known or read about on here. Brutal honesty but it seems that no one picks it as a first choice.


Absolutely wrong. I know many kids who have JMU as a first choice.
Anonymous
Post 05/16/2026 07:49     Subject: “True Safeties” that accept nearly every applicant but have retained great reputations?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Emory/Oxford which is their two year junior college.

Oregon, Arizona State, Kansas.


Emory/Oxford is not a safety for most kids. Admission rate is still less than 20%.

Admissions to Oxford at Emory is 10%. Emory College is 8.5%. Yall are chronically delusional on this site.


The irrational Emory hate in this board is really off putting. So many people on this board hate that others have the audacity to believe that Emory is a good school. Wild, wild stuff.

Like the thread is about safeties... how in the world would any T25 be mentioned is beyond me. These people are unhinged


Exactly. Emory mom feels obliged to defend Emory at every turn, even when the thread has nothing to do with the school. She keeps harping on the 8.5% acceptance rate and the 43,000 applications, as if they are some unbeatable gold standard. She so so so wishes Emory is ranked higher. It's embarrassing.

You're the embarrassing one, as you clearly lack reading comprehension. Some poster, probably you, mentioned oxford @ Emory as a safety. Which is preposterous.
Anonymous
Post 05/16/2026 07:47     Subject: “True Safeties” that accept nearly every applicant but have retained great reputations?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This area it’s JMU for sure.


You could have bothered to check stats before posting. the 75th percentile at JMU has a 4.11 GPA, a 29 ACT and a 1330 SAT.


And? I'm just basing it on all the kids I know who went or are going there.


Those kids did not get into UVA. JMU is not a first resort for anyone I have known or read about on here. Brutal honesty but it seems that no one picks it as a first choice.
Anonymous
Post 05/16/2026 07:22     Subject: Re:“True Safeties” that accept nearly every applicant but have retained great reputations?

Some of the SUNY schools
Anonymous
Post 05/16/2026 01:44     Subject: Re:“True Safeties” that accept nearly every applicant but have retained great reputations?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:To get back to the actual question: Arizona State (90% acceptance rate) and Arizona (86% AR) are good examples of what OP is looking for. Nationally solid reputation but a healthy acceptance rate.


When I see these schools on a resume I don’t think ‘Solid’. I think ‘good enough’ like I think of U of Kansas.


Agree, but keep in mind that OP is looking for safeties, where being labeled 'good enough' is a plus. Many schools cannot even claim that.


A main difference between the heartland flagships (U of Minnesota, U of Kansas, U of Nebraska, U of Oklahoma etc) and the JMU/Drexel types is that in flyover country it’s very common for the very top students (such as valedictorians, salutatorians, & National Merit contenders) to not even consider T40 schools.

They often skip all the application drama & just go where probably half if the successful people in their town went: their instate flagship (or even the slightly lower prominent colleges like Kansas State, Michigan State, & Oklahoma State).

So, these schools might accept 85% of applicants, but people out there don’t look at them as last-resort schools. They really are “good enough,” without the negative connotation that term has in the Northeast.
Anonymous
Post 05/16/2026 00:10     Subject: “True Safeties” that accept nearly every applicant but have retained great reputations?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:“Colorado”

Their admit rate is high but not so much for OOS and definitely not a safety for more selective schools like business & engineering. DC several friends who were rejected.


It was definitely a safety at our HS.
It still is a safety at our private (oos).
For exploratory studies, sure. But name an OOS kid accepted by CU for Aero with less than ~perfect grades/rigor/scores. I'll wait.


A student from our school. I won’t say their name on a public board, come on. The student was average and that’s fine, but not a top student by any means.