As of 2025, over 20% of the undergraduate population participates in Greek life.
Over the years, there have been JMU Greek chapters that have lost university recognition or faced sanctions due to hazing, alcohol abuse, and other misconduct.
A monument dedicated to the organizations within the Inter-Cultural Greek Council (ICGC) was built in 2022 outside of the university's Student Success Center.
=== Music ===
James Madison University has the largest collegiate marching band in the nation, with 540 members as of Fall 2022. Nicknamed "Virginia's Finest", the Marching Royal Dukes have performed at the inaugurations of Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, the NFC title game between Washington and Dallas in 1983, and the Bands of America Grand National Championships in 1988 and 1991. The band has made four appearances in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, first in 2001, again in 2008, 2013, and most recently in 2018. In the past decade, the band has performed in Europe during winter break; they appeared …
