Admit rate has ranged 47%–61% over the last 5 years — notably volatile. Source: IPEDS via Urban Institute.
Acceptance & SAT from Common Data Set / IPEDS; net price, earnings & graduation from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~1–2 years — verify with the school.
Southern Methodist University (SMU) blends Southern charm with Dallas sophistication, offering a high-energy campus where students enjoy rigorous academics, Greek life, and big-city perks. With an 11:1 student-faculty ratio and top-ranked business programs, SMU delivers strong outcomes—88% career placement rates and mid-career salaries averaging $95K—but at a steep price tag that leans heavily on affluent families.
Admission requirements
Test-optional — scores considered if submitted
Required
High school transcript
Grade point average
Letters of recommendation
College-prep program
TOEFL (non-native English)
Considered (not required)
Class rank
Test scores (SAT/ACT)
Demonstrated competencies
Source: IPEDS Admissions survey (2022) via Urban Institute. Covers formal factors only — it does not reflect essays, extracurriculars, or other holistic criteria.
More details
Undergrad enrollment
7,277
In-state tuition
$67,040
Out-of-state tuition
$67,040
Location
Dallas, TX
Sticker Price
$61,880
Acceptance Rate
63%
Student-Faculty Ratio
11:1
6-Year Graduation Rate
83%
Avg Early-Career Salary
$67,114
Outcomes & value
Outcomes & value
Median earnings (10 yr)
$78,354
Value (earnings ÷ net price)
1.9×
Median debt at graduation
$19,500
Graduation rate
84%
First-year retention
91%
Reducing loan balance (3 yr)
75%
Pell (lower-income) share
45%
First-generation share
16%
Endowment / student
$297,364
Financial health
3.0 / 3.0Meets the federal financial-responsibility standard
U.S. Dept. of Education Financial Responsibility Composite Score (FY2022-23). Scale −1.0 to 3.0; ≥1.5 meets the standard. Reported for private nonprofit & for-profit institutions only — public universities are state-backed and not scored, so this is a stability signal, not a ranking.
Top-earning majors
Median earnings by field of study (highest credential), ~2 years after completion.
Computer Science$76,460
Operations Research$76,460
Civil Engineering$73,737
Finance and Financial Management Services$73,446
Mechanical Engineering$73,035
Economics$62,012
Mathematics
Campus & location
Campus safety
On-campus violent crimes (2024)
7
Per 1,000 students
0.96
On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.
Climate
Pleasant days / yr
87
Summer high
94°F
Winter low
40°F
Annual rain
57.5"
Annual snow
1.6"
Natural-hazard risk
Very High
Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Deep dive — research, future-scholar output & economic mobility▾
Research output
Institutional h-index
494
Scholarly works
30,708
Institutional research volume and impact from OpenAlex. The h-index reflects large research universities and will be low for teaching-focused liberal-arts colleges — not a measure of undergraduate quality.
Economic mobility
Mobility rate
1.8%
Bottom → top quintile
40%
From bottom quintile
4%
Mobility rate = the share of students who both start in the bottom household-income quintile and reach the top quintile; bottom → top is that chance conditional on starting at the bottom. Source: Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Cards (Chetty, Friedman, Saez, Turner & Yagan). Reflects 1980–82 birth cohorts, so it’s directional, not current.
Quick answers
What is the acceptance rate at Southern Methodist University?
Southern Methodist University's acceptance rate is approximately 63% (Dallas, TX), based on the most recent figures we compiled from public and primary sources.
What SAT score do you need for Southern Methodist University?
Admitted students at Southern Methodist University typically score 1340–1490 on the SAT (the middle-50% range). Scores outside this band are still admitted, especially with strong applications.
How much does Southern Methodist University cost?
At Southern Methodist University, the average net price (after aid) is about $40,892 per year. Actual cost varies with financial aid and residency.
How many undergraduates attend Southern Methodist University?
Southern Methodist University enrolls approximately 7,277 undergraduate students.
Where is Southern Methodist University located?
Southern Methodist University is located in Dallas, TX.
Admissions
SMU's admissions process is moderately selective, with a 63% acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 (9,657 admitted from 15,245 applicants). The middle 50% SAT range is 1340–1480, and ACT scores fall between 30–34, with the most recent class averaging a 1400 SAT and 32 ACT (top 3% nationally). Notably, SMU has seen record application numbers in recent years, though its Acceptance rateThe share of applicants a college admits in a given year. A 10% acceptance rate means it admits about 1 in 10 applicants. remains higher than peer institutions—a Reddit thread speculates this may be due to its high cost deterring lower-income applicants despite strong academic metrics.
Demographics: The enrolled Class of 2029 was nearly gender-balanced (875 women, 841 men).
Waitlist: SMU does admit some waitlisted students, though the CDS doesn’t specify how many.
Earnings = median of students working ~10 years after entry; debt = median of graduates. Value divides 10-yr earnings by one year’s net price — read it as earnings per dollar of annual cost, not a full lifetime ROI; it favors lower-cost schools. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~2 years and reflect all students, not your intended major.
$61,814
Marketing$59,576
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings). Figures cover graduates who received federal aid and lag ~2 years; not all programs report data.
SMU’s academic vibe is collaborative but ambitious, with an 11:1 student-faculty ratio and a curriculum that emphasizes hands-on learning. Students can choose from 100+ majors and 85 minors, with particularly strong programs in business, engineering, and the arts. The Princeton Review praises its "close-knit community" and "fun and interesting courses."
Pedagogy: 99% of courses incorporate writing-intensive work, and 59% include service-learning components.
Flexibility: Double majors are common, and the Cox School of Business offers direct admission for undergrads.
Weaknesses: Only 16% of students participate in first-year experiences, and just 18% complete a senior capstone—suggesting fewer structured transitions than some peers.
Life at SMU revolves around Greek life, football games, and Dallas’s upscale social scene. With 50% of students living on campus, the vibe is tight-knit but party-heavy—Reddit threads note that "clubbing is bigger than frat parties." Over 200 student organizations cater to diverse interests, from a cappella groups to startup incubators.
Housing: First-years are required to live on campus, but half the student body moves off by sophomore year.
Traditions: "Boulevarding" (tailgating with tents and chandeliers) before football games epitomizes SMU’s blend of Southern tradition and Dallas glitz.
City perks: Students frequent the Arts District and internships at Fortune 500 companies like AT&T.
SMU delivers strong ROI, with an 83% six-year graduation rate and 88% career outcomes rate (employed or in grad school within 6 months). Alumni earnings outpace national averages:
Early career: $67,114 (1 year post-grad)
Mid-career: $95,051 (College Scorecard)
Top employers: ExxonMobil, Deloitte, and Texas Instruments recruit heavily on campus.
However, outcomes vary by major—business and engineering graduates earn significantly more than arts/humanities peers.
SMU is one of the priciest Texas schools, with a sticker price of $61,880/year. However, the average Net priceWhat a family actually pays after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the sticker price — usually far less than the published cost. drops to $45,792 after aid—though aid skews toward merit over need:
Affluent families: Those earning over $110K pay ~$64K/year.
Middle-income: $21,577–$24,468 net price for families earning $30K–$75K.
Scholarships: 52% of undergrads receive Merit aidScholarship money awarded for achievements like grades, talents, or test scores — not based on your family's financial need., averaging $27,376.
Critics note that SMU’s aid packages often include loans, and its endowment per student is lower than elite peers.
SMU’s Dallas adjacency is its superpower: students land internships at Southwest Airlines or the Dallas Fed by sophomore year. The campus aesthetic—redbrick Georgian architecture with manicured quads—feels Ivy-esque, but the culture is unabashedly social, with a "work hard, play hard" ethos. It’s the rare school where students wear blazers to football games and cite "networking" as a top reason for attending. For those who can stomach the cost, SMU offers a pipeline to Texas’s corporate elite—but it’s less ideal for students seeking a countercultural or highly subsidized education.
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