Southern Methodist University

Southern Methodist University Overview

Southern Methodist University is a private, religious school in the city of Dallas, Texas. SMU was founded in 1911 and the school presently has around 12,385 students a year, including 6,908 undergrad students. SMU provides on-campus housing for students. The majority of students live on campus, and first year-students are required to live in campus housing.

📆 Mark your calendar! The deadline to apply regular decision to SMU for Fall 2023 is January 15. Regular decision applicants for Fall 2023 should find out if they have been admitted by March 15.

Student Involvement at SMU

Love music or performing? Join a campus band, sing in a chorus, or perform with one of the school's theater groups.

Interested in journalism or communications? SMU students can write for the campus newspaper, host a radio show or be a producer for the student-run television channel.

Thinking of pledging? SMU has both fraternities and sororities.

Planning to play sports? SMU has many options for athletes. See them all and learn more about life at SMU on the Student Life page.

2022 SMU Facts At-A-Glance
Academic Calendar	Semester
Overall Acceptance Rate	53%
Early Decision Acceptance Rate	55%
Early Action Acceptance Rate	EA Offered but % not available
Average GPA	3.7
Applicants Submitting SAT scores	16%
Tuition	$55,012
Percent of Need Met	84.8%
Average First-Year Financial Aid Package	$47,782

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Is SMU a Good School?

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There is no one way to define a "good" college or university. Admissions criteria, acceptance rate and average GPA are good indicators of how selective an institution is.

Let's take a look at these factors to get a clearer view of what SMU offers and if it might be a good choice for you.

SMU Acceptance Rate 2022

SMU is moderately difficult to get into. SMU admitted 53% of all applicants in 2022. Out of 15,685 applications received in 2022, 8,333 students were offered admission.

Retention and Graduation Rates at SMU

Retention refers to the number of students that stay enrolled at a school over time. Retention measures how satisfied students are with their school experience, and if they have the support necessary to succeed in college.

Approximately 91% of students who start at SMU return for their second year of college. Around 82% of students who started at SMU earn their Bachelor's degrees within six years. The average six-year graduation rate for U.S. colleges and universities is 61% for public schools, and 67% for private, non-profit schools.

Job Outcomes for SMU Grads

Job placement statistics for recent graduates can give you a sense of the return on investment a school offers.

Check with SMU directly, for information on any information on starting salaries for recent grads.

SMU's Endowment

An endowment is the total value of a school's investments, donations, and assets. Endowment is not necessarily an indicator of the quality of a school, but it can give you a sense of how much money a college can afford to invest in expanding programs, improving facilities, and support students.

As of 2022, the total market value of Southern Methodist University's endowment was $2.1 billion. The average college endowment was $905 million in 2021.

Tuition and Financial Aid at SMU

Tuition is another important factor when choose a college. Some colleges may have high tuition, but do a better job at meeting students' financial need.

SMU meets 84.8% of the demonstrated financial need for undergraduates. First-year students that attend SMU full-time are awarded $47,782 a year in financial aid, on average.

Students in the class of 2022 who had taken out student loans graduated with an average of $35,324 of debt. For context, compare this number with the average national debt, which is around $36,000 per borrower.

The 2023-2024 FAFSA Opened on October 1st, 2022

Some financial aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so fill out the FAFSA early. Visit the FAFSA website to apply for student aid. Remember, the first F in FAFSA stands for FREE! No one should ever pay to fill out the FREE Application for Federal Student Aid, (FAFSA), so don't give your money (or info!) to any website that claim you do.

Learn more about Tuition and Financial Aid at SMU.

Based on this information, does SMU seem like a good fit? Remember, the best school for one person may not be the right school for someone else! So ask yourself: Is SMU a good school for you?

If Southern Methodist University seems like a school you want to apply to, click the heart button to save it to your college list.

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Still Researching Schools?

Choose one of the options below to learn more about SMU:

Admissions

Student Life

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SMU Community Forums

Then use the college admissions predictor to calculate your chances of getting admitted to some of the most selective schools in the U.S.

Where is SMU?

SMU is located in the urban setting of Dallas, Texas, less than an hour from Dallas-Fort Worth.

If you want to see SMU for yourself, plan a visit. The best way to reach campus is to take U.S. Highway 75 to Dallas, or book a flight to the nearest airport, Dallas-Fort Worth International.

You can also take a virtual campus tour to get a sense of what SMU and Dallas are like without leaving home.

Considering Colleges in Texas?

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