Southern Methodist University: Statistics

Updated:

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Position Category
#481 of 14,131 In the World
#175 of 2,597 In North America
#152 of 2,496 In the United States
#13 of 119 In Texas
#2 of 12 In Dallas
#65 of 1,014 For Information Technology
Top50% For 175 other topics
Subject rankings

Quick Review

Religion
United Methodist
Acceptance rate
63%
Average SAT
1415
Average ACT
32
Avg. cost to attend
$48,179 /y
Aid receiving
71%
Undergraduates
7,285
Graduates
4,831
Male:Female Ratio
49:51
Control
Private
not-for-profit
Highest Degree
Doctor's degree
Website
smu.edu

Southern Methodist University Acceptance rate and admissions statistics

Southern Methodist University has an acceptance rate of 63% and is among the top 25% of the most difficult universities to gain admission to in the United States. The university reports the admission statistics without distinguishing between local and international students.

Total Men Women
Acceptance Rate 63% 61% 65%
Applicants 15,245 7,131 8,114
Admissions 9,657 4,384 5,273
Freshmen enrolled full time 1,715 840 875
Freshmen enrolled part time 1 1

1,002 students enrolled in some distance education courses.

669 enrolled exclusively in distance education.

SAT scores

Among admitted applicants
266 or 16%
submitted SAT

25% of them
had 1340
or below

75% of them
had 1490
or below

Typical SAT scores of first-years in Southern Methodist University are 1340-1490 (middle 50% range).

ACT scores

Among admitted applicants
160 or 9%
submitted ACT

25% of them
had 30
or below

75% of them
had 34
or below

Typical ACT scores of first-years in Southern Methodist University are 30-34 (middle 50% range).

Admissions requirements

College-preparatory program Required
Recommendations Required
Secondary school GPA Required
Secondary school record Required
TOEFL Required
Formal demonstration of competencies Considered but not required
SAT/ACT Considered but not required
Secondary school rank Considered but not required
Other Tests Neither required nor recommended

Enrollment demographics by race or ethnicity

White 6260 (52%)
Hispanic 1967 (16%)
Nonresident Alien 1117 (9%)
Asian 980 (8%)
Black or African American 927 (8%)
Two or more races 504 (4%)
Race or Ethnicity unknown 315 (3%)
American Indian or Alaska Native 21 (0.2%)
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 11 (0.1%)

Costs per year: Tuition, Housing, Fees

The average net cost to attend Southern Methodist University is $48,179 per year, calculated as the sum of the average cost of tuition, room and board, books, and supplies, reduced by the amount of average financial aid received.

The final cost of attendance varies for each student based on household income, residency, program, and other factors.

Net average cost to attend
$48,179/year
Average aid awarded
$37,520
Students receiving aid
71%

Average costs by household income

<$30K $23,544
$30-48K $20,038
$48-75K $24,152
$75-110K $33,477
$110K+ $58,213

Tuition and fees

UndergraduatesGraduates
Tuition in-district $59,500$31,590
Tuition in-state $59,500$31,590
Tuition out-of-state $59,500$31,590
Fee in-district $7,540$5,688
Fee in-state $7,540$5,688
Fee out-of-state $7,540$5,688

Room and board costs

Dormitory capacity 3,449
Combined charge for room and board $19,064
Room charge $11,734
Meal charge $7,330

Southern Methodist University majors

Southern Methodist University has granted 1,946 bachelor's degrees across 64 programs, 1,462 master's across 61 programs, and 382 doctorate degrees across 29 programs. Below is a table with majors that lead to degrees at Southern Methodist University.

Major Bachelor Master Doctoral
Management Science 24 524
Finance, General 280
Law 246
Economics, General 172
Sport and Fitness Administration & Management 130 12
Computer Science 85 53 3
Psychology, General 130
Accounting 56 57
Office Management and Supervision 45 52
Biology & Biological Sciences, General 77 4 4
Mental Health Counseling & Counselor 73
Marketing & Marketing Management, General 72
Data Science, General 69
Financial Mathematics 68
Education, Other 54 7
Advertising 50 10
Mechanical Engineering 50 5 2
Political Science and Government, General 55
Divinity & Ministry 42
Liberal Arts and Sciences & Liberal Studies 24 17
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, Other 39
Statistics, General 33 3 3
Animation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics, and Special Effects 37
Cinematography and Film & Video Production 37
Organizational Communication, General 36
Communication and Media Studies, Other 33
Public Relations & Image Management 32
Real Estate 32
Drama and Dramatics & Theatre Arts, General 31
Telecommunications Engineering 30
History, General 25 2 2
Journalism 29
Business Administration and Management, General 28
Electrical and Electronics Engineering 12 6 10
Urban Education and Leadership 28
Civil Engineering, General 15 6 6
Programs for Foreign Lawyers 27
Theology & Theological Studies 20 7
Operations Research 23 2 1
Manufacturing Engineering 24
Philosophy 23
English Language and Literature, General 15 4 2
Spanish Language and Literature 21
Higher Education & Higher Education Administration 6 14
Mathematics, General 20
Superintendency and Educational System Administration 19
Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 16 2
Engineering & Industrial Management 18
Music Performance, General 6 12
Fine & Studio Arts, General 14 3
Systems Engineering 17
Educational Leadership and Administration, General 16
Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other 16
Biochemistry 15
Music Teacher Education 8 7
Anthropology, General 9 4 1
Education, General 14
International Policy Analysis 14
Music, General 14
Public Policy Analysis, General 14
Dance, General 13
Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution 13
Chemistry, General 8 2 2
Computer Software Engineering 11 1
Computer and Information Systems Security & Auditing & Information Assurance 12
French Language and Literature 12
Computational and Applied Mathematics 7 4
Design and Applied Arts, Other 11
Engineering, Other 11
Fine and Studio Arts Management 11
Industrial and Organizational Psychology 10
Sociology, General 10
Art History, Criticism and Conservation 6 3
Environmental & Environmental Health Engineering 4 5
Geology & Earth Science, General 8 1
International & Globalization Studies 9
Religious & Sacred Music 2 7
Creative Writing 8
Research and Experimental Psychology, Other 2 6
American & U.S. Law & Legal Studies & Jurisprudence 2 5
Physics, General 1 4 2
Religion & Religious Studies 4 1 2
Computer Engineering, General 3 3
Computer Engineering, Other 6
Keyboard Instruments 2 4
Tax Law & Taxation 4
Voice and Opera 1 3
Bilingual and Multilingual Education 3
Biostatistics 3
Geophysics and Seismology 2 1
Music Theory and Composition 3
Music Therapy & Therapist 3
Engineering-Related Fields, Other 2
Sustainability Studies 2
Theoretical Chemistry 2
Communication, General 1
Conducting 1
Electrical and Computer Engineering 1
Engineering, General 1
French Studies 1
German Language and Literature 1
Italian Language and Literature 1
Multi- & Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 1
Grand Total 1,946 1,462 382

Southern Methodist University has a graduation rate of 84%, which is among the 9% highest for universities in the US.

Total Men Women
Graduation rate 84% 81% 88%
  • Full-time retention rate - 91%

Publications & Citations

Southern Methodist University is a world-class research university with 28,275 scientific papers published and 971,375 citations received. The research profile covers a range of fields, including Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Physics, Engineering, Computer Science, Environmental Science, Biology, Quantum and Particle physics, Chemistry, Political Science, and Mathematics.

Publications
28,275
Citations
971,375

Publication / Citation count by topic

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
14,561 / 492,397
Physics
13,294 / 491,766
Engineering
13,050 / 464,757
Computer Science
12,140 / 455,763
Environmental Science
11,050 / 424,576
Biology
10,337 / 422,649
Quantum and Particle physics
10,179 / 393,130
Chemistry
9,490 / 340,528
Political Science
8,139 / 255,815
Mathematics
8,008 / 304,934
Law
7,664 / 237,961
Philosophy
7,241 / 243,867
Geography and Cartography
6,704 / 234,590
Medicine
6,577 / 300,409
Business
6,381 / 274,864
Geology
5,985 / 246,072
Sociology
5,641 / 172,453
Statistics
5,614 / 227,487
History
5,600 / 175,291
Materials Science
5,564 / 202,100
Economics
5,532 / 219,660
Psychology
5,309 / 257,768
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
4,642 / 144,139
Archaeology
4,354 / 166,526
Organic Chemistry
4,134 / 151,976
Paleontology
4,022 / 183,004
Optical Engineering
3,921 / 149,511
Electrical Engineering
3,705 / 121,495
Ecology
3,515 / 153,500
Linguistics
3,235 / 118,473
Biochemistry
3,146 / 122,244
Telecommunications
3,097 / 101,388
Nuclear Physics
2,980 / 164,789
Art & Design
2,909 / 72,722
Genetics
2,835 / 113,110
Machine Learning
2,788 / 117,962
Management
2,544 / 129,024
Finance
2,428 / 108,743
Social Psychology
2,338 / 151,403
Astrophysics and Astronomy
2,333 / 96,837

Annual publication & citation counts

Year Publications Citations
1993 285 3774
1994 318 4154
1995 303 4539
1996 349 5203
1997 355 5352
1998 378 6190
1999 379 6544
2000 362 7702
2001 334 8183
2002 623 11582
2003 570 12523
2004 512 12888
2005 604 14742
2006 615 17053
2007 612 18940
2008 671 21374
2009 600 23377
2010 691 26132
2011 789 30306
2012 859 35298
2013 840 38348
2014 849 40325
2015 916 43948
2016 911 45497
2017 1006 45598
2018 1120 47531
2019 1162 52588
2020 1230 58993
2021 1135 65381
2022 1034 57592
2023 1192 60923
2024 894 56587
2025 701 49979
Academic rankings

Southern Methodist University alumni

  1. Kourtney Kardashian

    Kourtney Kardashian
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1979-.. (age 47)
    Occupations
    modelsocialitecelebrityactortelevision actor
    Biography

    Kourtney Kardashian Barker is an American media personality, socialite and businesswoman. In 2007, she and her family began starring in the reality television series Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Its success led to the creation of spin-offs including Kourtney and Kim Take Miami  and Kourtney and Kim Take New York. After she and her family made the decision to end their show after 20 seasons in 2021, they began appearing in an all new reality television series titled The Kardashians on Hulu in 2022.

  2. Jayne Mansfield

    Jayne Mansfield
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1933-1967 (aged 34)
    Occupations
    singerstage actortelevision actorPlayboy Playmatefilm actor
    Biography

    Jayne Mansfield was an American actress, Playboy Playmate, singer, and sex symbol of the 1950s and early 1960s. She was known for her numerous publicity stunts, her buxom figure, and her personal life. Her film career was short-lived, but she won a Theatre World Award and a Golden Globe Award. Mansfield gained a reputation as Hollywood's "smartest dumb blonde".

  3. Kathy Bates

    Kathy Bates
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1948-.. (age 78)
    Occupations
    stage actorfilm directordirectoractorvoice actor
    Biography

    Kathleen Doyle Bates is an American actress. Her work spans over five decades, and her accolades include an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for a Tony Award and two BAFTA Awards.

  4. Sarah Shahi

    Sarah Shahi
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1980-.. (age 46)
    Occupations
    modeltelevision actorvoice actoractorfilm actor
    Biography

    Aahoo Jahansouzshahi, known professionally as Sarah Shahi, is an American actress. She played Carmen on The L Word in 2005, Kate Reed in the USA Network legal drama Fairly Legal (2011–2012), Sameen Shaw on the CBS crime drama Person of Interest (2012–2016), Billie on the Netflix series Sex/Life (2021–2023), and Dr. Gabriela Torabi in Hulu thriller series Paradise (2025). She portrayed the major character Det. Dani Reese in Life, and had a supporting role in Alias. In 2018, she starred in the series Reverie. In 2019, she appeared in a recurring role in City on a Hill on Showtime, and appeared in seven episodes of the series The Rookie as romantic interest Jessica Russo. In 2023, she received praise for her role as White House Deputy Chief of Staff Zahra Bankston in Red, White & Royal Blue.

All 100 notable alumni

General info

Alternative names SMU
Founded 1911
Motto Veritas Liberabit Vos
The Truth Shall Set You Free (John 8:32)
Colors harvard crimson, yale blue
Academic calendar August to May (August - December; January-May). Also Summer Session
Total FTE staff 2,762
Carnegie classification Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity

Location and contacts

Address 6425 Boaz St
Dallas, Texas, 75275-0221
United States
City population 1,304,000
Phone 2147682000

Southern Methodist University in social media