Southern Methodist University (SMU)
Private nonprofit four-year university in Dallas, TX that costs an average of $39,816 a year after financial aid, admits 63% of applicants and graduates 83% of full-time students.
Net price / year
$39,816
Acceptance rate
63%
Graduation rate
83%
Earnings after 10 yrs
$90,037
Private nonprofitLarge suburb7,277 undergraduates
Cost of SMU
| Total cost of attendance (per year) | $88,892 |
|---|---|
| Tuition and fees, in-state | $69,722 |
| Housing and food (on campus) | $19,794 |
| Books and supplies | $800 |
| Average net price after aid | $39,816 |
Net price by family income
| Family income | Average net price / year |
|---|---|
| $0–30,000 | $31,728 |
| $30,001–48,000 | $18,708 |
| $48,001–75,000 | $23,206 |
| $75,001–110,000 | $28,047 |
| $110,001+ | $57,328 |
Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships. Get your own estimate with SMU's net price calculator ↗.
Admissions
| Acceptance rate | 63% |
|---|---|
| Average SAT | 1,428 |
| SAT reading (25th–75th percentile) | 670–740 |
| SAT math (25th–75th percentile) | 670–750 |
| ACT composite (25th–75th percentile) | 30–34 |
| Test scores | Considered but not required |
Graduation, earnings and debt
| Graduation rate | 83% |
|---|---|
| First-year retention | 91% |
| Median earnings 6 years after enrolling | $77,754 |
| Median earnings 10 years after enrolling | $90,037 |
| Rank in Texas (earnings) | 9th of 93 similar colleges |
| Median debt of graduates | $18,750 |
| Typical monthly loan payment | $213 (10-year plan) |
| Students with Pell grants | 18% |
| Students with federal loans | 23% |
Majors and programs at SMU
Earnings one year after graduation and median debt, by program. Click a program for details and comparisons.
Bachelor's degree programs (72)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | 180 | $97,568 | $20,500 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 606 | $93,440 | $17,250 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 99 | $82,252 | $25,000 |
| Mathematics | 69 | $82,076 | $19,500 |
| Statistics | 79 | $80,552 | $12,000 |
| Operations Research | 67 | $80,235 | — |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 144 | $70,326 | $18,125 |
| Real Estate | 87 | $63,536 | — |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 77 | $63,405 | — |
| Economics | 319 | $62,429 | $18,500 |
| Design and Applied Arts | 23 | $60,893 | $14,000 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 72 | $59,270 | $20,500 |
| Marketing | 160 | $58,100 | $19,500 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 81 | $57,636 | — |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | 240 | $56,398 | $17,375 |
| History | 49 | $54,915 | $19,500 |
| Psychology | 263 | $53,527 | $19,500 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 229 | $53,477 | $17,750 |
| Political Science and Government | 124 | $53,269 | $17,750 |
| Journalism | 77 | $52,095 | $23,000 |
| Philosophy | 47 | $51,080 | $20,500 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 39 | $50,693 | — |
| Public Policy Analysis | 88 | $49,286 | $18,750 |
| English Language and Literature | 33 | $45,378 | $19,500 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 45 | $44,127 | $21,500 |
| Sociology | 22 | $41,728 | — |
| Biology | 181 | $36,133 | $18,010 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | 76 | $30,199 | $21,500 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 118 | — | $18,406 |
| Anthropology | 24 | — | — |
| Area Studies | 2 | — | — |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management | — | — | — |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | 21 | — | — |
| Business/Commerce | — | — | $15,750 |
| Chemistry | 19 | — | — |
| Civil Engineering | 28 | — | — |
| Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | — | — | — |
| Cognitive Science | — | — | — |
| Computer Engineering | 6 | — | — |
| Dance | 35 | — | $20,500 |
| Data Science | 68 | — | $19,000 |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 3 | — | — |
| Education | 25 | — | — |
| Electrical and Computer Engineering | 1 | — | — |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 33 | — | — |
| Engineering | — | — | — |
| Engineering-Related Fields | — | — | — |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering | 10 | — | — |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | 1 | — | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 16 | — | — |
| Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 1 | — | — |
| Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other | 49 | — | — |
| Health/Medical Preparatory Programs | — | — | — |
| Insurance | — | — | — |
| International/Globalization Studies | 29 | — | $19,500 |
| Management Information Systems and Services | — | — | — |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | 47 | — | — |
| Medieval and Renaissance Studies | — | — | — |
| Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | — | — | — |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 1 | — | — |
| Music | 54 | — | $20,500 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 1 | — | — |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | — | — | $19,500 |
| Non-Professional Legal Studies | — | — | — |
| Physics | 5 | — | — |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences | — | — | — |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | 5 | — | — |
| Religion/Religious Studies | 10 | — | — |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 21 | — | — |
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | — | — | — |
| Social Sciences | — | — | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 13 | — | — |
Post-baccalaureate certificate programs (1)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | — | — | — |
Master's degree programs (72)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance and Financial Management Services | — | $156,986 | — |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations | — | $143,350 | — |
| Information Science/Studies | — | $134,755 | $56,716 |
| Computer Systems Analysis | — | $129,168 | — |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | 23 | $121,126 | — |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | 1,214 | $120,862 | $87,346 |
| Engineering-Related Fields | 73 | $119,168 | — |
| Systems Engineering | 80 | $114,733 | — |
| Marketing | — | $113,366 | — |
| Manufacturing Engineering | 64 | $106,942 | — |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 103 | $100,986 | $56,794 |
| Applied Mathematics | 153 | $92,044 | $39,500 |
| Taxation | 39 | $75,458 | — |
| Accounting and Related Services | 135 | $74,194 | $29,110 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 100 | $72,992 | $20,500 |
| Graphic Communications | 82 | $72,642 | — |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies | 71 | $67,900 | — |
| Education, Other | 142 | $62,434 | $17,000 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 58 | $60,977 | — |
| Theological and Ministerial Studies | 115 | $57,158 | $48,249 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 57 | $57,107 | — |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | 135 | $50,227 | $61,700 |
| Music | 42 | $24,988 | — |
| Anthropology | 11 | — | — |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management | 26 | — | — |
| Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | 14 | — | — |
| Biology | 7 | — | — |
| Chemistry | 3 | — | — |
| Civil Engineering | 11 | — | — |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | 14 | — | — |
| Computer Engineering | 34 | — | — |
| Computer Science | 97 | — | — |
| Computer Software and Media Applications | — | — | — |
| Dance | — | — | — |
| Data Science | 160 | — | $47,516 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 4 | — | — |
| Economics | 44 | — | — |
| Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | — | — | — |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 84 | — | — |
| Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians | — | — | — |
| Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians | — | — | — |
| Engineering | 3 | — | — |
| Engineering Physics | — | — | — |
| Engineering Science | — | — | — |
| Engineering, Other | 24 | — | — |
| English Language and Literature | 4 | — | — |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering | 11 | — | — |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | — | — | — |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 11 | — | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 5 | — | — |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences | 4 | — | — |
| History | 4 | — | — |
| Housing and Human Environments | — | — | — |
| Management Information Systems and Services | — | — | — |
| Mechanical Engineering | 15 | — | — |
| Medieval and Renaissance Studies | — | — | — |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | — | — | — |
| Operations Research | 5 | — | — |
| Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution | 29 | — | — |
| Physics | 4 | — | — |
| Psychology | 3 | — | — |
| Public Policy Analysis | — | — | — |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | 20 | — | — |
| Real Estate | — | — | — |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | — | — | — |
| Religion/Religious Studies | 1 | — | — |
| Religious Music and Worship | 6 | — | — |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | 2 | — | — |
| Special Education and Teaching | 3 | — | — |
| Statistics | 12 | — | — |
| Sustainability Studies | 6 | — | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 17 | — | — |
Doctoral degree programs (31)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 59 | $104,921 | $49,625 |
| Anthropology | 3 | — | — |
| Applied Mathematics | 9 | — | — |
| Biology | 6 | — | — |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology | 7 | — | — |
| Chemistry | 10 | — | — |
| Civil Engineering | 12 | — | — |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | 5 | — | — |
| Computer Engineering | 4 | — | — |
| Computer Science | 6 | — | — |
| Data Science | — | — | — |
| Economics | 6 | — | — |
| Education, Other | 13 | — | — |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 16 | — | — |
| Engineering | 1 | — | — |
| Engineering-Related Fields | 1 | — | — |
| English Language and Literature | 7 | — | — |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 2 | — | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 3 | — | — |
| History | 6 | — | — |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies | 6 | — | — |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 30 | — | — |
| Mechanical Engineering | 10 | — | — |
| Operations Research | 5 | — | — |
| Physics | 4 | — | — |
| Religion/Religious Studies | 6 | — | — |
| Religious Music and Worship | 9 | — | — |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | 6 | — | — |
| Statistics | 10 | — | — |
| Systems Engineering | 1 | — | — |
| Theological and Ministerial Studies | 12 | — | — |
Professional degree programs (1)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Law | 467 | $108,097 | $144,500 |
Graduate certificate programs (15)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graphic Communications | 90 | $72,096 | $118,077 |
| Computer Engineering | — | — | — |
| Data Science | — | — | — |
| Economics | — | — | — |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | — | — | — |
| Electrical and Computer Engineering | — | — | — |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | — | — | — |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | — | — | — |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | — | — | — |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | 3 | — | — |
| Music | 28 | — | — |
| Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution | — | — | — |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | — | — | — |
| Special Education and Teaching | — | — | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | — | — | — |
Similar colleges in Texas
| College | City | Net price / yr | Acceptance | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Christian University | Fort Worth | $35,045 | 44% | $77,334 |
| Rice University | Houston | $11,164 | 8.0% | $90,773 |
| University of the Incarnate Word | San Antonio | $17,483 | 98% | $60,110 |
| Baylor University | Waco | $44,441 | 51% | $72,408 |
| University of St Thomas | Houston | $15,446 | 90% | $64,410 |
| Abilene Christian University | Abilene | $27,943 | 66% | $61,376 |
| Houston Christian University | Houston | $19,294 | 84% | $60,634 |
| University of Mary Hardin-Baylor | Belton | $29,143 | 96% | $59,613 |
About SMU
| Type | Private nonprofit four-year university |
|---|---|
| Location | Dallas, TX |
| Setting | Large suburb |
| Undergraduates | 7,277 |
| Student-to-faculty ratio | 11 to 1 |
| Accreditor | Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges |
| Website | smu.edu ↗ |
Frequently asked questions
What is SMU's acceptance rate?
Southern Methodist University admits 63% of applicants. Admitted students average 1,428 on the SAT.
How much does SMU cost per year?
The full cost of attendance is $88,892 a year (tuition and fees: $69,722). After grants and scholarships the average student pays $39,816 a year, and students from families earning under $30,000 pay about $31,728.
How much do SMU graduates earn?
Former students earn a median of $90,037 a year, 10 years after first enrolling — 9th of 93 similar colleges in Texas. The best-paid bachelor's program is computer science ($97,568 a year after graduation).
What is SMU's graduation rate?
83% of full-time students graduate within six years, and 91% of first-year students return for a second year.