More selective than 72% of Texas colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $85,606. College Scorecard.
Higher than 96% of Texas colleges we cover and 93% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 94% of Texas colleges we cover and 92% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
SMU acceptance rate & admissions
Of 15,092 applicants, Southern Methodist University admitted 9,240 and 1,592 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1340–1490 on the SAT or 30–34 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
SMU tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
State aid: Texas residents with financial need attending eligible private nonprofit Texas colleges may receive a Tuition Equalization Grant (TEG); amounts are set each year. Not included in the prices above. Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (College for All Texans)
What SMU costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Southern Methodist University took 4.1 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Texas. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $23,544 | $96,530 | 2.2 years |
| $30–48k | $20,038 | $82,156 | 1.8 years |
| $48–75k | $24,152 | $99,023 | 2.2 years |
| $75–110k | $33,477 | $137,256 | 3.1 years |
| $110k+ | $58,213 | $238,673 | 5.3 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.1 years, the average time graduates took (76% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($78,354) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in TX (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $44,838 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
SMU majors, earnings & careers
Southern Methodist University offers 69 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 16
- Business & Finance · 10
- Science & Math · 10
- Engineering · 9
- Arts & Design · 7
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 7
- Communications & Media · 3
- Health & Medicine · 3
- Education · 2
- Technology & Computing · 2
Highest-earning majors at SMU
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Finance | $133,852 | $19,500 |
| Computer Science | $126,590 | $26,000 |
| Mathematics | $111,773 | $21,000 |
| Business Administration | $106,799 | $19,500 |
| Accounting | $103,675 | $15,850 |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | $93,769 | $19,730 |
| Economics | $91,701 | $19,500 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $90,649 | $17,708 |
Quick list of all 69 majors
- Accounting$103,675
- Anthropology—
- Area Studies—
- Arts and Entertainment Management—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$78,466
- Business—
- Business Administration$106,799
- Chemistry—
- Civil Engineering—
- Classics—
- Cognitive Science—
- Communications—
- Computer Engineering—
- Computer Science$126,590
- Dance—
- Data Science—
- East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)—
- Economics$91,701
- Education—
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Electrical and Computer Engineering—
- Electrical Engineering—
- Engineering—
- Engineering-Related Fields—
- English—
- Environmental Engineering—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Film and Photography—
- Finance$133,852
- Geology / Earth Science—
- German—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design—
- Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other—
- History—
- Insurance—
- International / Global Studies—
- Journalism—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$62,838
- Legal Studies / Paralegal—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Management Information Systems—
- Management Science / Analytics—
- Marketing$88,627
- Mathematics$111,773
- Mechanical Engineering$90,649
- Medieval and Renaissance Studies—
- Middle / Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music—
- Operations Research—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science—
- Psychology$72,136
- Public Policy Analysis—
- Public Relations and Advertising$89,330
- Real Estate—
- Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences—
- Religious Studies—
- Social Sciences—
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$93,769
- Statistics—
- Studio Art—
- Sustainability Studies—
- Theatre$35,844
- Writing—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Finance → Financial analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 7.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Public Relations and Advertising → Public relations specialist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 1.8% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Dallas
Overall prices in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,807. Housing costs 18% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 41 inches of rain a year, 2 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (very high); river flooding (very high); heat wave (very high); winter weather (very high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Dallas County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Dallas County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare SMU with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Texas by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Methodist University | 63% | $40,892 | 84% | $78,354 | This school |
| Texas Christian University | 44% | $36,660 | 86% | $68,424 | |
| Abilene Christian University | 66% | $26,182 | 59% | $55,736 | |
| Parker University | — | $29,135 | 74% | $42,091 | |
| University of Dallas | 53% | $22,610 | 73% | $58,285 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Southern Methodist University would cost you $4,232 more per year than Texas Christian University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Southern Methodist University, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$5,300).
- Southern Methodist University gives aided families $4,770 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Texas resident | SMU | TCU | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $67,040 | $61,740 | +$5,300 |
| Books & supplies | $800 | $800 | $0 |
| Housing & meals | $18,230 | $14,800 | +$3,430 |
| Personal & travel | $2,600 | $4,240 | −$1,640 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$3,064 | −$4,976 | +$1,912 |
| Sticker price | $85,606 | $76,604 | +$9,002 |
| Average grants | −$44,714 | −$39,944 | −$4,770 |
| You pay | $40,892 | $36,660 | +$4,232 |
“+” means SMU costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about SMU
What is the SMU acceptance rate?
Southern Methodist University accepts 63% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 9,240 of 15,092 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1340–1490 on the SAT or 30–34 on the ACT.
How much does Southern Methodist University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $85,606 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $40,892 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $23,544 and families earning $110k+ pay $58,213.
How much do SMU graduates earn?
Former Southern Methodist University students earn a median $78,354 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the SMU graduation rate?
84% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 91% return for their second year.
How long does a SMU degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Southern Methodist University costs about $99,023 after grants ($24,152 a year for 4.1 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $78,354 ten years after starting, $44,838 more than high school graduates in Texas ($33,516), so the cost is repaid in 2.2 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Southern Methodist University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/southern-methodist-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).