# Southern Methodist University (SMU)

Private nonprofit college in Dallas, TX. IPEDS ID 228246.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/southern-methodist-university · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/southern-methodist-university.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 63% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $40,892 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 84%; beats 96% of TX colleges and 93% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $78,354; beats 94% of TX colleges and 92% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $15,311

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $23,544 |
| 30-48k | $20,038 |
| 48-75k | $24,152 |
| 75-110k | $33,477 |
| 110k+ | $58,213 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.1 years on average (76% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $78,354 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in TX (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| 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 |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $85,606
- Tuition and fees: $67,040
- Housing and meals: $18,230; books: $800

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 670–740; SAT math: 670–750; ACT: 30–34 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 15,092 applicants, 9,240 admitted, 1,592 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 63%, ACT 30–34 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 61%, ACT 30–34 (IPEDS Admissions)

### Common Data Set 2025-26 (Fall 2025)
- Very important: none; important: none; considered: none
- Early decision: not reported; early action: yes; waitlist: yes (243 admitted of 1074 who accepted a spot)
- Aid (full-time first-years): average 90.44% of need met; 351 of 598 with need fully met; merit aid to students without need: 501 students, average $30,239
- Source: https://www.smu.edu/-/media/site/ir/commondatasets/2025/cds-2025-26-part-c-first-time-freshman-final.pdf

## Majors (69 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance | $83,159 | $133,852 | $19,500 |
| Computer Science | $93,679 | $126,590 | $26,000 |
| Mathematics | $74,516 | $111,773 | $21,000 |
| Business Administration | $60,659 | $106,799 | $19,500 |
| Accounting | $68,643 | $103,675 | $15,850 |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | $57,858 | $93,769 | $19,730 |
| Economics | $71,630 | $91,701 | $19,500 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $79,280 | $90,649 | $17,708 |
| Public Relations and Advertising | $51,828 | $89,330 | $19,750 |
| Marketing | $50,790 | $88,627 | $20,500 |
| Biology | $39,087 | $78,466 | $22,125 |
| Psychology | $38,115 | $72,136 | $23,310 |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | $45,519 | $62,838 | $20,475 |
| Theatre | $23,831 | $35,844 | $24,000 |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Area Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Communications | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Journalism | $40,502 | not reported | $19,448 |
| Education | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education (Subject Teaching) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Civil Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computer Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Electrical Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Environmental Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Operations Research | $72,658 | not reported | $20,500 |
| Electrical and Computer Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Engineering-Related Fields | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| German | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Middle / Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Classics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Legal Studies / Paralegal | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| English | $47,019 | not reported | $19,500 |
| Writing | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biochemistry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Statistics | $76,759 | not reported | $19,750 |
| Medieval and Renaissance Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| International / Global Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Cognitive Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Sustainability Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Data Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Philosophy | $42,334 | not reported | $21,500 |
| Religious Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Chemistry | $38,919 | not reported | $23,250 |
| Geology / Earth Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Public Policy Analysis | $40,434 | not reported | $19,615 |
| Social Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Anthropology | $56,550 | not reported | $23,125 |
| Political Science | $52,160 | not reported | $20,500 |
| Sociology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Dance | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Film and Photography | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Studio Art | $38,154 | not reported | not reported |
| Music | $23,159 | not reported | $18,417 |
| Arts and Entertainment Management | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Business | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Management Information Systems | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Management Science / Analytics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Real Estate | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Insurance | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| History | $33,550 | not reported | $23,250 |

## Major to career
- Finance → Financial analyst: median wage $100,350 (Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX), $99,150 (TX), $102,740 (U.S.)
- Public Relations and Advertising → Public relations specialist: median wage $69,280 (Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX), $65,160 (TX), $74,750 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).